Tank Noodles

Hello Everyone,   

Sometimes I just get this craving for noodle soup and there are two different types of noodle soups that I love to eat: Vietnamese Pho and Hong Kong noodles.   The craving hit me hard earlier this week and I decided to get Vietnamese Pho.   My favorite place to get pho in Chicago is Tank Noodles at Argyle and Broadway in Uptown.    

    

One of my pet peeves when I go out to eat is when people always order the same thing at a restaurant.  I always feel like you should diversify and try different things.  I am my own worst enemy when I go to Tank Noodles because I order the exact same thing every time I go.  The first thing I always get is 7B, Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp.     

     

This stuff is awesome!  Don’t mess with number 7 (plain spring roll) unless you are allergic to shrimp…then you don’t have much of a choice.  But it is raw shrimp, mint, vermicelli rice noodles, and some other stuff.  It is very fresh and light and is very good as an appetizer.  It comes with a dipping sauce that is garnished with ground peanuts.  The spring roll itself is good, but the spring roll with the sauce is what takes it to the next level.       

       

For pho, I always get number 39 or 40.  They are the same thing except 39 is the large version of 40 and only cost a dollar more!  I usually get 40 (the smaller one) unless I am starving.  The pho consists of a clear beef broth, noodles, sliced beef, well done brisket, well done flank, soft tendon, bible tripe, and meatballs.  Some of these ingredients might not sound as appealing (mainly tendon and tripe).  If you don’t like certain things, you can always order something different or just pick them out of your pho.        

       

All pho dishes are served with raw bean sprouts, basils leaves, jalapeño peppers, and lime wedge.  

 

Personally, I am not a fan of the bean sprouts, but I put in the basil leaves, squirt the lime into the soup, and also add some hoisin sauce.  Also, I like to have a little dipping bowl with hoisin and sriracha sauce.  I dip all my meat into the sauce to add some extra flavors.  If you want a little extra kick, they also have this hot chili sauce.      

From left to right - hoisin, sriracha, hot chili

  

My girlfriend usually orders number 40 as well (and gives me the tendon and tripe); however, this time she decided to try something different.  She ended up ordering number 75 which is a beef noodle soup.  It was well spiced with star anise and other spices and she enjoyed it.  The soup was a little too red for me, so I didn’t even try it.       

      

Overall, I love this place.  There are many other places to eat in that area as well.  There’s this bakery just down the street that has the most amazing stuff.  There is plenty of parking in the area with the pay boxes.  I always get sited right away (unless it is jam packed) and the food comes out right away.  Prices are very reasonable, especially with the amount of food you get.  My pho (number 40) only cost 6.95! Our bill came out to be a total of 20 bucks and we were both left Tank Noodles full and satisfied.