Dalila Thomas
Audio By Carbonatix
Budget Bites is a series that looks for the best food and drink deals at restaurants in DFW, because being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t eat out.
Veganable: It’s a word you probably haven’t heard before, but one you might get used to. That’s how ThaiBinh Ho is describing his menu at his restaurant Pho ThaiBinh in the Grow DeSoto Market Place.
For almost every item he sells, there’s a vegan option to match. And the best part? Everything is under 10 bucks.
When Ho came to Texas from California, it wasn’t just the climate he had to adjust to. He had to learn what North Texans were craving. By the looks of his menu, dietary variety is key.
Ho is making sure no pho lover is left behind with his pho ThaiBinh ($10) – sliced rare steak, brisket, beef meatballs and vegetables over rice noodles topped with bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion, Thai basil, jalapeño and lime.
The vegan pho ($10), which features vegetable broth and subs tofu in exchange for beef, is just as flavorful.
“Fresh and healthy is great, but if it’s not delicious, it doesn’t matter,” Ho says.
Pho is available at Pho ThaiBinh in either beef or vegan, with beef ingredients replaced with tofu.
Dalila Thomas
Ho is putting his own spin on Vietnamese fish sauce wings, which is one of his best sellers.
The ThaiBinh wings or sticky wings ($6) are equal parts garlicky, savory, sweet and crispy. They go well with the garlic fries ($5).
“The sauce is what makes my wings,” Ho says. All of his sauces are made in-house.
“Everything on the menu is ‘veganable,’ except for the wings, which I am in the process of creating a vegan substitute for,” he says.
Pho ThaiBinh also sells chicken teriyaki bowls ($10), which have a tofu vegan option.
If that isn’t enough to satisfy, Pho ThaiBinh is serving something to keep you cool during these hot summer months: vegan Thai tea ($4) and vegan coconut ice cream ($4 in a cone, $5 in a cup).
“I do organic fried bananas that goes with the ice cream,” Ho says.
The fried bananas ($8) sound like the perfect way to end a meal here.
Pho ThaiBinh, 324 E. Belt Line Road, Suite 202, DeSoto
