**TIL: **Nothing beats a bowl of pho after a long, tiring day of...well, surviving. We went through the hot day and it was night time when we started heading home.
We tried to outsmart the traffic by taking the Banawa route to Minglanilla (feeling clever, right?), but even at night, it somehow felt like the city itself was conspiring to drain us. The headlights, the brake lights...ugh.
We originally planned to stop in Tisa for... whatever will surprise us there and fill our bellies. But then I, in my infinite wisdom, went, "Hey, how about pho?" completely derailing the plan. Lora’s going to Vietnam this year, so I thought, "Perfect! A little preview for her, a little comfort for me. Win-win."
I mean, yeah, nothing will compare to the real deal in Vietnam, but isn’t part of the fun getting to compare? (Or is that just my competitive food brain?)
Speaking of comparisons: Back when I lived in Palawan for two years (island life nostalgia intensifies), several Vietnamese immigrants from the 80s and their families opened pho shops. Except there we all called it "Chao Long" (for reasons I still don’t fully understand). It was this quirky, cult-favorite thing. Every time I have pho now, I’m hit with a weird mix of nostalgia and hunger.
Anyway, we ordered both the beef and the "special" pho (still unclear on what makes it special—extra love? mystery spices? I was too hungry to go through the menu description). Harry loved it! Which was a relief because he's been trying to convince us to go for Jollibee instead... while I was downing the sriracha because I looove it.
It was warm, spicy, and just...perfect for the moment.
I wish I posted more of the food than us just eating. Let's just say that I'm taking the pics from my POV. But also that I was too hungry to care about picture taking!
Another core memory, for sure. Can’t wait to hear Lora’s thoughts after Vietnam. Will she come back a pho snob? Will she lovingly roast the restaurant version? Either way, this bowl reminded me why pho has my heart. ❤️
