Earlier this year I posted a review of a couple of lunches at Pho Tempo, the re-vamped restaurant attached to Saigon Asian Market in Burnsville. I then pronounced it the best Vietnamese restaurant in south of the river and one of the better ones in the Twin Cities metro on the whole. After several meals eaten there since then I see no reason to change that assessment: this is clearly the best Vietnamese restaurant in the South Metro and I don’t think there can be too many better ones in the larger area. And if there are, I would really like to know which they are. Here follows a quick look at three meals eaten there since the spring.

You might recall that what makes Pho Tempo stand out in my view is not just their excellent takes on the American Vietnamese restaurant standards—your pho, your spring rolls, your banh mi, your broken rice plates—but especially the non-standard dishes that show up on the specials board by the cashier. I am happy to note that while the restaurant has undergone some renovation during the year (there is more booth seating now), the menu structure remains unchanged. If you want the standards, you can eat them here and you’ll eat very good versions of them: the pho broth this past weekend was among the best I’ve ever had in Minnesota. But if you explore the specials board you can try very tasty dishes I’ve not seen anywhere else.

Of these, the chao long—congee with an unholy amount of offal in it—remains my favourite dish there; though the banh canh cua is not far behind. On our visit with friends in June we also really enjoyed their banh hoi—little bundles of rice noodles that are eaten in lettuce wraps with vegetables and proteins (on that occasion a pork/egg loaf). On that visit we also enjoyed their papaya salad; and I’ll be damned if their broken rice plate with Korean short ribs and kimchi was not also pretty tasty.

More recently, we enjoyed two appetizers, one from the regular menu (five spice wings) and one from the specials (shrimp tempura). The younger boy also really enjoyed their bo kho (a beef stew with carrots)—I finished his leftovers the next day and while I liked it, I suspected the base was just their pho broth (though for all I know that may be a normal way to approach bo kho). The older boy predictably gets the broken rice plate with grilled pork, and he always enjoys it. On a solo visit in May I quite liked the beef with potatoes from the specials board but was quickly overwhelmed by it. The dish comprises thinly sliced marinated beef that is flash-fried and tossed with potato chips and it’s best gotten to share with a group.

My only real complaint is that some of the specials seem to always be out or unavailable—no matter what day or time we visit. Though I suppose it gives us something to aspire to on each visit. On our most recent visit I was told that the bun mam (a noodle soup with fermented fish) should finally be available in a couple of weeks. I will go back to check.

For a look at the restaurant and the things eaten across these meals, click on an image below to launch a larger slideshow. Scroll down for thoughts on service and price and to see what’s coming next on the food front.

Service is always friendly and if you want to know what the dishes you’re not familiar with are, just ask. Prices are also in line with the competition. At our most recent meal the four of us ate two appetizers and four mains, and along with a couple of soft drinks, tax and 20% tip, the total came to a little over $100. We will continue to come back for sure—and if you like Vietnamese food and live within reach, you should really go too. The fact that you can shop at Saigon Market after your meal is a bonus (on our last couple of visits I purchases bunches of yin/shen choy or green-pink amaranth, and frozen pompano. Oh, you should know that while the market is open every day, the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

Okay, coming up next week from the Twin Cities will probably be a report on dinner at 112 Eatery—we are scheduled to eat there with the boys this weekend to celebrate the missus’ birthday. I also hope to get one more Dublin report out this week, and at least one more Italy report on the weekend. Let’s see how it goes.