Pho is quite common here in Korea, although I've heard a Vietnamese friend tell me that the Koreanized pho is too sweet and not flavorful enough; in other words, not the real deal. I've never tried authentic pho before, and truth be told I'm not too sad about missing out because the Korean version is quite delicious too.
That being said, when I agreed to meet up with a friend at Jongno and literally searched online for the closest pho restaurant from the subway station, I was pleasantly surprised to come across Emoi, which seemed a lot more legit than the ones I was accustomed to. For one thing, the staff were Vietnamese, which made me think I might finally get to try actual pho this time. The interior and atmosphere also seemed a bit... foreign, for lack of a better word.
Directions: walk straight from Jonggak station exit 4, make a right at Starbucks, then make an immediate left.
Another thing I liked was that the menu was very simple and not very diverse, which gave me the feeling that they specialized in just a few selected dishes and would make it worth the short list of options.
An explanation for each menu is provided in both Korean and English, and I'm assuming this is because the original branch is in Itaewon, where the majority of people are non-Korean. As you can see, prices are quite reasonable. I went for the brisket pho and some nem.
The noodles were a lot different from Korean pho. It was a lot softer and sort of broke apart immediately, once I started chewing. And a lot of the noodles were just stuck together into one big lump, which I didn't really take as a good thing, but as it didn't alter the taste in any way I decided not to care. The nem was crispy and savory and delicious, especially when dipped into a bowl of sauce that left a strong garlicky aftertaste.
Final verdict? It was quite delicious, but I'm not exactly raving over it. Maybe it's because I'm not really picky with food, and some time ago I've stopped being so overenthusiastic about trying new foods and whatnot. That would make me the worst type of person to be writing blog reviews of restaurants, but to hell with it. :P Would I go again? Absolutely, if I were to meet someone in Jongno. I wouldn't make a whole trip all the way there just for the pho, though.
That being said, when I agreed to meet up with a friend at Jongno and literally searched online for the closest pho restaurant from the subway station, I was pleasantly surprised to come across Emoi, which seemed a lot more legit than the ones I was accustomed to. For one thing, the staff were Vietnamese, which made me think I might finally get to try actual pho this time. The interior and atmosphere also seemed a bit... foreign, for lack of a better word.
Directions: walk straight from Jonggak station exit 4, make a right at Starbucks, then make an immediate left.
Another thing I liked was that the menu was very simple and not very diverse, which gave me the feeling that they specialized in just a few selected dishes and would make it worth the short list of options.
An explanation for each menu is provided in both Korean and English, and I'm assuming this is because the original branch is in Itaewon, where the majority of people are non-Korean. As you can see, prices are quite reasonable. I went for the brisket pho and some nem.
The noodles were a lot different from Korean pho. It was a lot softer and sort of broke apart immediately, once I started chewing. And a lot of the noodles were just stuck together into one big lump, which I didn't really take as a good thing, but as it didn't alter the taste in any way I decided not to care. The nem was crispy and savory and delicious, especially when dipped into a bowl of sauce that left a strong garlicky aftertaste.
Final verdict? It was quite delicious, but I'm not exactly raving over it. Maybe it's because I'm not really picky with food, and some time ago I've stopped being so overenthusiastic about trying new foods and whatnot. That would make me the worst type of person to be writing blog reviews of restaurants, but to hell with it. :P Would I go again? Absolutely, if I were to meet someone in Jongno. I wouldn't make a whole trip all the way there just for the pho, though.
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