YOU won’t find a better bowl of pho anywhere else; the version here is perfection from the soup to the wagyu, beef balls, noodles, and house sriracha sauce.

The Japanese A5 wagyu from Tokushima was cut to the right thickness, ensuring a delightful experience of smoothness and beefiness. The 100g portion of wagyu was just perfect for my bowl of pho. The soup, brewed from beef bones and spices for 12 hours, was presented in a stone bowl resting snugly on a wooden stand. Accompanying it were a bowl of noodles, beef balls, honeycomb tripe, basil, and bean sprouts.

Instructions on a card guided you on assembling your Wagyu Special Pho – noodles first, then vegetables, beef balls, and tripe. The stone bowl kept the soup at an ideal temperature for cooking the wagyu slices. Keep an eye on their doneness – mine were slightly overcooked, but they were still a pleasure to eat. The soup’s flavours deepened with the addition of the wagyu. I savoured every drop.

I opted for a small 100g portion of noodles, but you can choose a larger portion at no extra cost. The pure beef balls were a delight in taste and texture.

There are four versions of pho – I chose the Wagyu Special Pho at RM37.90, a steal considering the honeycomb tripe and beef balls. The Wagyu Supreme Pho, with more meat, costs RM39.90, while the Wagyu Duo Pho with more beef balls is priced RM34.90. The hot stone wagyu pho is available until January 31.

I returned for this unforgettable pho five days later. This time, I made sure the wagyu was lightly cooked to medium-rare, a reddish pink. I was supremely satisfied.

While waiting for the pho, which takes 15 minutes to prepare, we indulged in small bites like Vietnamese spring rolls, both fresh and fried, sugarcane shrimp, and banh khot – mini-turmeric pancakes topped with minced pork, shrimp, and mung beans, served with a dip, lettuce, and mint.

The sugarcane shrimp was delicious, with shrimp paste wrapped round sweet, juicy sugarcane and deep-fried. The fried spring roll offered tasty bites with its filling of minced pork, yam, tiger prawns, and black fungus.

An Viet is located at The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley, Paradigm Mall, and Sunway Pyramid in the Klang Valley and in Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall in Penang. – December 9, 2023.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.