You observe the same phenomenon all over Chinatown. Without any marketing or advertising, people somehow find the best restaurants through word of mouth. That’s how I heard about Pho Hung, the new “it” pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) restaurant in town. On a recent outing, friends of mine raved about how they’d pledged allegiance to this tiny 14-table restaurant nestled inconspicuously in one of the older strip malls at Bellaire and Wilcrest, and I knew I had to try it.

When I arrived at 12:30 on a Wednesday afternoon, the parking area in front of the restaurant was packed, and I saw people who had just entered leaving because of the wait. I’m told that there are often lines out the door, but on this occasion I waited less than 10 minutes to be seated.

The menu is simple. You can order a large bowl for $6.99, a small bowl for $5.99, or a baby bowl for $3.99. Choose any of the available types of meat, and they are included in that price with the exception of Pho Hung’s claim to fame, the tai be, or raw veal, listed on the menu as calf meat, which costs 75 cents extra per bowl. Served in a small side plate, the slightly pink tai be comes in a thinly sliced pile topped with cilantro and accompanied by a small dish of tuong gung, or ginger sauce.

I like to pick up each piece of the raw meat with my chopsticks, swirl it gently in the hot pho broth to cook it, and then dip it in the ginger sauce before eating it. I follow each piece with a generous spoonful of rice noodles and soup.

The broth is a bit fatty, but the flavors rich and deep, generously infused with the aromatic anise and ginger flavors requisite in well prepared pho stock. I am happy, too, to report that the broth did not cause the post-pho MSG-induced lethargy that I often experience when eating pho in restaurants.

Pho Hung is the ultimate hole-in-the-wall, best-kept-secret kind of place. No frills, just plain good food, and the closest you’ll get to gourmet pho in Houston.

PHO HUNG, 10800 Bellaire at Wilcrest, 281-575-9177

Note: cash only