The character on this blog formerly known as The Girlfriend became a serious fan of Vietnamese food after I introduced her to a local soup joint. More local to her part of town than mine, but Memphis has a wide range of options when you need to get your phở on. I love the spring rolls with shrimp and lettuce and peanut sauce, the quail, the occasional odds and ends that show up as specials... I'm by no means an expert on Vietnamese food and my knowledge of the language and proper pronunciation is horrible. But I know good food, and when you get that craving for phở, nothing else will work.
So it was with much excitement that I got such a craving on a Sunday afternoon and grabbed myself a takeout kit of Phở Bò Viên from Green Bamboo, a little Vietnamese restaurant within walking distance of my house. I throw pretty much everything in there, and I like to eat the sliced beef before it gets too cooked. The basil and bean sprouts are really my favorite part. I have a great set of Japanese noodle bowls that The Roommate gave me over a decade ago, you just have to hold it the right way if you want to do the traditional slurp and shovel.
2010 Nine Walks Sauvignon BlancMarlborough, New Zealand
$11, 13% abv.
The nose is floral with notes of peach. On the tongue there is nice tart acidity, but it's not citrus, rather a general overripe fruit note that I like. Touches of minerality on the aftertaste.
How'd it work with the Vietnamese food? Freakin' awesome. I skipped the lemon wedge when building the soup bowl, and let the wine do the acidity balancing for the meal. Letting the wine do some of the work made the whole experience even more fun, and by the end I was ready for more.
Note: These wines were received as samples.
6 comments:
Pho ='s Addictive.
Sam,
Damn right it is. I crave it fortnightly.
Cheers,
Benito
I love phở, too. In fact, I first fell in love with it back when I lived in Memphis (last century). First place I had it was Phở Saigon (on Poplar near Highland?). I remember it fondly. They included mint along with the basil, bean sprouts, peppers, etc., which nobody here in Austin seems to do (it's always basil and cilantro).
Cool to see that this pairing was a hit. I'm as big a fan of NZ SB as the next wino, but I never would have thought of this match. I'll have to try it out and report back on my blog.
Cheers!
Jim,
Memphis has a ton of Vietnamese places, mostly clustered in Midtown. I'm happy to see some good ones out here in the suburbs.
Let me know what you think if you try the same combination!
Cheers,
Benito
that looks like a friggin' brilliant pairing... :)
Jeremy,
It's an accidental discovery on my part, but phở by its nature presents a unique opportunity to adjust your food to perfectly match the wine.
Cheers,
Benito
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