Image above- The Pho Tai that I ordered and it hit the spot
The weather is getting colder and my craving for warm, hearty food is getting bigger. What has captured my attention is the recent craze of the Vietnamese soup called pho (pronounced as "Fuh"). People keep talking about it and posting pictures all over the social media, I finally had to give it a try.
I looked for the closest restaurant near me that served Pho. The nearest place I found with high ratings was Mecha Noodle Bar in Norwalk, Connecticut. My best friend and I went for lunch. As we arrived to the restaurant that was located right in the heart of downtown, it was getting near 1pm. When we entered the busy restaurant there was a a big communal table right in front of us. On the other side there was a long high-top bar where you could sit if you were 21. At the back of the room there were smaller tables perfect for families. The hostess sat us sat at the end of a communal table with cute but very uncomfortable metal backless stools. We unfortunately got sat right in front of the door. Every time someone opened the door it would let freezing air in and make us keep our jackets on.
Image above- The Communal table and the uncomfortable stools.
We were immediately served water. They had a good selection of Asian and American drinks ranging from beer to liquor to soft drinks. We decided to try the foreign beer. My friend got a bottled dark lager that's called Beerlao, which is brewed in Vientiane, Laos. I decided to try Hitachino Nest draft beer, which is brewed in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. They were served perfectly cold and crisp, it made trying these new beers enjoyable.
We started out with the pork belly steamed Baos. Bao is a type of warm, white, soft bun that has a sweet taste. The Bao buns are steamed instead of baked resulting the yeast to expand into this fluffy texture. At Mecha, the Bao buns were folded half way like a taco and stuffed with pork belly hoisen, pickled daikon-carrots and kewpie (Mayonnaise made from rice vinegar). There were two per order for $8.00. The buns were so flavorful I wanted to order another since we only got one order. I would advise to hold the urge and just wait for the main course, it will definitely be worth it.
Image above- The very delicious but not enough pork belly Boas
Mecha offers two types of soups: Pho and Ramen. According to their menu, each of their Pho options is made out of beef & chicken broth, cilantro, scallions, onions. It also comes with rice noodles and a side of bean spouts, basil leaves and a slice of lime so that the customer can add themselves. I chose the Pho Tai that included Rare beef slices for $11.00. I'm not the kind of person to eat food cooked rare, but I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed. The pho came in a huge bowl with a Chinese soup spoon. I added the bean spouts, and squeezed the lime into the soup. The soup was very hot that the red meat that first came out was now slowly turning completely brown. When I took my first sip I instantly fell in love. The soup warmed me up instantly, making me forget about the constant door opening. The freshness of the cilantro and scallion gave it a refreshing taste. I added some of the hot sauce that was offered on the table which resembled Sriracha sauce. I loved it even more now that there was a nice spicy kick to it that could get rid of any cold I had left in my body. As I was eating the soup I realized that I couldn't eat the noodles with the spoon. I had to rely on the chopsticks that were offered in bunches at the table. It took me a few minutes to get used to them. After that I was picking up the slippery noodles like it was no one's business. I kept switching back and forth from the chopsticks to the spoon. I did not mind, it gave me the time to enjoy every bite. The delicious soup was really filling and I couldn't finish it. I tried my best but my stomach would not expand any further and I had to put my utensils down. Days later, I am still reminiscing over that unfinished part.
Image above- Here I am grabbing the noodles with the chopsticks after several tries. On the lower left side you can see the side bowl they gave me with the bean spouts, basil and the lemon I already put it in my soup.
On the other hand, my friend chose the Ramen bowl, which is a japanese soup with chinese-style wheat noodles. According to the Mecha menu, the soup marries the 5 elements: noodles, tare, stock, toppings & aromatic oil. She got the Paitan Chicken ramen that comes with black garlic, noir, scallion, egg, menma for $12. The broth was more cloudier and the noodles were thicker. I did not get to taste the soup so I will have to rely on my friend's testimony when she says it was by far one of the best ramen that she had. She added that the broth had so much flavor and at the right temperature. She was eager as me to come back to this noodle bar to try the rest of the menu.
Image above- The Paitan chicken ramen my friend ordered. The broth is cloudier and this soup includes a lot more ingredients.
Since I have left I've been raving to anyone about Pho who is willing to listen. I recommend it to anyone who has fallen victim of this northeast winter. It will warm up the slightest chill you have in your bones. I will definetly try to come back as soon as I can. The Mecha Noodle bar was a phenomenal experience that opened another world of food for me. Pho is now on top of the list of my favorite foods.