Turtle Tower serves a different kind of pho+? than many of the pho+? shops around the Bay Area. Can you tell what's different from this picture?
There are many differences depicted here, including the condition of the raw beef (tai) as well as the color and clarity of the broth. The raw beef trimming is more like pounded raw beef rather than the carefully sliced meat in other places. Both times I've had pho+? at Turtle Tower, I've really enjoyed this texture here. But the most striking difference is the lack of herbs and bean sprouts in this picture. Northern-style pho+? forgoes all the trimmings, choosing a more broth-powered approach, garnished only with green onions and a dash of lime.
The thing that stands out in my mind about the pho+? at Turtle Tower is their home-made, hand-cut noodles.
These noodles are smooth, slippery, and exciting as they dance around in your mouth as you slurp and chew with their variable widths occupying different surface areas inside. Although not as chewy as the reconstituted dried noodles, they have a slight sweetness that accentuates the taste of the broth. The splash of lime brings out the best of the noodles - deliciously satisfying!
As many of you attentive readers might guess, I haven't said much about the broth, which is unusual for my pho+? posts. The actual flavor of the broth is a bit difficult for me to comment, since I don't know any other Northern-style pho+? shops. I'm not sure if what I found lacking was due to my exposure to (and general preference for) Southern-style pho+? or something inherent in the broth specifically at Turtle Tower... I don't think I can justifiably compare my favorite Southern-style pho+? with this one, since it's really a different beast all together.
Although I very much enjoyed Turtle Tower's Northern-style bowl, my number 1 pho+? ranking hasn't changed a single bit. If I had to eat a bowl of pho+? every day, I'd prefer it to be from Beef Noodle #1!
2 comments:
I was a bit perplexed as well about this Pho style. It's a fusion of the Chinese-style wide noodle Hu Tieu (the likes of which are served by shops such as TK Noodles in the South Bay) and Pho.
I can't say that I really liked it, but I didn't dislike it, either. I suppose it was just different and would take some getting used to. The thing this style of Pho has going for itself is the wide noodle; I very much like the wide rice noodles for the same reason that The Baby Bear had mentioned; in fact, if I were to go to a TK Noodles, I would very likely order Hu Tieu, which has very similar noodles to the ones used at Turtle Tower Restaurant (Pho Thap Rua).
The broth was also quite different tasting, and the bowl looked so "naked" without the accompanying herbs. Sigh...
I'm classifying this style as an "adventure" style. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to have a bowl of Pho at Turtle Tower, but if I were in the area and it was close to noon time, I would very likely stop by to have an "adventure" bowl of Pho.
Hi Alice, my first time to comment so I just want to start off saying I LOVE YOUR BLOG!! Just wondering if you have discovered any good Pho places in the East Bay area? I live in Pleasanton, and the closest Pho I have found is in Newark.
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