Pho Real

I’ve only tried their brussels. But they were so delicious it’s worth a minute to share.

I finally got to try Phở Real last night at the Midtown Art walk. Conveniently they were parked outside my favourite bar (Death & Taxes).
Immediately my twin spotted a Brussel sprout dish (Real Sprouts) and was immediately happy. I went for the veggie spring rolls.
The veggie spring rolls were ok. Not stellar, not amaze balls but good. The Real Sprouts? HOLY FREAKING TASTY GOODNESS. Seriously. I am not a fan of the Brussel sprouts but I couldn’t stop stealing bites of her plate. The Real Sprouts are served with a super tender pork, an egg (poached?), and some house made pickles. The pickles were also divine. Next time I fully intens on getting a side of their pickled veg.
As with any food truck– there will be a wait but it is most definitely worth it. Get the sprouts and get the veg!

I feel like I’ve been giving awful reviews at every turn lately. I don’t like giving bad reviews. This is literally the worst Bahn MI I’ve ever had. First it was advertised as being a pork sandwich, as it should be. They gave me what after carful taste tests by myself and everyone with me we decided was probably the largest amout of turkey I’ve ever seen outside of thanksgiving. There were no pickled carrots and only a tiny amount of cilantro and sprouts. Worse yet I payed eleven dollars plus a tip for it. I’ve had bad luck with food truck Friday lately. I think I may give up.

This was second choice at the latest Reno Food Trucks, but it ended up being what I ate since my first pick was only taking exact change. We stood in, what seemed to be, a really long line, until we realized the line wasn’t for Phở Real at all. Nice! Phở Real’s line was about 2 people long. Is this a good or a bad thing? Turns out, it was a good thing!
Being a hot day, and not wanting to battle a bowl of soup while sitting on the grass, I decided to pass on the phở and order the banh mi instead. The banh mi is $ 11, but they didn’t have change for my $ 20, so how nice of them, they gave it to me for $ 10.
The bread isn’t necessarily traditional, more of a sub roll. I had never seen mayo on a banh mi either, but apparently it is a common condiment. This one had what seemed to be oven roasted pork, instead of the meatballs I’ve typically seen. It was topped with cilantro, bean sprouts, and very lightly pickled cucumber slices. Outside of the truck were a few different chili sauces, but I passed on them.
The sandwich was a little difficult to eat, and I really wish they had cut it in half to make it a littler easier to pick up. I wished for pickled flavor on the vegetables and for some heat (I should have gone with the chili sauce!) I think they took the bare minimum banh mi route. It was good, but nothing amazing. I will give them props for portions though — they do not skimp on the meat and the sandwich is a nice size without being a behemoth.
The phở I did see people looked amazing and the portion was very generous. Maybe next time!

Very, very good! I’m not sure of the name of the item I got, but it was fried brussel sprouts, topped with pork shoulder, topped with a fried egg. It was fantastic. The pork was so tender, the egg was exactly how I liked it cooked, but the standout was the brussel sprouts. They were fried up in a balsamic vingarette. I would definitely return if only for the brussel sprouts.

Truckee-​based Phở Real travels down the hill on occasion to share their fare with Reno, and I’m certainly glad I got to try it. Though they weren’t serving phở the day I found them, they make one of the best Bahn Mi sandwiches I’ve tasted ($ 11). Slow-​braised pork shoulder is piled on a toasted French roll with housemade pickled veggies, fresh herbs, jalapeños, and an herb citrus aioli. The meat was tender and well-​seasoned, all the vegetables popped with flavor, and the dressing was a perfect finish. But as good as it was, the sandwich was nearly outdone by a side of Fried Brussels Sprouts ($ 4). Sprout halves are deep fried, then tossed in a housemade balsamic vinaigrette. Crispy, tangy, zesty, so good I’m almost at a loss for words. Even if you think you hate Brussels sprouts, you’re going to like these.

April 17, 2015 Friday 12:30 PM lunch
1 Adult
Atmosphere — N/​A
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — Occasional we will get e-​mails from HR. This time it was okay, it was telling us Friday we were having a food truck visiting our office, Phở Real, I am not joking. I bet you say that bad joke coming. I thought it was a good time to check this food truck out, I mean food trailer.
Atmosphere — I took the food back to my desk so the atmosphere is not really theirs as much as my offices. The trailer did look clean and the two counters were clean too.
Food
Drinks — none ordered.
My Main Course — Shocker I had Phở. But a lot of my friends ordered the Banh Mi and enjoyed it. Their Phở menu is actually rather small list; Beef, Pork, Chicken, Veggie and King Phở. You can add tofu for an extra dollar. I love me some cow so I went with the Beef Phở. I never had rib eye Phở, it was cooked to a nice medium in color. I enjoyed it. The broth was not scolding hot, so you could dive in and eat it right away. The standard toppings you would get as a side at most places were already added to it. I added a little Sriracha for a little more of kick, but it already had some.
Service — There was no line when I walked up. I was greeted immediately by two friendly guys from inside the trailer. I had already knew what I wanted since the e-​mail from HR came with the menu. So ordering was just as fast as their greetings. A few minutes later I was back at my desk slurping away.
Future — I would eat their food again; maybe I will try the sandwich next time.