Pho Estonia is part of the Iraq Homecoming Trip Report.
You already know the rule for good pho places: plastic chairs and questionable cleanliness (see I Know When That Hot Bowl Blings…A Review of Pho in Brooklyn). It is also advisable that the restaurant only serves Vietnamese food. Fusion pho is not really pho (see Pho Edinburgh: Disappointing Adventure). When I went into Tartar, I noticed the diamond designation on the door. If this was anything like Nautilus (see Seafood in Estonia: What a Treat), I would not be disappointed. I was surprised when I saw pho on the menu as the restaurant was not Vietnamese. I decided to break all the rules and order a bowl.
TPOL’s Tip: Tartar’s address is Narva mnt 7, 10117 Tallinn, Estonia.
Presentation
The bowl was presented on a fancy tray, atypical of traditional pho.
Broth
The broth was dark brown leading me to conclude it was made from beef stock instead of the typical.
Add-ons
There was a side of chili sauce instead of sriracha, ginger instead of jalapenos, and a modest amount of fancy sprouts instead of the typical giant pile.
Beef
This was pho boh, not pho tai, so it was expected that the beef was not red and rare.
How was it?
Nothing about this book looked correct but everything smelled divine. After one spoon, I was addicted, slurping the noodles, and consuming the tender beef until there was nothing left.
Overall
While it was not a classic bowl of pho, it was pho-nomenal. Maybe pho fusion isn’t bad after all.
Read all my Pho Reviews.
