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The best thing Craig LaBan ate this week: Vietnamese fried chicken in deep South Philly
The Vietnamese fried chicken platter, Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ, is served at Pho Duyen in South Philadelphia with fried rice, pickled daikon cubes and a side of chicken broth.Craig LaBan / Staff

The best thing Craig LaBan ate this week: Vietnamese fried chicken in deep South Philly

By Craig LaBan

Published 

iven the name, it’s no surprise that the soups are fantastic at Phở Duyên, a tiny four-year-old corner restaurant with an open kitchen at Fifth and Snyder in South Philly. Chef Duyên Le’s beef rendition of Vietnam’s famous phở comes with an impressive bouquet of herbs on a side plate (not just the usual Thai basil, but also perilla, rau ram, culantro, and mint). Its crystal-clear dark broth, swirling with star anise and other spices, is dappled with droplets of molten fat for extra flavor.

The chicken version, phở gà, is served with a side plate of the tender, poached bone-in chunks of the fresh-killed bird. The soulful and fragrant broth is the best I’ve tasted in South Philly since Phở Gà Thanh Thanh left its Washington Avenue location to consolidate at its larger home in Olney.

Pho gà at Pho Duyên.
Pho gà at Pho Duyên.Craig LaBan / Staff

Phở Duyên’s spicy crab noodle soup, bún riêu, is also incredible, with plump seafood meatballs bobbing alongside cubes of pork blood, fried tofu, and sundry meats that — with an extra helping of purple shrimp paste to ratchet up the umami funk level — is one of the most intense soup experiences in town.

The colorful interior of Phở Duyên in South Philadelphia.
The colorful interior of Phở Duyên in South Philadelphia.Craig LaBan / Staff
The crab noodle soup at Phở Duyên, bún riêu, is filled with seafood meatballs, assorted meats, and a broth that shimmers with spice.
The crab noodle soup at Phở Duyên, bún riêu, is filled with seafood meatballs, assorted meats, and a broth that shimmers with spice.Craig LaBan / Staff

And yet, these soups are not even the best thing that I ate at Phở Duyên, which just reopened after the family returned from an extended vacation in Vietnam. That would be the Vietnamese fried chicken platter, cơm gà xối mỡ. This meaty chicken thigh and drumstick is first simmered to juicy tenderness, then painted with a secret sauce to give it a rosy hue (the details of which chef Le declined to divulge). It crisps into a shattering crunch of parchment-thin skin you can hear across the table when someone takes a bite. An additional glaze of sweet-sour-salty sauce drizzled over top lends an extra swerve to the taste buds. It’s so, so good. But it’s really the platter as a whole — an irresistible mound of turmeric-tinted fried rice laced with crunchy fried shallots, a simple cup of restorative broth on the side, and tangy cubes of pickled daikon to refresh your palate between bites — that makes this meal my No. 1 food deal for $15 in Philadelphia right now.

Vietnamese fried chicken, Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ, is served at Pho Duyen in South Philadelphia with fried rice, pickled Daikon cubes, and a cup of broth.
Vietnamese fried chicken, Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ, is served at Pho Duyen in South Philadelphia with fried rice, pickled Daikon cubes, and a cup of broth.Craig LaBan / Staff

Vietnamese fried chicken platter, cơm gà xối mỡ, $15, Phở Duyên, 2039 S. Fifth St., 215-315-9109, instagram.com/phoduyenrestaurant

The entrance to Phở Duyên on South Fifth Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia.
The entrance to Phở Duyên on South Fifth Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philadelphia.Craig LaBan / Staff
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    As a restaurant critic and columnist, I cover the Philadelphia region's culinary stars, from food carts to fine dining, and chronicle the evolution of a dining scene that helps define our identity, one plate at a time.