The Eden Center Part 2, Pho Xe Lua

My Co-blogger and I took a trip out to the Eden Center in Virginia this weekend to visit one of the best Vietnamese food emporiums in the United States. For those of you living in Washington, DC who are like myself (loathe to go into Virginia) I must say that this place is not as far away as I thought it would be when my co-blogger and I planned

this voyage.

I, like many others, am a big fan of Vietnamese beef noodle soup, called Pho (pronounced fuh). This delicious food is a traditional breakfast/early lunch meal in Vietnam that is made with hot, bone marrow based broth, beef parts, noodles and various spices. It is usually cheap, filling and flavorful.

Because of the large amount of Vietnamese living in the DC Metro area, we are blessed to have a large selection of Pho places in the region. My co-blogger and I both have a place we usually go which will be reviewed on this blog at some point in the near future I am sure, but we both figured that if the Eden Center is the Mecca of Vietnamese food in the area, then the best Pho must be hidden amongst the many small food and jewelry shops in the sprawling Northern Virginia mall.

Pho Xe Lua is a small shop in the Eden Center, and its interior decor makes it feel almost like you are in someones home. Old books are stacked in large bookshelves against the wall, and images of Vietnamese politicians and soap stars are hanging on the walls. The seating is cafeteria style and the menu is short and to the point offering several different kinds of Pho.

I ordered my standard favorite, Pho Tai, which is Pho mixed with very thinly sliced beef that cooks while in the soup. They also brought the usual additives, including bean sprouts, jalapenos, basil leaves, and vinegared onions. I also had a coconut milk drink which was very sweet and tasty and complimented the hot spicy soup perfectly.

The key to Pho is the broth and the meat. The broth at Pho Xe Lua was fantastic and flavorful, however, I believe that I mis-ordered on the meat. The Pho place I normally go to brings out the meat already cooking in the hot soup, whereas at Pho Xe Lua they offered me the option of having it raw or having it slightly cooked and then put in the soup. I though I would order it raw in the traditional style however, this led much of the beef to be undercooked (or not cooked at all) by the middle of my meal. I am going to chalk this up to my own poor judgement, but keep this in mind when you are ordering raw beef with your soup.

On the whole, Pho Xe Lua provided tasty food in an interesting environment. That being said there are Pho places of equal quality and with better prices much closer to Washington, D.C. If I do find myself in the Eden Center again I will likely return to Pho Xe Lua...only this time i'll have my meat cooked slightly before being put in the soup.

(703) 533-3130

Falls Church

6765 Wilson Blvd

Falls Church, VA 22044