21 Oct 5th–Oct 11th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | FULL BAR! 2003 Bills of $50 or more Dine-In or Take Out Not Including Combinations Dinner Only Expires 12/31/23 Closed On Tuesdays $5 OFF 2050 N. Alma School Rd., #36 • 480.857.4188 No Pho? No Problem Vietnamese restaurant Com Tam Thuan Kieu offers so much more. BY DOMINIC ARMATO T he lunchtime rush has reached its peak at one of the most popular pho joints in town, and the place is hopping. If you wanted to make the case that Vietnamese cuisine has fully infiltrated the mainstream here in Phoenix, it would be easy to point out that the people packing the tables are a rather diverse bunch. Only one problem. The food in front of them is … considerably less diverse. You’ll spot a couple of banh mi and a smattering of spring rolls. But while the menu is jammed with a variety of Vietnamese offerings, almost every single diner in the house sits in front of a bathtub full of pho — one that’s approachable and serviceable but ultimately forgettable. Meanwhile, just 10 paces away, on the other side of the Mekong Plaza entrance vestibule, Com Tam Thuan Kieu has plenty of tables to spare. Non-Asian customers are scant, and the few who saunter in don’t request pho, which is good, because pho isn’t on the menu. In its place, you’ll find warm and comforting rice porridge; shrimp and pork- stuffed fried rolls wrapped in crackling rice paper; and a bounty of cool, vegetable- laden spring rolls served with vibrant, pungent dips. There’s glistening, steaming fried rice; rice noodle salads splashed with sweetened fish sauce; and giant bowls of pork broth boasting far more body and soul than its beefy competition across the way. And that’s before we even get to the house specialty: heaving platters of steamed broken rice topped with a teeming buffet of bites and nibbles — grilled meats, pickled vegetables, crispy fried delights and Vietnamese charcuterie. You couldn’t dream up a better way to sample a variety of Vietnamese flavors all in one go. All you have to do is muster the strength to tear yourself away from the pho for a minute. The phonundrum Let’s be clear. Nobody, least of all me, is taking shots at pho. When it’s prepared with care, and when its gentle aromatics aren’t obliterated by overzealous squirts of hoisin and Sriracha, pho is divine. It is clean and pure, glori- ously uncomplicated, both refined and hearty at the same time. Pho was born for the spotlight, and there is a reason it carries the banner for Vietnamese cuisine’s cross- over popularity. But people, there is more to Vietnamese cuisine than pho. Phoenix diners tend to reduce wildly diverse international cuisines down to a couple of popular dishes. In fairness, restaurants often usher them down that path. (Quick … how many local Vietnamese restaurants can you think of that don’t have the word “pho” in the name?) Still, much of this is human nature. Even when diners break out of their rut to explore other cuisines, they tend to quickly fall At Com Tam Thuan Kieu, the signature plate is the Com Tam Thuan Kieu 10 Mon, a mound of steamed broken rice piled with all manner of Vietnamese dishes. (Photo by Dominic Armato) ▼ Chow >> p 23
