Scary Nameless Pho Place That is Delicious

God, I am getting so good at these post titles! Anyway, enough about my awesomeness. Since I have moved to Silverlake, I have become obsessed with Pho (totally missing an accent marker somewhere in that word, but of course, I do not know how to make one on my mac). If you don't know what Pho is (I know you know Mom, you foodie), they are these delicious glass noodles that typically go in some kind of gingery yummy broth and then you can get all kinds of meat and/or vegetables along with basil, sprouts, siracha and hoisin sauce to put into your heavenly stew. Also, I have this really attractive portion control problem, so I love Pho because it comes in these HUGE ASS bowls that nobody can finish (okay, I have polished off an entire bowl a couple of times). Anyway, in Silverlake, Pho is my jam (I am also capitalizing Pho, not knowing if that's correct; go with it).


When I first moved here (A LONG TWO MONTHS AGO), I just went to Pho Citi on Sunset always:


http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-citi-los-angeles-4


Now, I have to say, I like it there. It's a CHAIN (sin!), but the soup is solid and it's open 24 hours a day and it's just far enough away from my apartment that I feel like I get a decent workout if I walk there. Actually, this one weekend I captured Beverly Hills Anna and made her hang here in the East and she LOVED Pho Citi (we also went to Blockbuster afterwards, which made us realize how far from my place we actually were, and then a guy walked by us on the street who was dressed like a jester strumming a mandolin and I panicked Anna would never come back here). Pho Citi is definitely legit. However, people kept telling me I should try the place that is literally 2 blocks from my apartment. 


This close-by Pho place was TERRIFYING to me. Yes, it is in a random strip mall and has no sign or name BUT that's exactly what makes it a magnet for the hippest hipsters around. It is also BLINDINGLY bright in there so everyone can see the little bumps of irritation left over from my mustache waxing. On top of everything else, it is a long, narrow restaurant and there is constantly a line of fashion-y fashion plates hovering over your little table JUDGING your P.S. I Love You t-shirt (it was FREE) and how much food you've ordered.  Here is a picture: 



Look at those crazy orbs of white light! Look at that man's buttery leather jacket! It's a nightmare! So the first time I got the courage to go to this Pho Cafe was with Alpal after one of our tender reservoir walks. I told her I was craving Pho and she suggested I pick up from the Scary Place, telling me she would go in with me and we wouldn't have to stay (because duh, take-out). Al is a genius. It was also like 5PM, which is not primetime for some Pho-slurping. There was one frighteningly cool looking dude with a red fro eating alone and then two slender girls with tattoos, off-the-shoulder tops and really good hair (I just have to get used to these women being around, stealing all the hot dudes) picking at their Pho (Phos? Who knows). Anyway, they were super fast at preparing my order and even though Alison LEFT ME to go to the bathroom (jerk!), I survived. 


And the Pho and Nameless Pho is delicious. Not only that, but it's cheaper than Pho Citi, so that's pretty clutch. Al and I went back on Sunday and ATE INSIDE and I was pretty pleased with myself. We got fresh rolls with tofu and veggies inside (great and the peanut sauce is spicy, which I love) and then Al got the veggie Pho (she swears by it) and I got beef Pho and now I sweat by that too. And there were BABIES next to us! Babies are not scary at all (okay, a lot of you may disagree with this statement)! The guy at the table on our other side (very cute, glasses, with his pretty girlfriend, sad) borrowed our sauces, which made me feel like I was part of the Pho community and therefore, it was all good. 


Oh, and on the walk back home, there were these two guys standing by their motorcycles who were both really studly (one was like a viking: tall and blonde with a beard, and the other was short but with curly brown locks, a beard, an GLASSES). I obviously hid my face and didn't talk to either of them. Anyway, the end. Good story.