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WHAT THE PHO may sound like a joke. But despite the Duluth Vietnamese restaurant's sly name, some serious food is served up at bargain prices here — including really good Vietnamese noodle soup, called pho (pronounced fuh). And judging from recent signifiers (such as the hip, young Web site Hot as Pho www.hotaspho.com, which sells "What the Pho" and "Wanna Pho?" T-shirts), this place is giddily in step with the changing face of Vietnamese cultural identity in the United States.

SPARE WITH FLAIR: Situated in a strip center storefront, What the Pho's sign beckons from bustling Pleasant Hill Road. Inside, the look is spare with some flair. The high ceilings are accented with a suspended, swirling cloud of dark purple, a color echoed throughout the space. Banquettes are a vibrant orange, and colorful glass pendant lights hang above the booths and tables. Brushed metal accents include a wall of what looks like industrial vents morphed into sculpture while the kitchen, half-open to the dining room, sparkles with stainless steel.

NICK ARROYO/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
'Skewered charbroiled pork and lettuce served on a tray' also comes with noodles, shredded carrots, fresh herbs and sliced jalapeños, plus dry rice paper wrappers.
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PHO WAYS: The tables are set with a lazy Susan containing all the good stuff you need to enjoy Vietnamese cuisine, including various hot sauces, fish sauce and soy sauce. Pho, made with beef broth and rice noodles, comes in medium or large and more than a dozen variations, from simple rare steak to beef meatballs, tripe and tendon. The broth is mildly beefy, and not too salty, with a pleasantly aromatic backdrop of spices, including star anise and ginger. And all soups are served with a side platter piled with bean sprouts, limes, jalapeños and cilantro.

BUN FUN: Bun — dishes made with rice vermicelli noodles — may be even better than the pho here. By any measure, what the menu translates as "skewered charbroiled pork and lettuce served on a tray" is a whole lot of food and fun for $6.95. The marinated pork is slightly sweet with a good char. It comes with a platter of noodles, leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, fresh herbs and sliced jalapeños. You also get a fistful of dry rice paper wrappers and a bowl of hot water for softening them. The fun comes in when mixing and matching the fillings and sauces and rolling them in the wrappers (rice paper, lettuce or both).

MORE FOOD (AND DRINK): What the Pho also serves Vietnamese fried egg rolls and soft spring rolls, though neither is up to the standard of the pho and bun. And the rest of the menu features a dizzying array of rice, vegetarian and stir-fry entrees made with beef, pork chicken, shrimp or tofu. There's no beer or wine, but the long drink list includes sodas, iced coffee with condensed milk and fruit smoothies.