Take the Pho Garden Challenge
By Madalene Mandap
Editor at Large
UCSF not challenging enough? Try the Pho Challenge! Tucked away in the Outer Richmond, Pho Garden offers the chance to test your gastrointestinal limits with its famous super-duper, extra-large bowl of pho. Pho Garden’s version of the much-loved Vietnamese dish boasts two pounds of rice noodles and two pounds of beef.
The challenge: Finish the monster-sized bowl in under 60 minutes and your meal is free. Otherwise, you are $22 in the hole.
So why do people step up to the challenge? Besides the prospect of a free meal, you have a chance at winning a coveted spot on the wall of Pho Garden fame. In addition, a large LCD screen displays a slideshow of past champions along with random pictures like babies in pho challenge bowls (without the pho, of course).
I asked Qin Qin Gao, a first-year pharmacy student, why she made the attempt.
“It’s a well-known challenge in San Francisco. People said I should try it. They said that only one girl has won, and I wanted to be the second one!”
Two other students tried the challenge that evening, accompanied by the cheers of classmates and onlookers. People waiting to be seated pointed and whispered at the humongous pho bowls. Cameras flashed from every angle, and every other table had a party of determined challengers.
The restaurant itself is pleasant and inviting, with a fresh, crisp aura. The menu offers a decent selection of Vietnamese fare, including house specialties, although I found their bun (rice vermicelli) selection lacking. What it all comes down to, though, is the pho. They had to put out large volumes of it for challenges, which held up service for everyone else. So, if you don’t want anything to do with the spectacle of sports eating, this place is probably not for you. Voyeur that I am, however, I could not resist the show.
And what was the fate of the student challengers? Alas, all three surrendered, with plenty of food left in their respective bowls.
Long after the noodles had been digested, I asked Qin if she recommended doing the challenge.
“Yes, for the fun of it – but not to the point of hurting yourself. Also, you should go with a big group of friends, because that makes [the experience] worth it.”
Pho Garden
2109 Clement Street at 22nd Ave.
This article appeared in the Octiber 15, 2009 issue of Synapse.