Living in Dallas the past four months has been great. It is the first major city I have ever lived in and with major city brings awesome restaurants. I come from a small town in Michigan where there are still dirt roads and I can hear cows mooing from my house in the summer. So I was so excited to try the food in Dallas and one evening, my sister treated me to a restaurant called Rise where they serve soufflé for their mains and desserts. It was without a doubt one of the most heavenly delicious meal I have ever had. A restaurant with only soufflé, that screams I live in a city. I didn’t even know what a soufflé was until I left Lapeer to go to college.
Another one of my favorite parts about working in a city, as silly as this sounds, was getting lunch. This was my first job in the corporate world so anything relating to the “work world” was super exciting for me. I quickly found a favorite and everyone knew the restaurant I would suggest for lunch, Pho Colonial.
The first thing I ever tried were the dumplings and I was sold. They are one of the best dumplings I have ever had. You bite into the doughy outside and are instantly overcome with the flavorful filling of the pork and shrimp mixture. To top the perfectly handcrafted dumpling off, it is served with the Chef’s dumpling soy dipping sauce that is amazing. It is smooth as satin with hints of salty, spicy and sweet that lingers on your taste buds. I dream about these dumplings, and what is a better partner to dumplings than traditional phở?
Phở originated in the early 20th century in northern Vietnam in a city called Hanoi. It was created to appease the locals and the French who had migrated to the area because the area had a textile market. The way the broth is cooked uses a French method of adding charred onion to the broth for color and flavor, making phở distinguishable amongst other Asian noodle soups. Vendors first sold it from large boxes, then the first restaurant opened in Hanoi in the1920s.
I have never been to Vietnam so I don’t have the real deal to compare to Pho Colonial in Dallas but I would have to believe it is pretty dang close. The phở ga (chicken phở) comes just as it should with the broth noodles and chicken in a bowl and a plate with bean sprouts, Thai basil, fresh jalapeno and a lime wedge. The broth alone is so delicious you could eat it plain. Then you bite into the chicken that is perfectly cooked from the hot broth and you just melt. There are flares of fresh flavors from all the toppings swirling in your mouth and your senses are taken over. Simply put, it is delicious.
Pho Colonial has an energy that you feel as soon as you walk in. You place your order at the counter and then find a seat at tables that you could possibly share with strangers, which is an exciting twist to lunch. Your food is then brought to you. Be prepared for a little wait if you go during the lunch rush from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., I’m not the first person to love this place. But take out is a great option, if you order ahead you jump up to the take out line and get in and out in no time. The prices are great and the portions are good sized. The regular sized phở ga my sister and I easily share or I would order it for myself and have leftovers for dinner. I truly suggest this restaurant to anyone who is living in Texas or is visiting.
As you walk out you will be thinking of the next time you can come back, guaranteed. Pho Colonial is addicting.
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