Turtle Tower Restaurant: San Francisco, Calif.

Last week, I consumed a bowl of Chicken Pho at Turtle Tower...three days in a row. A friend of mine wrote a comment on my Foursquare check-in stating that they were "surprised I wasn't the mayor" yet. Turtle Tower is a favorite go-to restaurant of mine which is the perfect remedy for feeling under the weather, hangovers, and brisk cold days in San Francisco.

Turtle Tower exemplifies the Northern style cuisine of Hanoi in Vietnam, which is characterized by its simplistic dishes. Their signature dish, Pho Ga (#9), is distinguished by their homemade chicken broth taste with wider flat rice noodles and green onion and cilantro. On a good day, I can devour a large bowl by myself. There is a on-going debate on which regional variant of pho is better. Which do you prefer? Most pho connoisseurs are accustomed to Southern style pho which has a more complex broth with ingredients like star anise and cinnamon. This style of pho is served with more garnishes such as bean sprouts, basil leaves, and lime.

If you don't like noodles or pho, Turtle Tower's newest location in SOMA has a special dinner menu with items that aren't featured at the other locations. The imperial rolls are also a great appetizer to start with. Many of their dishes are under $10.00 and very affordable.

If you haven't paid a visit to your local Turtle Tower (there are three locations), I suggest you do so when you want to indulge in your next pho craving.