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Pho is complicated. It’s easy to under-flavor and just as easy to over-flavor – requiring a chef with a delicate touch. The subtle tastes of star anise, cinnamon and ginger are often drowned in a sea of fish sauce. But here’s the cool part: When done right, there’s no soup on earth more nuanced or layered.

Another Kind Café in Laguna Beach does pho right. Chef Robert Villanueva and owners Thinh and Vy Nguyen perfected their recipe together, sitting in the kitchen of Vy’s aunt. The focus was on creating authentic pho and trusting Americanized palates to adapt. Every time something wasn’t quite perfect, the trio started over. The noodle-to-broth ratio was hyper-analyzed; so were the sugar levels and the spices.

The hard work paid off. Villanueva’s savory pho bo features thin slices of beef that are set into the bowl just seconds before the soup is served. The dish comes with bean sprouts, scallions, Thai basil, red chilies, and purple onions – all uncooked, meant to brighten the broth and cut its richness. The noodles are slick and tender, and there are just enough of them to turn the dish into a meal. The result is pho that feels like it was balanced down to the microgram and tastes like it came out of the best hawker stall in Hanoi.

Yes, pho is complicated, but even though Another Kind Cafe just opened, they already seem to have mastered it.

Pho Broth from Another Kind Cafe
4 lbs. beef and chicken bones, rinsed
8 quarts purified water
2 onions, quartered
2 ginger roots, peeled
3 star anise pods
Cinnamon and fish sauce, to taste

Place bones and water in 12-quart stockpot.
Grill onions and ginger roots for 15 minutes. Add to stock with star anise.
Bring broth to a simmer (never boil).
Cook for six hours minimum, seasoning with salt, a dash of cinnamon
and a splash of fish sauce.

Note: Another Kind Cafe’s actual pho recipe goes on for five handwritten pages. We’ve condensed it due to space constraints.

Another Kind Cafe
793 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach :: anotherkindcafe.com