Spring rolls, pho noodles, and banh mi sandwiches: the menu at Cam On Pho is anything but extensive. But those are the classics of Vietnamese street food. And if they're done well, like they're done in their homeland, what more do you need?
You don't actually sit on the curbside to eat, but the setting doesn't feel a million miles away from a Hanoi street stall, either. The decor is strictly no frills. There are cartons of Saigon's favorite 333 beer stacked up around the kitchen. And the staff — all of whom are from Vietnam — wear matching canary-yellow T-shirts emblazoned with their national flag, as if working for some state-run noodle shop.
The pho are nice and fragrant, and the hot, spicy beef bun bo hue noodles are rich and revivifying. The fresh goi cuon (spring rolls) are light and tasty — and preferable to the deep-fried spring rolls. And the pork pate in the banh mi sandwiches is excellent.
Cam On Pho — it means "Thank You Pho" — only opened a few months ago on the street that runs between Otsuka and Shin-Otsuka stations. If you are ever in that part of the city, especially at lunchtime, it is well worth tracking down.