When I was little I was perplexed by my mother’s preference for the fussy, meat-impoverished pieces of chicken at mealtime.
Why on earth would she opt for the bird’s austere undercarriage, with its complex network of bones and cartilage, when a succulent breast or thigh was available?
I surmised back then that she must simply be a selfless guardian and provider, ensuring her growing boy got the best bits while she stoically made due with sub-par scraps. Well, I’m all grown up now and guess what? I’m on to you, Ma! Those finicky chicken parts are where all the flavour is. Who knew? I guess you did.
It was the so-called dark meat of the fowl, mysterious and foreboding as a kid, that eventually inspired in me the realization that in many cases, the choice cuts of any given beast are far from the tastiest.
Of course, I offer this sage wisdom with the caveat that those odds and ends need to be well prepared; there is nothing quite as gag-worthy as a poorly cooked kidney. It’s best to just take my word on that one.
Many cultures exhibit nothing short of culinary wizardry when it comes to less common cuts of meat. Vietnamese cuisine, for example, wastes no morsel and manages to transform the dubious into the sublime.
At Pho Garden, the new Vietnamese restaurant located at the steadily transforming Norgate Plaza on Marine Drive, they certainly know how to handle beef, in all its forms.
I visited Pho Garden recently for a bowl of the eponymous soup, one of Vietnam’s numerous glorious culinary contributions and a dish so arrestingly fragrant and delicious that it would be a strong contender for my last meal of choice, in the event such an occasion ever arose, perhaps in response to some unforgivable injustice I had committed, like willingly consuming processed cheese.
From a list of more than a dozen principally beef-based pho options, I opted for a large Pho Garden, which included beef meatballs, cooked, thin slices of flank steak, raw, paper-thin slices of flank steak, beef tripe and soft beef tendon.
Honeycomb tripe, featured in this dish, is sourced from the reticulum chamber of a cow’s stomach and is a wonderfully ornamental ingredient, pearl white with a coral-like pattern. It has a surprisingly delicate flavour and a pleasantly springy texture, expressing itself best, in my opinion, in supporting roles, as it did here.
Beef tendon, with its distinctly chewy and gelatinous texture, may not intuitively appeal to the conservative Western palate, but the ingredient reveals a tremendous depth of flavour that catches me off guard every time I eat it and makes me glad for its inclusion in the dish.
To my earlier point about the need for expert preparation of these types of ingredients, let it be said that Pho Garden’s deep mahagony pho broth is a force to be reckoned with and a backdrop against which tripe and tendon can positively sing. The product of more than eight hours of systematic reduction, the broth is a rich and hearty affair based on roasted beef bones and the closely guarded family recipe of the restaurant’s ownership.
In my experience, some pho broths betray notes of over-roasted spices, including star anise and cinnamon, which can impart a cloying bitterness. Not so with Pho Garden’s elixir, which packs a bold but balanced wallop of flavour.
The raw beef cooks through almost instantly once dropped into the broth and helps to round out the complex flavours of the dish alongside the usual pho garnishes, which include bean sprouts, chilies, lime wedges, potently aromatic Asian basil, hoisin sauce and, in this case, a lovely homemade chili oil delicately scented with pureed lemongrass.
I added an order of Cha Gio, or deep-fried pork and vegetable spring rolls, to accompany my soup. The rolls were densely packed and liberally infused with garlic. A traditional dip of fish sauce, subtly sweetened citrus juice, rice vinegar, and chilies accompanied the rolls and added a welcome salty tanginess.
In the name of research, I strayed from the pho menu and sampled a dish of seafood and vegetables on rice, a satisfying, simple creation featuring prawns, cuttlefish, scallops, vegetables, and sweet sautéed onions all tossed in a garlic-heavy sauce.
My one criticism of this otherwise tasty dish was the inclusion of imitation crab meat. In a city that is celebrated for its Dungeness crab, this pollock-based, mock crustacean meat encounters a tough audience.
Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed a young coconut smoothie selected from Pho Garden’s tropical beverage list. The icy, indulgent drink nicely showcased the silky, perfumed character of good quality coconut milk.
My meal of spring rolls, pho, seafood rice and coconut smoothie was $28.72 before gratuity. Pho Garden is located at 1469 Marine Dr. in North Vancouver. 604-770-1044
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
