The Pho Real Challenge

(holding up their white flags to surrender to the mighty Pho god) 

Oh food challenges. How I love them. This time though I was smart enough to sit out. Some brilliant friends of mine decided it would be a good idea to take the Pho Real Challenge at Bamboo Cafe in Simi Valley. The bowl was enough to scare me away considering it was bigger than my head. I could have bathed my whole body in it.


Point number 2 why I would never do this challenge is what it was. Pho is something that cannot be eaten when its cold or when it has been sitting for a long time. Pho makes you thirsty. The rice noodles also absorb a lot of soup and make you more full each additional second you spend not eating it. The friendly MSG also inside makes you thirsty so that you are drinking more water to make the noodles already in your stomach expand even more.


Basically it's a fail, fail situation. But of course someone has to do it right?  We chose 4 lovely guys to try the contest. They were eating the whole hour they were allowed and never stopped. It looked completely gross. In fact, they vowed never to touch pho again for a very, very long time after what they went through.


Of the 4 that tried it, we actually did have a winner! It was amazing. He got a T-shirt to show that her conquered the challenge, his bowl of pho for free, and of course most importantly, his picture on the wall. But don't worry there's also a wall for all the losers who were not able to complete the challenge. And best of all-I got a short video to show how it all went down!



 Bamboo Cafe is located at 2792 Cochran St Simi Valley , CA 93065. Just remember, if you don't finish that bowl is going to cost you $22 and your dignity if you don't finish! 2 pounds of beef and 2 pounds of noodles!


Happy Eatings!