As fun as it is playing mad scientist doctoring a soup with condiments and heat, I crave pho for the broth, made with roasted beef bones, then steeped with caramelized onions and infused with star anise and cinnamon. Once I was at a pho shop while a guy picked up five quarts of it. "What are you cooking?" I asked. "I drink a couple glasses every day for breakfast." It's so delicious I can see why.

A steaming bowl at Saigon City teased the memory of delicious pho, but the broth was disappointingly salty. I slurped through to access flavors I have missed, occasionally sipping broth, wishing it were lovely. Instead, it was like drinking sand.

The banh mi was better, a traditional grilled pork sandwich without the pate layer, heaped with pickled carrots, cucumbers, jalapeno, painted with fish sauce, and garnished with handful of cilantro. The key here is the bread: a French demi-baguette with a crusty exterior and an airy, flavorful crumb. Wrapped like a package in waxed paper, circled with a rubber band, the sandwich and its presentation did not disappoint.