Pho Banh Cuon 14 - (Paris)

  I love my pho and banh cuon but ever since I came back to Hong Kong I hardly eat these anymore,  the whole diet literally changed over night.  I know some people don’t buy the fact that I actually give out ratings on my blog at the end of the meals,  but I did try as much as I possibly could to be a responsible food blogger and this Paris Vietnamese restaurant illustrates why this is necessary.    I have to say realistically that  Paris has some pretty darn good Vietnamese food.   Compared to Pho Song Houng (Paris) directly next door, one of their fiercest competitors,  Pho Banh Cuon 14 is slightly weaker in terms of the broth but it more than makes up for it in terms of accuracy in ingredients and herbs.

 

 

The presence of both Culantro (ngo gai) and Thai Basil (Hung Que) -
Is convincing already.   Northern and Southern Vietnamese phos differ slightly in terms of the depth of broth or the default herbs given.   But how many shops in Hong Kong or Australia even provide this full package?  I have to buy my own usually.  Rice Paddy Herbs (Ngo Om) aren’t as common but are sometimes given out as well.

 

 

Lemon instead of Lime -
Vietnamese food always reminds me of Mexican Food.   The denominator is often Lime.
Lemon and Lime are used inter-exchangedly.  But personally, green lime is the way to go.  The Hoi Sin sauce is probably more of a Southern accent.

 

Bahn Cuon -
The rice paper roll is made thinly well, filled with minced pork meat and wood ear mushrooms.  Sided by a already cooked Goi Lua Vietnamese Mortadella like ham.  I still remember back in the days,  a lot of Bahn Cuons were served with slices of semi-raw fermented pork Nem Chua.  Do you remember those days when food was more adventurous?    ~  8/10

 

Pho Dac Biet – Noodles with the Lot  €7,90
I am impressed.  This came with all the right stuff,  including rare sliced beef,  beef brisket,  beef balls, beef tripes, but no tendons from memory. And right herbs.   Broth wise it might not be as good as next door, review: Pho Song Houng (Paris) in terms of beefiness depth,  but here it is more balanced in every aspect.   Addictive stuff and you can’t find this quality in Hong Kong or even Australia easily.  It needs to be just right  ~  9/10








There is usually a fairly large queue -
Upon 2 separate visits I have to say I am totally hooked with here,  but it is becoming more touristy than the Belleville side of town.    Don’t forget  the French used to rule Vietnam so there is definitely some linkage in there somehow.   Here, at least they did give out the right herbs and beef tripes.  It’s not something you can take for granted!   Some places just don’t seem to care anymore!    

 

 

Price:   Euro $10 ~ 15
Ease of Access:   4/5  (Close to Tolbiac Station)
Food:   ♕♕♕♕♕ 1/2

Opening Hours:
Every Day -  9:00am to 11:00pm

Address: 129 Avenue de Choisy, Paris  75013
Ph: 01 45 83 61 15