Since moving into the new building at work, I've been visiting eateries I never knew existed. Blossom Restaurant is a prime example. Located in the heart of Downtown LA, Blossom serves up tasty Vietnamese cuisine at reasonable prices. Personally, I've never really tried Vietnamese food, let alone pho (rice noodle soup), which is probably the first thing most people think of when Vietnamese food is mentioned.
I've been here twice - once when a friend took me out for my birthday (in which I was sans camera), and last week, when some work friends and I had a pho craving. The first time I was at Blossom, I tried the Fried Roasted Cornish Hen with Pan Fried Egg. It was the cornish hen marinated in a garlic-shallot mixture served with rice, the pan fried egg, sauce and a side house salad. It was really good, the hen was marinated well, although slighty dry. We also ordered egg rolls, which contained ground chicken, shrimp and vegetables, wrapped up, then deep fried to perfection, and served with lettuce, fresh herbs and fish sauce. They were quite tasty, and the fish sauce was the perfect complement to the dish.
This second time, we ordered pho. I got the chicken pho, without onions and cilantro on top. Most pho bowls are topped with onion, cilantro and fried shallots, and come with a side of fresh bean sprouts, mint, lime, basil and jalapeno peppers. When my bowl came out, it looked empty and forlorn, and made me wish I hadn't excluded the onions and cilantro. The pictures below show my sad bowl versus my friend's vegetarian pho bowl, as well as the side dish of mix ins.
So here's how my friend taught me how to prep and enjoy the pho:
1) Squeeze the lime
2) Add whatever you want from the side dish
3) Squirt some hoisin sauce onto your soup spoon and mix it in the hot broth
4) If desired, squirt some Sriracha chili sauce onto soup spoon and mix it with the broth
5) Enjoy!
The noodles were really good, but the broth was great (I happened to taste it prior to adding all the mix-ins). It really satisfied the pho craving, especially since it was a little chilly outside. I think I was the only one who finished the entire bowl.
Oh, and how cool is the Coke bottle? That was the icing on the cake.
Blossom Restaurant, 426 South Main Street, Downtown Los Angeles
