For nearly 30 years of opening, Mrs. Dau's pho restaurant in Hai Ba Trung district has always attracted diners with its eye-catching and delicious beef pho with red wine sauce.
Every morning, the sight of cars lined up on the sidewalk at 7 The Giao Street, Hai Ba Trung District, has become a familiar sight to those who regularly pass by this street. Since opening in 1995, the beef noodle soup restaurant of Mrs. Dau (60 years old) is almost always crowded with customers, especially from 7am to 9am, although it only opens in the morning (from 5:30am to 1:30pm).
Previously, Mrs. Dau set up her stall in the alley, but about two years ago, she moved it to the street to have more space. Those who like rusticity and simplicity can sit on the sidewalk, use chairs as tables, and eat while watching the street. Those who like convenience and full tables and chairs can sit inside. The space on the sidewalk is larger, and can serve about 20 people at a time, and the house can accommodate about 10-15 more people.
Mrs. Dau's pho restaurant is a familiar breakfast place for many diners.
When she started selling pho, Mrs. Dau knew that beef pho with red wine sauce was not as popular as traditional pho, because many people thought that this dish was a hybrid of Asian and European dishes, losing the soul and flavor of Hanoi pho. "But many people who came here and ate it shared with me that it's not that this dish is not delicious, but that they couldn't find a place that makes it well. Because each dish has its own special flavor, the important thing is to know how to prepare and combine it so as not to lose the taste of pho that people have been used to for so long," said Mrs. Dau.
Therefore, she researched and experimented many times to create her own recipe for beef noodle soup with red wine sauce. In the early days, beef noodle soup with red wine sauce did not sell as well as other dishes on the menu such as rare beef noodle soup, rare well-done beef noodle soup, and flank steak. Over time, thanks to its familiar yet strange flavor, along with its eye-catching appearance with the red-orange color of the red wine sauce, the dish was gradually accepted by many diners and has now become a consistent bestseller.
In the summer, the number of customers coming to the restaurant is less than in the winter, each day the restaurant sells about 30 - 40 kg of pho. Before opening, she has to wake up at 3 am to prepare the broth, boil the meat, and simmer the meat in red wine sauce. Of these, the most elaborate step is preparing the meat in red wine sauce.
The restaurant's beef in red wine sauce is "high-quality beef tendon and brisket, absolutely not the cheap, flabby meat of the past" according to Mrs. Dau. The tendon must be clear, the beef brisket must have little fat, cut into checkerboard pieces, marinated with spices and simmered for about an hour and a half with 100% beef bone broth. This way, when finished simmering, the meat does not shrink but still retains its original size, absorbs the sweetness of the bones and has a beautiful color.
When customers order, Mrs. Dau quickly tears the pho noodles into a bowl, adds beef in red wine sauce, sprinkles chopped green onions and coriander, then pours in the broth and serves the customers. "The meat in each bowl of red wine sauce is half flank, half tendon. The total weight of the meat is about two ounces (grams)," she said.
The first impression of the bowl of beef noodle soup at Mrs. Dau's restaurant is the striking and eye-catching color. The orange-red color of the beef brisket and tendons almost covers the entire surface of the bowl. Using chopsticks to pick up the noodles at the bottom, the original white color of the noodles has been dyed a light orange by the wine sauce.
Looking at the bowl of pho filled with meat, diners find it hard to resist tasting it. The beef brisket is tender but not mushy and still has a slight chewiness. The beef tendon is tender but not too crispy, even people with weak teeth can eat it. Apart from the aroma of cinnamon, star anise, cardamom permeating the meat and the orange-red color, the flavor of the bowl of beef stew pho is similar to other types of pho.
Mr. Hoang, a customer, said he has been eating at the restaurant since Mrs. Dau's daughter (Ms. Huong, 36 years old) was just over ten years old. "I have eaten at many pho restaurants in Hanoi, including famous ones, but I still prefer the rustic, simple taste of street pho restaurants. I order a dish every day to change the taste, but the beef pho with red wine sauce looks the most appealing," he said.
Photo 6: Mr. Hoang (left of photo) is a long-time regular customer of the restaurant.
In addition to long-time customers like Mr. Hoang, Ms. Dau said that there are also tourists and foreign visitors to the restaurant, but the number of visitors has decreased in recent years. She remembers most clearly the time when a male European tourist, after enjoying the beef pho with red wine sauce, came to say "Thank you" for the delicious food and the friendliness and enthusiasm of the restaurant owner and staff.
In addition to beef pho with red wine sauce priced at 50,000 VND per bowl, the restaurant also sells other types of pho such as rare beef pho, rare rolled pho for 40,000 VND; full bowl (including meat) for 60,000 VND. Side dishes include poached eggs for 8,000 VND each and fried breadsticks for 5,000 VND for three.
In addition to Mrs. Dau and her daughter, Ms. Huong, the restaurant has two waiters and waitresses, so the service is quite fast, even during peak hours, customers do not have to wait too long. Although the sidewalk area has fans, it lacks a roof, so it can be exposed to the sun after 8am. The amount of meat and pho in a bowl is quite a lot, so those who eat little or women should adjust the amount with the restaurant owner to avoid wasting food.
Article and photos: Quynh Mai
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