The restorative powers of chicken soup are well documented. But you don't have to wait until you've caught a cold to enjoy it.
One of the best places in Tucson to get a bowl of chicken soup — or beef soup or vegetable soup, for that matter — is Pho 88, a Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a strip mall on North Campbell Avenue.
The Lam family has owned and operated Pho 88 for more than 10 years. Yen Lam, the matriarch, says eight is a lucky number in Vietnam. So "88" must be twice as lucky.
Lam is from Da Lat, Vietnam, which is a mountain city north of the capital, Ho Chi Minh City. She says she grew up attending Catholic school, where she learned to speak French and developed a taste for cheese, especially brie.
Lam moved to Tucson in 1987 and now operates Pho 88 with her sister and her husband.
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"I love to cook," she says. "This is like a mom and pop restaurant. We try to do food like what we eat at home."
The windows of Pho 88 are tinted, but the fluorescent lights inside keep the interior bright, even at night. Plants line the front wall, and a large fish tank stocked with goldfish sits along the north wall. There are half-a-dozen booths in addition to several tables.
Lam says the décor is uncomplicated for a reason.
"We make it simple like in Vietnam, so people are comfortable."
Pho is Vietnamese for "soup." Pho 88 offers a variety of soups, with ingredients ranging from rare steak to meatballs to chicken. Pho (pronounced "fuh") is the most popular item on Pho 88's menu.
"We have a customer who comes in every day and orders a bowl of chicken pho," Lam says.
We ordered a bowl of vegetable pho, which is made with a vegetarian broth and tasty fresh vegetables like broccoli and carrots. The vegetarian broth was a happy discovery — you can't get pho with a vegetable base at the recently expanded Miss Saigon, 1072 N. Campbell Ave. (The campus area will gain yet another Vietnamese restaurant when Saigon Pho opens soon in Main Gate Square.)
Pho 88's broth, whether it is chicken, beef or vegetable, is made with anise, ginger, shallots and herbs. Each bowl is served steaming hot with a plate of bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapeño. These ingredients, when added to the broth, bring a welcome crunch and flavor. But if you need something more, there are sauces at each table. "You have to have hoisin sauce in the pho to bring out the taste," Lam says.
Of course, Pho 88 serves more than just soup. On a recent visit, we started our meal with the crispy vegetarian egg rolls. Five deep-fried rolls come stacked on a large plate with several leaves of iceberg lettuce and mint, with a small bowl of nuoc mam, a sweet and spicy fish sauce. Savvy egg-roll eaters know that you're meant to wrap the egg roll in the lettuce before dipping it in the fish sauce.
"You have to use your hands," Lam says. "We always teach our customers how to eat them."
Next, we tried the charbroiled beef with vermicelli noodles. The rice noodles were served atop a bed of chopped lettuce and garnished with bean sprouts and mint. The beef was tender and lean and provided a salty yin to the sweet fish sauce's yang. (Note: Vegetarian diners can order the vegetable bun with a side of peanut sauce, instead of the fish sauce.)
Finally, we tried the Banh Xeo with vegetables, a crispy Vietnamese crepe that was a little too oily for our taste. Lam says that the crepe isn't for people on a diet and that the restaurant can't offer the dish on busy days because it takes too long to slow-fry it.
That's OK. We'll stick with the pho.
It's good for the soul — and easy on the wallet.
• What: Pho 88, 2746 N. Campbell Ave.
• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily. Closed Wednesdays.
• More info: 881-8883.
THE BILL
• Vegetable Pho: $7.50.
• Crispy vegetarian egg rolls: $6.50.
• Charbroiled beef with vermicelli: $7.50.
• Crispy Vietnamese crepe with vegetables: $7.50.
• Total, before tax and tip: $29.
