PHO KING – Vietnamese Food Cooked with Love

You know you are in for a good thing when the owner of a food business happens to be someone who’s passionate about the food served. Strange as it may sound, there are people who go into the food business purely for commercial and monetary reasons.

When Kenneth Teoh unravelled the story of how he and his Vietnamese wife first started Pho King as a private supperclub venture, and then as a stall in a kopitiam, I could practically see the sparkle of passion in his eyes. More than a year later, they now have their own cosy simple restaurant serving their passion. It truly was and is a labour of love for this husband-and-wife team.

Cosy and comfortable set-up

At the moment, Kenneth is keeping Pho King’s menu tight, focusing on dishes he and his wife love. They both believe in cooking their favourite dishes in the way they would prepare at home, using only authentic and top-notch ingredients. Kenneth goes to Vietnam personally on a regular basis to source the necessary ingredients like fish sauce, specially ground coffee and other herbs and spices.

As the name suggests, Pho King’s signature items are of course their pho – Vietnamese rice noodles in beef, pork or chicken broth. Only quality Australian beef and Sambanto pork are used in Pho King. The broth for the noodles is boiled for hours to extract the sweetness from the bones and meat, resulting in a rich soup that’s robustly infused with everything good. I drank every drop of it!

Rare Beef Pho (RM12.90/RM17.90/RM22.50)

 

 

Special Pork Pho (RM12.50/RM17.50/RM22.50)

Besides the soupy noodles, the “bun cha” – Hanoi Grilled Pork Noodles is also a firm favourite. The tender pieces of pork are marinated well and grilled perfectly, with caramelised charred edges. Eating these with the soft silky rice noodles dipped in a sweet tangy spicy clear sauce proved to be a delightful experience!

Hanoi Grilled Pork Noodles – “bun cha” (RM15.50)

The Appetizers Platter is a good item to order as you get to taste all the popular starters on the menu. Fresh Summer Rolls, Fried Spring Rolls, Grilled Beef wrapped in wild betel leaves made up the platter. My favourite is the crispy fried spring rolls.

Appetizers Platter (RM24.90) 

Sugarcane Prawns (RM12.90)

Bahn Mi with Grilled Pork (RM13.50) is not a regular on the menu yet but it’s usually available on weekends. I was lucky on the day I was there, this was available.

There are several rice dishes on the menu but the Caramel Braised Pork Rice stood out. Thick chunks of Sambanto pork belly have been braised in caramel till fork-tender and this goes very well with rice.

Prices are reasonable, service is friendly and food is good – there’s every reason for us to return and have more of Pho King!

 

 

PHO KING
153 Jalan SS2/6
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 018-3510513
Open: 12pm to 9pm