Western tourists try 100k 'self-service' pho for the first time in HCMC, eat 2 bowls in a row because it's delicious

The pho was served in separate portions, which delighted the Western guest, who dipped the noodles and beef into the boiling broth himself and ate two bowls in a row because it was so delicious.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Ho Chi Minh City is a favorite destination for many foreign tourists not only because of its beautiful scenery but also because of its diverse cuisine with many delicious dishes.

VietNamNet newspaper introduces a series of articles "Foreign visitors try Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh City" about the experiences of international visitors when enjoying Vietnamese dishes in this city.

Tyler Bentley is an American content creator, living in Ho Chi Minh City for over 7 years.

On his personal YouTube channel, he regularly shares videos of his travel and culinary experiences in places he has visited across Vietnam such as Hanoi, Hoi An (Quang Nam), Da Nang...

On the occasion of welcoming his father from the US to visit, Bentley took the time to take him to explore many delicious street foods, including pho.

Bentley and his father experience a unique "self-sufficient" pho dish in Ho Chi Minh City

They stopped by a pho restaurant on Pham Hong Thai Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). The restaurant was honored in the Michelin Selected category (restaurants highly appreciated for the quality of food, excellent service and impressive space) for 2 consecutive years, 2023 and 2024.

The restaurant serves many different pho dishes, the most popular being stone pot pho. The pho noodles here are hand-made right in the open kitchen area, so that diners can directly watch and learn about the process.

At the restaurant, Bentley ordered 1 bowl of pho tho da (beef shank) for himself and 1 bowl of pho tho da (beef shank, flank, tail, ribs) for his father. Each bowl cost 100,000 VND.

Stone pot pho dish costs 100,000 VND, impressing Western guests with both appearance and taste.

When the dish was served, the Western guest was impressed by the ingredients being served separately and beautifully arranged. The rice noodles, beef and chopped green onions were placed separately on a plate, while next to it was a pot of boiling broth.

Bentley instructed his father to add beef and rice noodles to the broth and season to taste.

He revealed that he likes to add lemon, chili sauce and pickled garlic to make the pho more flavorful.

In addition, to reduce the richness and increase the freshness of the dish, he eats pho with herbs and blanched bean sprouts.

Bentley and his father appreciate the taste of Northern-style pho.

Bentley commented that the beef was fresh, pinkish red and tender, and felt like it melted in the mouth when eaten.

The pho noodles are handmade and delicious, soft and well-flavored with rich, sweet broth.

“The pho dishes I ate before were mostly cooked and served in a bowl. But the pho here is served in a thermos, and customers dip the pho and beef into the boiling broth themselves, so everything feels very fresh,” the American YouTuber shared his feelings.

Bentley's father commented that the broth tasted like soup he had eaten back home.

His father also nodded in approval of the delicious pho, to the point of just focusing on eating instead of talking and enjoying it.

“The pho here tastes like the soup at home,” he said.

Impressed with the stone pot pho, Bentley's father decided to order another bowl to enjoy. He ordered the same bowl of pho as his son and enjoyed his meal.

American tourists excitedly enjoy the second bowl of stone pot pho

At the end of the meal, Bentley paid 350,000 VND (nearly 15 USD), including 3 bowls of stone pot pho, 1 cup of mango smoothie and 1 package of fried dough sticks.

The Western customer said that the restaurant's pho is a bit more expensive than many other places in Ho Chi Minh City, but the quality is commensurate, the space is clean and cool, and the staff is friendly and enthusiastic.

Sharing with reporters, Mr. Le Duc Truong (49 years old) - the owner of the pho restaurant that Bentley and his father visited, said that the pho here has a Northern flavor, but uses spices from all three regions so that diners can freely season it according to their preferences.

For example, the Northern region has chili sauce, the Southern region has black sauce and garlic, and the Central region has onion and vinegar.

The North-South fusion pho dish has been honored in the Michelin Selected list for two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024. Photo: Pho Vietnam

In addition, the restaurant's pho noodles are hand-made on-site, made from 100% pure rice. The steps such as selecting rice, grinding rice, and making noodles are also done in the traditional way.

The restaurant is open from 6am to 10pm daily. One of the special dishes at the restaurant is stone pot pho. The broth is served in a pot made of stone or Bat Trang ceramic to keep the heat for a long time. Each serving includes pho noodles, beef shank, beef ribs, beef brisket, oxtail, etc. served hot. Customers can enjoy it as they please.

Photo: Big Time Bentley

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-tay-lan-dau-thu-mon-pho-tu-tuc-100-nghin-o-tphcm-an-lien-2-bat-vi-ngon-2349633.html