The Boat ★ 4.7
The Boat in Seattle's Little Saigon is the original Pho Bac since 1982: the city's first pho restaurant, still in a red boat-shaped building, bowls from $13.
Try: Pho tai with rare flank
History
Pho arrived in Seattle in 1982 when Theresa and Augustine Pham opened Cat's Submarine on South Jackson Street, started selling Theresa's weekend pho to homesick Vietnamese customers, and switched the menu over to pho within four months. The shop renamed itself Pho Bac and is generally considered the first dedicated pho restaurant in the United States. The Phams' five children have since built a Seattle empire: Pho Bac Sup Shop, The Boat (which kept the original Jackson Street building) and Hello Em on 12th. Seattle now has more pho restaurants per capita than any US city outside California, almost all family-run. The classic order is tai-nam-gan: rare flank, well-done brisket and tendon, served with the standard plate of basil, sawtooth coriander, mung sprouts, lime and chillies on the side.
Common allergens: Gluten, Soy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 kg beef shin and oxtail, mixed
- 500g beef brisket
- 1 large onion, halved, skin on
- 1 hand of fresh ginger, halved
- 5 star anise pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 litres cold water
- 60ml fish sauce
- 30g rock sugar or palm sugar
- Sea salt
- 400g dried banh pho noodles
- 200g sirloin or flank, sliced paper-thin
- Thai basil, sawtooth coriander, mung sprouts, lime wedges, sliced bird chillies, sliced white onion, to serve
Method
- Char the onion and ginger over an open flame or under the broiler until the skins blacken. Brush off the burnt bits.
- Blanch the bones and brisket 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain. Rinse off the scum.
- Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and coriander 90 seconds in a dry pan. Tie in a muslin bag.
- Combine bones, brisket, charred aromatics, spice bag and the 4 litres of cold water in a stockpot. Bring slowly to the gentlest simmer.
- Cook 3 hours, skimming surface scum every 30 minutes. Pull the brisket out at 90 minutes when it is tender; refrigerate.
- Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salt to taste. Keep hot.
- Cook the banh pho noodles per packet. Divide between deep bowls. Top with sliced raw sirloin, sliced cold brisket.
- Ladle the boiling broth over the meat; the heat cooks the sirloin. Serve with the aromatics on a side plate.
Tip from the editors. Skim every 30 minutes for a clear broth; the difference between a great pho and a muddy one is the patience of the skimmer.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat pho
Pho in Seattle
Ba Bar Capitol Hill ★ 4.3
Ba Bar Capitol Hill in Seattle is the city's only proper late-night Vietnamese kitchen: pho until 02:00 weekdays, 03:30 weekends, bahn mi at the counter through close.
Try: Pho ga at 02:00
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