"Nam 1975" is a provocative name for a Vietnamese restaurant, referencing a particularly significant time in Vietnamese history. "Nam" means "south" in Vietnamese, which is straightforward enough. "1975," however, marks the year in which the North Vietnamese army captured Saigon and the Americans withdrew from Vietnam, thereby ending the Vietnam War.

Not too sure if a restaurant should be evoking the Vietnam War in their name, but we'll set that aside... perhaps it's a bold but heavy-handed statement of authenticity?

My friends have been telling me good things about Nam 1975, and I always anticipate a meal in a Vietnamese restaurant. Years of searching for passable pho in this town has taught me to keep my hopes down, and it was with nervous apprehension that I finally darkened the doors of Nam 1975 to try out their rendition of the Vietnamese staple.

I was immediately taken aback when confronted with the gargantuan menu, and I again thought to myself -- as I have many many times before -- why don't restaurants keep it simple and pick a few things to do right as opposed to offering everything under the sun and getting it wrong ? There were also issues with the clarity of the menu itself. The English explanations didn't do much to shed light on Vietnamese food for dinners new to the cuisine, and even the Vietnamese titles and descriptions were written incorrectly.

By the time I ordered the pho, my expectations were rock bottom, although admittedly that page in the menu was easy enough to grasp.

And what a shock it was when it arrived and was easily, far and away, the best pho I've had in Shanghai. The taste of the soup, the herbs, the spicy chillies, the variations of cuts of beef -- everything was as it should be, and at 35rmb per bowl, the price is definitely reasonable (49rmb for a special combination).

So, yeah. There you have it: the best pho in Shanghai is at Nam 1975 (although its still not as good as my mum's).

As for other dishes, most were pretty good, such as the Crab Spring Roll. The variation they serve at Nam 1975 is unlike most other spring roles I've had, with a crunchy egg skin rather then a deep fried rice paper you normally get. It¡¯s quite satisfactory, however.

One of the specialties at Nam 1975 that you might not find elsewhere is the "Beef Banquet," which is usually called the "Beef Seven Ways." Actually, there is no proper English name for it, but basically it's a multi-course banquet meal which beef is cooked and served seven different ways. I was actually a little disappointed in it though -- didn't like the beef too much. The low beef standard would be my only complaint about the pho as well. Alas, nobody's perfect.

So the bottom line is this: if you're like me and have been starving for a decent Vietnamese restaurant in Shanghai, look no further for now. Nam 1975 will satisfy your cravings for Vietnamese cuisine at least until you've got time to head south for the real deal.

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