I first wrote about Fratelli Foods offering phở way back in January. Fratelli’s doesn’t offer beef noodle soup every day of the week, so I knew it would be a while before the stars aligned, and I found myself downtown on an afternoon when the broth was a brewin'. Today was the day.

I love having hot soupy noodles on a hot day. Sweat it out.

The Fratelli’s phở making station is set up in the front corner of this popular sandwich shop. The regular person who mans, or womans, the beef noodle booth is on break right now. The gentleman who fills-in at the phở booth shares with me that Fratelli’s beef noodle soup is a fusion of the “best of Italy and the best of Vietnam.” Fusion phở? Okay, I’m game.

There is no dine-in option at Fratelli Foods, so take-away is the only way their phở is served. I didn’t make any additional requests when I order my soup; I'm curious how they would serve it. Usually when phở is prepared for take-out, the hot broth is kept in a separate container from the noodles and other cold items. When you get to your eating location, you then put the goodies together. (It’s the only way to prevent the noodles and beef from over cooking while in transit.)

Fratelli’s Phở ($7.00 one size)

At Fratelli’s everything is put into one Styrofoam bowl for you. (Everything. Even the Sriracha and hoisin!)
Knowing this, I find a spot to dine as quickly as possible in a nearby park. The noodles are the thicker banh phở variety which is a nice change. Some of the fusion elements that stood out are the addition of olive oil and sundried tomatoes. At first, it’s strange to find sundried tomatoes in phở, but together with the olive oil it works for a tasty broth. The beef is beautifully thin and ruby red, but instead of the rare beef being served raw on top of the noodles, the server pre-cooks the meat in the cauldron of broth before ladling the soup into the serving bowl.
What’s the point of serving rare beef then?
I know this detail won’t bother the folks that cook the life out of their beef anyway. (Ahem, DL.)

Then again, I’m not sure if it’s fair to pick at the details as the person serving the phở today is not the regular phở wrangler. The server today did not seem confident manning the beef noodle station to begin with, but he is mighty personable and chatty. I didn’t want to fluster him more with special requests. In the end, I like the generous amounts herbs and aromatics which make for a flavourful bowl of soup. Despite my preferences, I still enjoy this Fratelli Foods Fusion Phở with a surprise element of tang from sundried tomatoes. Will you dive into Fratelli Foods Fusion Phở during this summer heat? Or stick with their pasta and sandwiches?

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