Nam Dinh Pho Cu Tang has been passed down through three generations and has been a familiar breakfast spot for many years for the people of Thanh Nam.
One of the dishes that tourists should not miss when coming to Nam Dinh is beef pho, a dish included in the list of Top 100 Vietnamese specialties in 2021. When asking for the address of a long-standing pho restaurant in the center of Nam Dinh city, locals pointed to Mr. Tang's pho restaurant with the introduction "a pho restaurant that has existed since the subsidy period".
Pho Cu Tang is a familiar breakfast place for many people in the center of Nam Dinh city.
Arriving at the restaurant at around 8am, Ms. Ha, the current owner, was busy making hot bowls of pho to serve customers. Ms. Ha said she is the granddaughter of Mr. Tang and is the third generation to take over the restaurant after her mother. She said: "My great-grandfather (Mr. Tang) started selling beef pho in 1947, during the resistance war against the French. At that time, his house was at 92 Hang Tien, and the restaurant was just a small stall. It was not until 1968 that he moved to 21, now 23 Hang Tien."
The restaurant opens for business at two times, in the morning from 6am to 9am, in the afternoon from 4:30pm to 6pm. Outside, the area is about 18 square meters, where the owner prepares pho. There are two tables arranged on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Ha's stall and 4 tables arranged inside, behind the stall. Going into the small alley on the right are about three small rooms, each room can arrange about 4 stainless steel tables of 1.2 m to serve pho diners.
The restaurant's menu includes three main dishes: rare or well-done beef pho, pan-fried beef and red wine sauce. Prices range from 40,000 - 60,000 VND per bowl depending on the type.
A bowl of beef pho at Mr. Tang's restaurant includes rice noodles, beef and broth. However, the way Nam Dinh beef pho is prepared is different from Hanoi beef pho. The broth at Mr. Tang's beef pho is simmered from marrow bones, oxtail bones and pork bones. The restaurant does not use cardamom, cinnamon or star anise, but only adds grilled ginger and fried onions. After simmering for the required amount of time, the bones are removed to avoid clouding the broth.
For rare or well-done pho, the beef is also sliced thinly like Hanoi beef pho. The slices of meat are pounded, minced but not too finely, blanched, then put into a bowl, and the broth is poured over. Thanks to this, the beef retains its freshness and nutrients inside.
Ms. Ha said the most popular dish ordered by customers is pan-fried beef pho. Pan-fried beef pho is similar to Hanoi's rare beef pho, but in Nam Dinh, the beef is stir-fried with vegetables, tomatoes, celery, onions, and tapioca starch to create a thick consistency. Scoop a ladleful of beef onto the pre-boiled noodles in a bowl, add a little stir-fried meat sauce and pour in the broth to complete the restaurant's famous pan-fried beef pho.
For beef pho with red wine sauce, the meat used is mainly beef brisket taken from the breast, shoulder, and neck of the cow. After being soaked in salt water, the meat is boiled and then washed with clean water before being cut into pieces to marinate with spices. The marinated meat is stir-fried thoroughly before adding the pho broth to simmer. In addition to tomatoes and pho broth, the restaurant does not add cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, annatto oil, or gac oil to create color. Therefore, the meat does not have a beautiful red color but is tender and absorbs the sweetness of the broth.
Mrs. Ha, the owner, prepares pan-fried beef pho.
At first glance, the broth of Nam Dinh beef pho is not as clear as Hanoi beef pho because it is sprinkled with stir-fried beef sauce. When tasting, the pho broth is sweet and light, with a simple taste, somewhat lighter than Hanoi beef pho. The restaurant has spices such as seasoning powder, fish sauce, garlic vinegar, pepper, and chili on each table for diners to add and taste to enhance the flavor. Nam Dinh pho noodles are similar to regular pho noodles but thinner, softer, and more flexible, mixed with a smooth and silky broth, making it easy to swallow. The beef is soft and sweet without being tough due to overcooking or crumbly due to raw meat left for too long and no longer fresh. Overall, the amount of beef in a bowl of pho is equivalent to pho noodles, suitable for the price.
Ms. Lan (67 years old), a local living near the restaurant, shared that she has been eating pho here since her youth (around the 70s), when Mr. Tang was still selling. "The first thing to do when eating pho is to taste the broth, you will clearly feel the sweetness of the bones, not from the MSG. After decades of eating here, the flavor of my favorite beef pho with red wine sauce has not changed," Ms. Lan said. Not only Ms. Lan, her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren who come with her are all regular customers of the restaurant.
Living in the center of Nam Dinh city, currently studying at university in Hanoi, Pham Van Duy (19 years old, Nam Dinh) said he is still not used to eating rare beef pho in Hanoi. "In my hometown, beef has a very distinctive, strong and pungent taste because it is fresh meat that has just been cut. Therefore, I am not used to eating rare beef dipped in Hanoi beef pho. Nam Dinh beef pho has a fatty, sweet broth mixed with stir-fried beef water, so it is very rich," Duy said.
Mrs. Ha still maintains the family recipe that Mr. Tang left behind. Thanks to that, over the years, the number of customers coming to the restaurant has increased continuously. There are both new and returning customers from other provinces. On average, the restaurant sells 500-600 bowls per day, and on weekends it can reach 700-800 bowls.
However, due to the large number of customers, the restaurant owner did not serve and communicate with customers attentively. The front of the restaurant is quite cramped because the tables are arranged right on the sidewalk, making it inconvenient to order and pay. The entrance is in an alley about 0.5 m wide, small and narrow, limiting the movement of customers and staff serving pho to customers.
For those who cannot afford to go to Nam Dinh, diners can go to the restaurant's second location at 57 Van Cao (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) to enjoy Mr. Tang's traditional beef pho.
Quynh Mai
Photo: Thuy Linh
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