Eastern District Vietnamese Beef Pho – Enjoy 7 Different Cuts of Beef in One Bowl

Text & Photos /Old K

On the second day of the May Day holiday, I went shopping in the Eastern District and thought I’d grab lunch first.

Surprisingly, the Eastern District was quite empty—there weren’t many people in any of the shops. When we got to this place, there weren’t many customers either. There’s a Vietnamese beef pho shop here that we hadn’t been to before, so we decided to give it a try.

Business was actually pretty good that day

Here, you order and pay at the counter first, then they’ll seat you. Thankfully, there were pictures to look at, so we didn’t order randomly XD. The main focus here is pho, and there are 12 types to choose from. Each comes in two sizes—large and small—with different prices. How could we not try something special when we saw it? So Old K ordered a large bowl of the signature “Train Head” Beef Pho XD, while Meiji went for the Pork Chop Dry Noodles with Pho, and we also got a side of Lean Meat with Green Papaya.

Lean Meat with Green Papaya (NT$35)
The green papaya had a firm and crunchy texture, which Meiji quite liked. However, the lean meat with green papaya here tasted a bit bland—only the flavor of fish sauce came through, and it wasn’t very tangy. The lean meat itself had a texture similar to dried tofu strips, making it a rather ordinary dish.

The pho arrived, and Old K’s was the large size—the difference between the large and small bowls is quite significant.

Pork Chop Dry Noodles with Pho (Small, NT$150)
Dry noodles are usually refreshing, but this one had sesame oil added. It was the first time we’d encountered sesame oil in Vietnamese pho, and the flavor didn’t really work for us. Meiji thought it was odd too. Neither of us was a big fan, though the pork chop was pretty good.

The accompanying soup was also quite light, leaving Meiji feeling a bit unsatisfied XD.

Signature “Train Head” Beef Pho (Large, NT$180)
This bowl looked much more exciting because you could see so many different types of beef in it.

Let’s start with a sip of the broth. The flavor was on the lighter, refreshing side—you could taste the beef, but it wasn’t very rich. Old K thought it was a bit too mild.

The medium-rare beef slices were quite tender and juicy.

The beef balls were small but had a great bounce to them. Though not as bouncy as Hsinchu-style meatballs, they were still pretty tasty.

There was also beef with a bit of fat, giving it a rich and tender texture that was quite nice.

The thin white strands were beef tripe, which is less commonly seen. Usually, you’d find it more often in beef offal soup. It’s different from the honeycomb tripe we’re used to—thinner and crispier in texture. Unfortunately, it was sliced too thinly, so its texture didn’t really come through, which was a bit of a shame.

There was also beef tendon and honeycomb tripe (beef stomach), but we only managed to get one piece of each. The beef tendon was soft and tender, which was nice, but the beef stomach didn’t really have much flavor XD.

Old K thought those were all the types, but then discovered some hidden beef shin underneath. The beef shin had a decent texture—not too dry and with a bit of chew. Counting them up, that’s seven different types of beef in total, making this a pretty rich and satisfying bowl of beef pho.

The pho noodles themselves were just average.

Because the flavors were a bit lacking, Old K added all the condiments from the table.

Then he added some of the house-special chili paste.

The flavors became much richer after that. The soup became really delicious—tangy, spicy, and brightened up by the basil. Though the basil was a bit too tough, Old K fished it out after soaking it (couldn’t bite into it XD). The chili was quite spicy but really complemented the dish. Spicy-food lovers should definitely give it a try.

Old K’s Little Tips: If you’re going for Vietnamese beef pho, you might as well go for the beef pho. The dry noodles with sesame oil felt more like a Taiwanese style. Unless you really love sesame oil, it’s probably better to go for the soup version XD. The signature “Train Head” Beef Pho lets you enjoy seven different types of meat in one bowl, which is pretty awesome. But it’s a pity the broth is a bit too light. Although you can adjust the seasoning yourself, it ends up tasting heavier than intended. Sometimes, you just want a broth that looks light but tastes rich. If you’re in the Eastern District and not sure what to eat, give the signature “Train Head” Beef Pho a try.

Old K’s Personal Rating (Out of 10, higher is better)
Taste: 7.8 points
Value for money: 6/10
Dining environment: 6/10
Price: 6/10

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Mei Yue Beef Noodles)
Address: No. 43, Lane 190, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City 106
Phone: 02 2751 5578

Old K
Keep the relay going, Old K！

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