Stock: Pho for Fishtown

Zahav alums Tyler Akin and Nicole Reigle have opened their long-in-the-works, high-end pho restaurant Stock (308 E. Girard Ave.), a dramatic reconfiguration of a Fishtown ice cream parlor.

Akin, a Wilmington native, got turned on to Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian cuisines while traveling. Three years ago, the two were sitting at their go-to spot, Pho Viet in D.C.'s Columbia Heights, "nursing a hangover, when we started throwing around some what-ifs," Akin said.

"What if we could make some pho with really awesome ingredients? What if we were serving our favorite food while listening to our favorite music? What if we move to Philly and tried to make this happen?"

"So here we are three years later. It's a grind but I couldn't be happier, surrounded by fish sauce and not a box of kosher salt to our name," said Akin, who is using high-end ingredients and fine-dining techniques in a modern design by Ambit Architecture.

The whole experience - all of 18 seats, and BYOB at that - is not intended to duplicate Philly's crop of noodle shops.

Menu is basically two salads, two appetizers, a regular pho, a vegetarian pho, and a dessert. Lunch includes banh mi.

It's open for dinner Thursday to Monday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., and for lunch Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.

Like Pizzeria Beddia across the street, there's no phone.