Phan's Garden

Phan's Garden
21st & National Ave.
Milwaukee, WI.

I debated whether to discuss Laotian or Vietnamese food first, but I think it has to be Vietnam. It will be a primer, if you will, for the hardcore South East Asian Laotian fare which I will discuss in the future.
Phan's Garden is by no means a pretty looking place. The walls are painted a bright pink and the maroon naugahyde booths clash with the 40's style wood bar along the back. Along this bar are those chinese jade trees with gaudy orange 'fruit' hanging from them. It is a bit of a dive that probably leaves first time visitors wondering about the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Most first timers to Phan's will probably not stray from the Chinese fare on the menu, instead they will stare over at other tables where entire families are each tearing into large bowls of soup with a big plastic spoon and chopsticks, barely coming up for air. And this brings me to the main feature at Phan's - the inexpensive, well prepared, Vietnamese style soups known as Pho`.
Once you try the Vietnamese fare, you'll realize that you've been cheating yourself out of a real treat. And, no, youre not eating pig eyeballs and tapeworms, but you will need to make some slight adjustments. I would expect a first time acquaintance with a fish ball to be met with not a little suspicion.
Before we get into the Pho (pronounced 'fuuhh' not 'fo' ) try an appetizer of Spring Rolls. These are similar to the Thai style spring roll : Rice noodles, shrimp, bean sprouts, carrots, and sliced pork are rolled into a rice flour wrapper and eaten with a side of Sriracha chili paste and peanut sauce. They are also served vegetarian with mint and cilantro added.
The Egg Rolls are a good choice. They differ from the chinese style. The wrapper is thinner and crispier, and the filling is a peppery pork filling with cellophane noodles. These are served with a side of sweetened fish sauce.
Now for the pho`. The stock is basically the same for all the soups. Vegetable stock is simmered with onion, garlic, star anise and lettuce. The soup choices are self explanatory and all soups are served with a heaping plate of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, limes and jalapeno or serrano chilies. These condiments are to be added to your taste when the soup is served.
Try the traditional beef Pho Dac Biet (B1). This contains rice noodles and sliced raw beef. The beef becomes fully cooked in the piping hot broth and is ready to eat by the time you are done adding the condiments. This is probably the most popular item on the menu and comes in two sizes - large and extra large.
A tamer version of the above is Pho Ga`, which contains rice noodles and chicken, except that the chicken is fully cooked before being added the broth.
One of my favorites is the B - 10 BBq Pork & Yellow Noodle. The noodles are egg based and are a bit easier to handle with chopsticks. The barbecue pork is well done and covered in a pinkish semi sweet glaze. Not your traditional Western BBq pork, but well worth a try.
Mi Thap Cam is seafood based, containing shrimp, squid and fish balls, which are seasoned, firm balls of fish that taste more like sausage.
Most soups can also be served served "dry" without the broth. Others selections such as Bun Thang (currently this has my vote for the best named dish ever) are exclusively served dry. This one contains pork loaf and an egg yolk topping that is quite delicious.
For dessert try the Tri Color, which contains coconut milk, crushed ice, agar, and fruit (Longan, Rambutan and jackfruit) served in a tall glass with a spoon. There is also an avocado and milk based drink that seems popular but I don't know the name of it.
SO... don't be shy. Turn to page three of the menu and dig into the Vietnamese specialties at Phan's Garden. You won't be disappointed.