Tonkinese Noodle Soup?

On a recent trip to Montreal, a close friend of mine declared that we had to have one of the cities beloved specialties. Immediately images of great French dishes jumped to mind, paté, cassoulet, boudin noir. Little did I realize she was talking about Tonkinese noodle soup, or that Montreal had any sort of Vietnamese population at all. She explained that Tonkinese noodle soup was a favorite of college students throughout the city and a great meal late at night.

Loving all things Asian, we ventured out to discover this great new dish. Upon arriving at the restaurant, and eating our fill of soup, which was truly delicious, I declared that what in fact we were dining upon was that classic Vietnamese dish Pho. A debate ensued, and we left Montreal agreeing to disagree whether or not Tonkinese noodle soup truly is Pho.

One of the greatest advantages to living in NYC is the accessibility to a tremendous diversity of ethnic restaurants. Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Eritrean establishments abound, everyone offering another thrill with each bite of a newly discovered dish. The city’s ethnic neighborhoods host not only great restaurants but stores selling anything you could possibly need to create authentic and inspired dishes at home.


Pehaps my favorite neighborhood to shop and dine in is Chinatown. Walking through the bustling streets with their open-air produce and fish markets, street vendors hawking everything from steamed duck buns to fresh durian, it's often difficult to believe one is still in Manhattan. Chinatown is also one of the last vestiges of old New York. Yet unchanged by the latest real estate boom, which continues to annihilate the rich fabric of New York’s streetscapes, replacing them with towering luxury buildings in which only giant chains are able to afford retail space rent.In time, who knows, but for know Chinatown's still replete with small mom and pop shops lining the streets giving great values and rich diversity to the neighborhood.

Chinatown also plays host to several excellent restaurants and stores that are not Chinese at all. There's at least one of the best Thai restaurants in the city, a great Thai grocery where you can find fresh Kaffir lime leaf, and a handful of Vietnamese restaurants some specializing in PHO.

The other day while shopping for dinner, I remembered my trip to Montreal and our debate. I decided it was time to put to rest the debate and that I should stop into one of the areas Vietnamese restaurants, down some Pho and find out if there is in fact any difference between Pho and Tonkinese noodle soup.

One of my favorites is called Nha Trang, after a city in southern Vietnam. Actually there are two, one called Nha Trang One, the original on Baxter Street, and another Nha Trang Centre, one block West, on you guessed it, Center street. Having had my occasional fix of Pho on Centre Street, either in very cold weather, or feeling a little under the weather from a cold or more often an excessively late night out, at the later, I thought it was far time to try the original.


Upon arriving at Nha Trang, the waitress, whose proficiency with the English language is quickly realized, but I don’t speak Vietnamese either, brings you a steaming pot of black tea. There are two menus, one devoted almost exclusively to Pho and another more expansive menu that includes shrimp, chicken and pork dishes served with rice. But Pho is the specialty, and it is offered in almost twenty variations.

Pho is a classic Vietnamese dish comprised of Thin rice noodles in an aromatic broth. The most traditional variation is with beef broth garnished with several different cuts of meat. Once the soup is ordered, out comes a plate stacked full of bean sprouts with Thai basil leaves and lime wedges. On the table sit an array of Asian condiments used to enhance the flavor and heat of your broth. Hoisin sauce, sambal ooleek, sri racha and soy may not be indigenous to Vietnam, but they the show the close similarities in cuisines between Vietnam and it's neighbors, China and Thailand

So here's the deal, the soup comes out steaming hot, you pour in an ample amount of your favorite condiments, I love it with lots of hoisin and sambal ooleek, and then add been sprouts, tear some Thai basil leaves into it, and a squeeze of lime to heighten the flavors. Stir it together and YUMMY!

Slurp the noodles, drink the broth and you'll be in heaven. Great flavors, healthy and restorative, what else do you want? Oh Yeah! Even better, the pho is just $5.50 with the tea thrown! And that's for the expensive version.

So is Pho the same as Tonkinese noodle soup? Having eaten both with zest, and doing a little extra research, I’ve figured out that Tonkinese noodle soup is a Pho parading under a westernized name derived from Tonkin, the Northern area of Vietnam bordering China. Regardless what you call it, Tokinese noodle soup or Pho, it’s always delicious.