Westerners flock to try the sidewalk pho restaurant recommended by Michelin

(Dan Tri) - Many Western guests said that they were introduced by friends and some locals to this as "the best beef noodle soup restaurant in Hanoi".

At 1 p.m., Asta Filipa Streich (28 years old) and her Danish boyfriend went to Pho Khoi Hoi restaurant at the suggestion of international friends who had been there before. Asta Filipa Streich said that this was the first time they had eaten Vietnamese pho and they were very excited. "We ordered two bowls of pho with flank, served with fried breadsticks and we used chopsticks like the locals," the female tourist said excitedly.

Pho Khoi Hoi restaurant located on Hang Vai street, at the intersection with Phung Hung (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) has been a familiar destination for many Western guests in recent years. At the end of June, this pho restaurant was surprisingly one of 42 names on the Bib Gourmand list - delicious, affordable restaurants in 2024 in Vietnam, announced by Michelin.

While quickly slicing beef, Ms. Le Minh Nguyet (54 years old), owner of a pho restaurant, was suddenly asked: "How do you feel about the restaurant being recommended by Michelin for the Bib Gourmand list in 2024?" Ms. Nguyet said: "I feel normal."

Ms. Nguyet said she had heard about the 2023 Michelin award but did not pay much attention. When her pho restaurant appeared on the Bib Gourmand 2024 list, she did not know when they had eaten pho, how they scored it... "The restaurant is still selling normally, both before and after Michelin's recommendation. Nothing will change from quality to price or service. We are still loyal to traditional ingredients and cooking methods," the restaurant owner said.

Not a long-standing "father-to-son" restaurant in Hanoi, Ms. Nguyet created her own pho recipe, building a brand from a small pho pot with a few plastic chairs since 1994. Up to now, the restaurant has expanded seating for customers but there are still only two husband and wife taking turns selling.

The restaurant has two spaces, the indoor area is about 16m2, air-conditioned, can accommodate 4-5 stainless steel tables, each table has 4 diners. The outside space is simply decorated like many street food restaurants in Hanoi with about 10 plastic tables placed on both sides of the sidewalk.

Entering the restaurant, diners will be attracted by 6-7 trays of beef with different parts of meat such as: shank, crispy flank, cooked flank, regular flank, crispy flank, core... The bright red beef fibers, light yellow fat, white beef tendons are the "specialties" of the restaurant. "For the past 30 years, I have only bought beef from one familiar source. The most important criterion is that the beef must be fresh. Female beef is usually more delicious than male beef, if you can choose young beef, it is even better, because it will be softer and sweeter to eat", said Ms. Nguyet.

Every day, the owner of the restaurant will stand in the open kitchen area to cut meat and divide the meat into bowls of pho for customers. At the entrance steps is a processing counter with two pots of broth, one for blanching the pho noodles and one for pouring.

The preparation steps from sorting the beef, importing the noodles, washing, slicing onions… are done by the staff at the restaurant from 4am every day. The broth is prepared from 8am the day before, simmered until 5am the next day, so that the broth is clear but still has the sweetness of the bones.

A bowl of traditional Hanoi beef pho with clear, fragrant broth, naturally sweet and fatty from pork bones. The soft rice noodles after absorbing the broth become smooth and silky but still retain their chewy texture, not broken or crumbly when picked up with chopsticks. According to Ms. Nguyet, this is a "standard" bowl of pho.

When talking about Pho Khoi, diners often think of Pho Cot and Gầu Crispy. These are the two types of beef pho that make up the restaurant's brand. Here, the pork belly is sliced thinly and quickly blanched in broth, keeping it crispy while still being soft, sweet, and rich in beef flavor. The brisket has a beautiful golden color, is crunchy, firm but not tough.

Ms. Rizka (42 years old) and her son Justin (17 years old), Indonesian tourists, came to the pho restaurant after being recommended by the hotel staff as "this is the best pho restaurant in Hanoi". After enjoying the dish, Ms. Rizka said that it was very delicious and impressive, although it was a bit spicy. "We have eaten pho in Indonesia, but this is the first time we have eaten pho in Vietnam. We find Vietnamese pho more delicious because Vietnam is the homeland of this dish", said the Indonesian female tourist.

Many Western guests said they were often introduced to this pho restaurant by friends or some locals, even before the restaurant was recommended by Michelin.

The pho restaurant opens from 6am to 9pm every day, peak hours are from 11am to 2pm, the restaurant has to borrow the space of the store next door, set up about 5-7 more plastic tables to serve the large number of customers. Especially on weekends, many people still have to wait in line. The average price of pho here is 40,000-80,000 VND/bowl, including: rare pho 45,000 VND/bowl; brisket 60,000 VND/bowl; wine sauce and crispy brisket both cost 75,000 VND/bowl...