Pho Lunch Episode One: This Pho Will Blow Your Mind

July, 06, 2010 , by Justin

Where: bu•ku – global street food
110 East Davie Street Raleigh, NC 27601

When: Lunch Only (Monday through Saturday: 11am – 4pm)

What: Vietnamese Pho - $8

My first stop in the hunt for the best Pho in the Triangle took me to buku, a trendy ‘restaurant without borders’ in Downtown Raleigh. You’ll find Vietnamese Pho at the top of the diverse and appetizing lunch menu. Note: you can Pho-get about ordering it off the dinner menu, which is devoted to ‘small plates.’

Chef William D’Auvray “spent his early childhood in the Philippines and traveling in Asia” and he obviously knows a thing or two about international cuisine.

My server brought me out a steaming, aromatic, and beautifully arranged bowl of Pho, as pictured below. All the ingredients were precisely positioned and waiting for me to make the first move: rice noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, big shoots of Siam basil and cilantro, turkey meat balls, a rich broth, a lime wedge garnish and Thai chili sauce on the side.

It was great and totally filling. You can really tell the freshness of the ingredients and preparation, and after eating it I had a deep sense of nourishment and inner cleansing – probably from chowing down on the abundant fresh herbs and embracing the chili sauce.

One thing to note: the first time I ordered Pho at buku, it came with darker, smaller turkey meatballs. The second time I ordered Pho, the meatballs were larger and pinkish – almost salmon colored. The chef reported via the server that they had been cooked at a lower temperature. Curious.

Flavor and Freshness: If there hadn’t been two different colors / sizes of meatballs on my two visits, this would be a perfect score. 9 out of 10

Authenticity: Turkey meatballs are not the most common protein to be found in Pho, although some Americans may prefer this to more ‘exotic’ meats like beef tripe and tendon. Also, this dish does not have saw leaf herb, a truly authentic garnish. Buku seems pretty legit with their international cuisine, but I can’t firsthand report on their preparation of the broth (Bone marrow? Star anise?). 7 out of 10

Value and Experience: $8 for meal-sized top-notch Pho from a classy downtown Raleigh restaurant can’t be beat. Buku is stylish inside and out. The ingredients were beautifully arranged in an earthenware bowl. The service was good and the place was clean. 9 out of 10

WHAT’S PHO LUNCH?

In this bi-weekly series of articles for New Raleigh, I, Dr. Pho, will seek out the best Vietnamese Pho in the Triangle and report my findings.

See previously: Pho Lunch Episode Zero: Pho 101

See the bu•ku page.

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