Pho is a dish that has long been associated with the lives of people in Hanoi. Among the hundreds of pho restaurants in the capital, many have existed for 3 or 4 generations, with their descendants proudly preserving the recipe and developing it, attracting more and more diners.
VietNamNet Newspaper would like to introduce some famous long-standing pho restaurants in the capital in the series of articles Traditional pho restaurants with many generations and many customers in Hanoi .
Lesson 1: Pho restaurant in Hanoi is full of customers, 24-year-old owner used to cut meat until her hands were calloused
Lesson 2: The most 'conservative' 4-generation pho restaurant in Hanoi, grandson returns from abroad to take over
From 7-9am every day is the time when the pho restaurant of Mr. Vu Truong Giang's family (45 years old) is the busiest. Mr. Giang is busy pouring the broth and urging the staff. When it is too crowded, Mr. Giang also takes on the responsibility of serving pho to customers.
Mr. Giang is the third generation in his family to continue the pho business. The pho restaurant is named after his grandfather, Mr. Dao.
Mr. Dao is originally from Giao Cu, Nam Dinh – the cradle of pho. About 60 or 70 years ago, he brought pho to Hanoi to sell on the streets, traveling all over the old town. Later, he taught the recipe to his children. Up to now, only Giang and his younger brother continue the business with the pho restaurant in Hang Giay.
Mr. Giang said that over time, from the traditional pho recipe, each child in the family has made slight changes to suit the taste of diners.
The restaurant's pho broth is made from beef marrow bones and a small amount of pork bones. All the bones are carefully prepared in 3 steps: soaking in water, blanching and washing.
Mr. Giang said: “I am the one who cooks the broth every day. The bones are simmered from 9am the day before to 6am the next day. During that process, I will watch to skim off the foam, skim off the meat and adjust the appropriate temperature for each stage.
From the evening, I lower the temperature to simmer. By morning, the bones will be tender, releasing all their sweetness and richness. Then I will add spices. The broth still has cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and fish sauce, but only lightly, not too strong."
According to Mr. Giang, his family uses Vietnamese beef, ordered from a reputable company. This type of beef has fragrant meat, without much unpleasant odor. “The right ingredients determine the deliciousness of a bowl of pho,” he said.
The restaurant has a diverse menu with rare and well-done pho, flank, crispy brisket, tenderloin, and tender tendon. Of these, tenderloin and tenderloin pho are the most popular.
“My family chooses the best tendon part of the cow, which is the part located in the inner core of the beef shank. This tendon is sweet, soft but still crunchy. The cooking time is only about 30 minutes. There is not much of this type of tendon, so it is usually sold out before 9 o'clock,” said Mr. Giang.
The brisket is also carefully selected, cleaned, and boiled until just cooked, without losing its crispiness.
At 5am, two workers will start slicing brisket, flank, rare meat… to be ready for sale at 6am. “The flank is the hardest part to slice, it has to be thin, the lean meat and fat do not separate. My younger brother will directly slice the flank and rare meat,” said Mr. Giang.
The restaurant uses thin, soft but chewy rice noodles. The fried dough sticks are located at a nearby establishment, so they are ordered as they run out, ensuring they are always hot and crispy.
On each table, the restaurant serves chili sauce, garlic vinegar, lemon, and fresh chili. The owner said that the chili sauce is specially made and the garlic vinegar must use local garlic to have a distinctive aroma.
“Customers increasingly demand better quality food, so I have to do every step carefully and meticulously,” said Mr. Giang.
Mr. Ho Quang (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) has been a regular customer here for many years. According to him, the pho at the restaurant has stable quality, the broth is always hot, rich and especially the meat is fresh and delicious.
Pho dishes with well-done, rare flank, brisket, tendon, and corn cost from 40,000-60,000 VND, while pho with turtle core costs 80,000 VND. In addition, the restaurant has a special pho bowl, priced at 100,000 VND, including selected, best meats.
“Every day, I make a fixed amount of goods, only increasing slightly on weekends or holidays. Therefore, on days when there are many customers, the shop can close early from 9-10am. Making too much goods may not ensure quality,” said Mr. Giang.
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