Pho Ga Hung

First time and absolutely the last time i went to this place. Nice staff, but a noodles is totally horrible.

Lion Plaza, Tully, 101, South SJ
— Family owned and operated for past 30 years. According to owner these are Northern recipes with Southern flavor.
–FIRST as in the orignial spot that opened in this food court.
— 5 minutes off highway 101 tucked away in the Lion Plaza food court.]
Ordered — #18 Canh Bun Rau Muong
–Thick vermicelli noodle soup with crab roe and tofu.
–Served on the side is lime, jalepno and shrimp paste with chili paste underneath. Added everything except all the chili paste as I wanted to savor the flavors of the broth and from adding the shrimp paste.
Tip: Add shrimp paste «to taste» as some feel it is pungent, eventually I used it all.
Note: Broth is very clean and delicous, for the newbies like myself it’s totally different from Phở or BBH.
I would love to give this bowl a second round but in due time. After speaking to the owner he mentioned the «other» items he is very proud of are…
— #2 Phở Ga Dac Biet — (Chicken Phở) Special rice noodle with chicken.
**Chicken on the side is a popular approach because then you can dip into the «sauce»
-#20 Bun Vut Xao Mang — Vermicelli noodle soup with duck and bamboo shoot.
BOOM — there you have it, the Specialties straight from the owners mouth.
— Iced Coffee avaialble
— Restroom avaialble in Lion Plaza next to food court.

Well, I was looking for phở ga like Turtle Tower in SF in the south bay and though this might be it. It was not. Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an expert on what phở ga is «supposed» to be, but for anyone else looking for clear, clean flavorful broth, you won’t find it here. Guess I’ll be trekking up to SF for my phở ga fill!

I had the phở with raw sliced beef. I thought it was good. the broth was not too bad. Had actual beef broth and not too much salt. The beef was a little rough for my liking. I don’t like to chew. I was working the area.

I Used to go here almost every weekends for their «canh bun», but lately their portion has becoming so shady and cheap. They litterally give u a few pieces of «rau muong» in it. I had to ordered extra yet it was not enough. They really shaddy and cheap with their vegetables. Since then i dont eat here no more., i find the same bowl at COM TAM THANH ON STORY. They have better canh bun and the best part is they give you alot of rau muong in it.

This place is the bomb! I honestly can say that this is the best canh bun in the south bay!

I honestly can not remember how many times I came here for it, I am the number one fan of this crab roe tomato phở. I made the mistake of ordering # 8, and it came out not what I want, they quickly changed for me without a word of complaint and no extra charge!!! They warmed my heart more than the soup. It’s # 18!!!

Ordered the Phở Bo Dac Biet (#4). It cost $ 8.50. The lady at the counter kindly asked for a few minutes, as she needed to prepare the food. You can watch them cook the meals from over the counter.
Broth was flavorful and savory but in the perfect way. Neither overpowering nor bland.
Noodles were prepared well and portion size was reasonable.
Beef and meatballs (bo vien) were crazy. I’ve never had bo vien or beef that tasted so good at a Phở place.
Will definitely be coming back again. A bit pricey for phở, but for quality like this it’s well worth it.

Came by for lunch after seeing John D’s photos of his Bun Bo Hue. Ordered mine with the friendly lady behind the counter and gave her $ 8 tax «included.»
The tray included a cup of hot tea, a bed of vegetables, and some dipping sauce.
The Bun Bo Hue itself was mediocre. The soup wasn’t really spicy and was probably too thick… The meat was over-​cooked, dry, and didn’t seem too fresh… bummer. At least the noodles and meatloaf tasted fresh?
…I’ll stick with Quan Hue next door for BBH next time!

Phở Ga Hung is in the Lion Plaza Food Court.
i ordered by number since i disn’t want to misorder. food comes out on top of a stack of upside down trays. a bell is rung when food is ready. customer not seen.
eats: #14, Bun Bo Hue (8, tax included)
–came with crab paste, red sauce, raw cabbage schredds, lime slice.
–lots of protein (blood strips, gan, pig feet, pork, etc.)
–least spicy Bun Bo Hue every ate. tasting the subtle crab paste, red paste addins, subtle taste. no noticeable msg aftertaste.
*tummy really was happy, so 5 stars., good value.
take outs:
–10 eateries share the communal tables.
–spot ur table before food is ready or claim it. first…
–takes patience and talent to find parking space. found in less than 5 minutes.
spaces cramp. no room for SUV’s
*think noodles speciaty here, didn’t look at whole menu.
other eateries had pics of entrees posted.

Located in the Lion Plaza food court, Phở Gà Hung (PGH) serves up a huge selection of Northern Vietnamese soups. As their name suggests, they specialize in Phở Gà (aka Viet Chicken Soup), but their other soups are just as commendable. I’ve been working in the area and dined here several times and, although I’ve barely scratched the surface of their menu, I feel like it’s time to review.
Canh Bún Rau Mung:
Thanks to Randy F’s fabulous review and pics, I was turned onto this Bún Riêu variation. This soup is served up with big chunks of Tofu, Crab Meatballs, round Rice Noodles (Bún) and Water Spinach (Rau Mung) in a light crab-​tomato broth. The noodles were the standard Bún noodles you find everywhere and amply supplied; I was a big fan of the tender and perfectly cooked crab meatballs; I loved the leafy and earthy Rau Mung; the Tofu was, well, Tofu; and the broth was a bit too light for my taste until I mixed in the supplied Anchovy Paste and then – Bam! Whole new level, baby! The fishy, briney taste of the Anchovy really does perk everything up, and makes the whole dish sing in your mouth. 4.5*
Phở Gà Dâc Biêt:
Couldn’t go to a place called PGH, and not try their Phở Gà (Chicken Soup), right? Apparently, their special combination (Dâc Biêt) comes with such «delicacies» as liver, heart, gizzard and intestines, as well as big chunks of white, or dark meat (your choice). The broth was excellent and tasted like Chicken Soup should, and I really liked that you could upgrade to the «fresh» noodles without an extra charge. The meat was fine, but next time I’m getting the non-​special… 4*
Bún bò Huê:
BBH is my current favorite Viet soup, and PGH’s version is not the best I’ve had, but it’s up there. They serve it with a copious helping of the standard Bún noodles, and maybe one of the best selections of meat I’ve had to date in a BBH; they have the typical Cha Lua and congealed Pig’s Blood, but they also throw in some deliciously, tender beef cuts (e.g., Brisket, Flank, tendon) that you don’t often get in BBH. Their Broth is beefy, and super-​spicy but lacks the nice subtle, lemongrassy nuances that a good BBH broth should have – but enter their amazing Anchovy Paste to save the day. Mix that blob of fishy goodness in, and watch the magic happen! You’ll just have to trust me on this one… 4*
Value– A loaded up bowl of PGH’s soups will run you around $ 8, which is a pretty good value these days. I’ve heard that BBH An Nam has raised their prices to almost $ 11/​bowl and they don’t give you half as much meat as PGH. 4.5*
Service & Ambiance– The Lion Plaza Food Court is not the most charming place to have lunch, but there’s something slightly endearing about it. I’d only come during the week tho, when it’s nice and chill – I’ve heard the weekends are a mad house. This is rustic dining at its best. The owners of PGH have got to be the nicest Viet restaurant owners I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. They always have a smile on their face, and seem happy to serve you – imagine that! The head chef is a really nice guy, and I’d recommend ordering through him, as he actually speaks English (imagine that²!!!), and is happy to customize your order for you. Ambiance 3.5*/Service 5*
I was originally going to give PGH a 4-​star review, but the more I got to thinking about it, the more I felt like their excellent service really earned them the coveted 5^th Star. I rarely give out 5-​star reviews to Viet joints, and it’s mostly due to a lack of conviviality in the staff. So, if you’re in the Lion Plaza and looking for soup with a smile, than PGH is your spot!

They still serve the best phở ga and canh bun! I’m very sensitive to msg so zero msg as far as I’m concerned. this place just hits the spot
When I’m have a cold or craving for any soup. Very affordable and authentic! Can’t go wrong with mom
And pop cooking

I definitely love their Canh Bun. I’m a big fan of noodle, so I tend to be quite critical with Bun dishes. Their Canh Bun is just right with tasty soup and high-​quality meat ball (Riêu). I would highly recommend Canh Bun if you’re looking for a good soup.
Their Phở Ga is nothing special. The soup is quite tasteless.

This is definitely one of those hole in the wall spots where its in a food court. The chicken phở here is LEGIT! It doesnt just have a bunch of dry pieces of chicken breast but all kinds of pieces from the chicken. The broth is light but flavorful!

Summary: Cheap and delicious comfort food! A taste of home.
My order:
Canh Bun Rau Muong (thick vermicelli crab soup with tofu and ong choy (water spinach). About $ 7.50. Comes with a side of veggies, lime, chilies and shrimp paste (of course!).
It was an extremely hot day but I still downed the bowl of canh bun and probably could have eaten another one despite being satisfyingly filled after one bowl. The noodles were soft and smooth (not to be mistaken for mushy) and the tofu and crab were fluffy and decadent. I liked that the broth wasn’t too salty and you could adjust it however you liked with the shrimp paste. Everything was filling and flavorful, yet still wonderfully light, especially with the ong choy.
I’ll be back again!

Surprisingly their banh rieu tasted pretty similar to my moms and my mom makes it the best but unfortunately my mother no longer cooks for me lol so I must find a replacement.
The meat is really soft and the broth is flavorful. Most places that serve bun rieu always taste super bland to me but here I actually like how they season it. I also like how you can adjust the saltiness to your liking so would I come back ?
Yessssireeee I would.

*** Cash Only ***
With Phở Gà in the name of this Lion Food Court spot, I was surprised to see a lot of mentions of Canh Bún Rau Muong in the reviews so gave it a whirl.
Canh Bún Rau Muong ($ 7.50) is a noodle soup that is a cousin of Bún Riêu Cua (crab vermicelli noodle soup) with a similar reddish pork based broth and crab-​based meatballs, but with thicker noodles like you find in Bún Bò Hue and a healthy dose of water spinach (the Rau Muong). The version here also has some pork chunks and fried tofu for toppings and they sprinkle some black pepper on before serving (
). Some places add cubes of pork blood; not sure if that’s an option here.
Condiments include a lemon wedge, jalapeño slices and a dollop of shrimp paste (Mam Tôm) on top of some chili sauce (
).
The broth is complexly flavored, but some shrimp paste and chili sauce never can hurt. Didn’t notice any tomato like you often find in Bún Riêu so guessing annatto oil provided the red hues. The two meatballs were pretty light and had a, dare I say, fluffy texture. The thick noodles (
) were al dente and had a nice chew.
if you like Bún Riêu, you should give this soup a try. Dinner time is much easier to get a table than lunch in the food court, but plan accordingly. Despite the Food Court hours being listed as 9pm closing, most stalls (including this one) are shutting down around 7 or earlier.

I’ve been coming to this establishment for years because it’s at the Lion shopping center (I call it Little Lion… in Vietnam). During the dot com years it was open longer but since the economy has taken a dive it has been harder and harder to support staying open!
Food, let’s talk about phở… Also known as Vietnamese fast food by some in Silicon Valley! The phở here is very good! Always hot and cooked perfectly! I like the fact they have good portion!
For the ultimate Vietnamese experience try this fast food joint! You ’ ll like it, I did!!!

Vietnamese Chicken soup in food court plaza in Lion Plaza off Story Road.
Phở Ga Long Trung Non: chicken soup with giblets and egg.
Phở Ga Long: no eggs but w/​chicken heart and gizzard.
Chicken soup with cilantro, lime, bean sprouts, basil, chicken liver, gizzards, heart if you want it, choice of chicken w/​skin or not.
they give you a lime wedge in the soup. make sure to squeeze the juice out.
Lots of parents bring their coughing kids here during flu season. Be careful not to get sick from one of those kiddies!!!

Another great find in the Lion Plaza food court. Although their name pushed me towards ordering phở ga, a quick Unilocal review made me change my order to Canh Bun Rau Muong,
Thanks to Ken K. for his thorough description. The soup noodles use round rice noodles and consists of a tomatoey seafood broth with crab meat balls and water spinach. I’ve had bun rieu before and I much prefer this soup dish. The soup flavor is much better and the addition of the provided shrimp paste puts it out of this world.
I can already see myself coming back for this again. Although I hear good things about their phở ga, I’m quite happy with Phở Kim Long and Phở Hanoi with their version.
Phở Ga Hung is cash only.
Update#1 — I’m a big fan and after trying all the food stalls here I think this is my favorite. I love the Canh Bun Rau Muong. I think about during lunch and will drive over 30 minutes to have it. That makes this place 5 stars.