Meet Phozilla, a Giant Bowl of Soup Topped With A Lobster at Gao Viet Kitchen in San Mateo | Eater SF

"In San Mateo, I was struck by an unapologetically decadent, social-media-ready bowl called Phozilla at Gao Viet Kitchen, where chef-owner Viet Nguyen (who runs the Peninsula restaurant with his sister Linh) assembles a show-stopping $79 noodle soup loaded with a whole 1.5-pound Maine lobster, a full beef rib (the bone rising proudly out of the broth), oxtail, filet mignon, brisket, and bone marrow. Nguyen simmers a beef bone broth for 24 to 36 hours and adds marrow scraped from the bone back into the soup base; the lobster is delivered daily, steamed, the meat plucked and artfully rearranged on top. He admits it’s attention-grabbing and not something to have regularly, and says he was inspired by over-the-top Food Network dishes—charging $79 (which he estimates costs him $50 to make) instead of $100—while insisting it’s not a stunt but a playful, “non-political bowl of pho” meant to prove there’s no right or wrong way to make the dish. Phozilla is intended for sharing (though one or two diners have conquered it solo), only Viet makes each bowl himself so it’s unavailable when service gets too busy, and it’s just one of several menu items at Gao that feature a whole lobster." - Lauren Saria