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Brock Radke

Wed, Oct 3, 2012 (4:50 p.m.)

Bosa 1 is back. The tiny restaurant on Jones Boulevard many considered the best Vietnamese joint in town closed this past spring. Now, resurrected, it’s called Pho Bosa—the pho referencing a prominent addition to an already stellar menu—and a move takes it much closer to the Strip on Spring Mountain Road. Southern California tourists make up a huge part of the restaurant’s business, and now the cab ride is shorter and cheaper.

But the new locale is also an easy access point for locals, and with terrific pho served alongside the signature broken rice plate (and still nothing over 11 bucks), it’s safe to say this restaurant is new and, more importantly, improved.

Photo: Beverly Poppe

Pho Bosa's bun bo hue will change your life, if you're man enough for a volcanic beef noodle soup with cubes of ginger-infused pork blood.

It’s still a small, minimalist space, but there are a few more tables inside the new room. The soulful, satisfying food hasn’t changed. Crunchy pork, chicken or shrimp eggrolls (cha gio) are still ready to be wrapped in fresh herbs, and now there’s a vegetarian version ($9.99 for five). The soft rice paper-wrapped spring rolls (nuom con) are even better, especially with garlicky pork sausage ($5.50).

The menu of rice plate combos has been adjusted to accommodate more mix-and-matchery, so whether you dig the flaky shrimp cake, peppery egg quiche, Korean-style short ribs or grilled pork chop, you’ll find your favorite. Most importantly, everything is still served with the heavenly elixir that is Bosa’s house-made fish sauce.

There are lots of places to slurp pho along Spring Mountain, and this is as good as any. The fragrant broth has a clean, beefy taste, the perfect canvas for squirts of sriracha, hoisin and lime, handfuls of bean sprouts and torn bits of basil. And there are other killer soups at this souped-up eatery. Bun rieu ($8.99) is a soothing chicken broth stocked with thin noodles, shrimp, crab, tofu and tomatoes. And then there’s the brain-shocking spiciness of Bosa’s bun bo hue, a volcanic broth of lemongrass and beef with thicker noodles, chunks of beef shank and tendon, and soft cubes of ginger-infused pork blood. Be brave. This is like a hangover cure from another planet.