Virtually hidden from street view, Pho Kaua‘i, a Vietnamese noodle house, is tucked into the farthest reaches of Rice Shopping Center in Lihu‘e — neighbor to the bowling alley and a nail salon. But its clandestine setting at the back
Virtually hidden from street view, Pho Kaua‘i, a Vietnamese noodle house, is tucked into the farthest reaches of Rice Shopping Center in Lihu‘e — neighbor to the bowling alley and a nail salon.
But its clandestine setting at the back of a lot where a used car dealership veils its presence doesn’t keep it a secret to the working population of Lihu‘e. By noon almost every table is filled with Kauaians on lunch break.
“We have lots of regulars: county workers, Realtors,” said Keith Do, who is reluctant to call himself an owner.
“I’m married to the owner,” he laughed. “I’m the significant other.”
“You can find the mayor, fire chief or KIUC employees here every other week,” he said. “A lot of tourists find us on the way to the airport and tell us this is the best meal they’ve had.”
Don’t let the modest setting and inexpensive prices fool you. The dishes coming from the kitchen are prepared with an expert hand. Keith arrives at 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Pho, pronounced “fah,” is the signature dish the family is famous for. “The soup takes a long time,” said Keith. “It starts at 3:30 in the afternoon and doesn’t finish until the following day.”
“It takes 18 hours to make,” added the official owner, Tiffany Do.
“We buy our beef on island,” said Keith.
The beef bones he simmers overnight with dozens of herbs. “We precisely measure every ingredient. We age and marinate our meat.”
“Pho is considered a national dish,” said Keith. “But in Vietnam, we eat it for breakfast. It has everything: carbohydrates, protein and vegetable.”
Pho is believed to be of French origin, from the soup, ‘pot au feu.’
Pho was initially made only with beef stock, but during the war when beef became scarce, pork became a popular substitute, according to chinatownconnection.com.
Kaua‘i Pho uses either a pork or beef stock with all the pho dishes on the menu.
The stocks have an intensity of flavor that is both seductive and satisfying.
The bowls brim with fresh steamed vegetables like cabbage, zucchini, carrot, broccoli and celery.
While plenty of vegetarian options abound, pho is the one item on the menu that keeps to tradition with its meat broth.
Keith explained that the word pho is as generic in Vietnam as describing spaghetti or a burger is here.
“It’s synonymous with soup,” he said.
Pho Kaua‘i opened in 2003. The entire operation is run by family members ranging from mothers-in-law to uncles and cousins.
“We’re like a hole-in-the-wall or mom-and-pop shop,” said Keith.
In fact, his mother-in-law makes the pho. “We have three cooks in the kitchen at all times. That’s why we can cook 90 different items on our menu.”
Pho may be served with rice noodles, but it isn’t the only noodle dish on the menu. Pho Kaua‘i offers egg noodles and a rice vermicelli bowl as well.
Pho is eaten with a ladle-style spoon in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other.
The soup arrives on two plates, one filled with the basil, bean sprout and jalapeno garnish; the other a deep bowl filled with a multitude of vegetables, your meat of choice and rice noodles.
Simply strip the basil leaves from their stem and slide the rest of the garnish into your soup.
There’s also a hot chile Rooster sauce you can drizzle in for some heat.
No other instructions required, just slurp it up and enjoy this fragrant, flavor-filled dish.
