The story of the shop owner standing at the counter from morning to night

As the third generation to inherit the family pho restaurant, Ms. Tran Thi Phuc Thinh, the owner, shared the reason why she always stands at the counter making dishes from morning to night without letting anyone replace her.

"Michelin revives my pho restaurant!"

Accordingly, Ms. Thinh's family's pho restaurant was named by Michelin Guide in the Bib Gourmand category for the second year, with the following comment:

"This simple eatery has been proudly serving traditional Vietnamese pho since 1958. The menu consists of just two dishes: chicken pho and beef pho. Feel free to add ingredients like chicken skin, egg yolk, beef brisket and beef tendon. The broth is clear, rich and has a harmonious sweetness."

Quán 'phở Michelin' ở TP.HCM mở từ năm 1958: Chuyện chủ quán đứng quầy từ sáng tới tối- Ảnh 1. — Ms. Thinh inherits her family's traditional pho restaurant.

On a weekend morning, we stopped by the aforementioned pho restaurant, located at a prime location on Vo Thi Sau Street (District 3). Ms. Thinh was busy preparing dishes for the customers who continuously came to enjoy the restaurant.

Confiding to the reporter, the owner said that since receiving Michelin recognition last year, the restaurant's business has become more favorable, the restaurant welcomes more customers, especially foreign customers.

"Normally, my restaurant is only crowded on weekends, but for the past year, customers have been coming to visit almost every day of the week. Thanks to Michelin, not only new customers but also many old customers have come back to support the restaurant. Michelin has revived my family's pho restaurant!", Ms. Thinh expressed.

The reason she said that was because there was a short period when she inherited the restaurant from her mother, many regular customers "turned their backs" on the restaurant when the pho tasted no longer the same as before. From that concern, she spent a lot of time and effort to find the old pho taste of the restaurant from her grandparents' time, by reviewing the recipe and adjusting the ingredients. Now, she is proud to have found the pho taste of the past, which is highly appreciated by diners.

Quán 'phở Michelin' ở TP.HCM mở từ năm 1958: Chuyện chủ quán đứng quầy từ sáng tới tối- Ảnh 2. — Customers visit the shop continuously

Quán 'phở Michelin' ở TP.HCM mở từ năm 1958: Chuyện chủ quán đứng quầy từ sáng tới tối- Ảnh 3.

Quán 'phở Michelin' ở TP.HCM mở từ năm 1958: Chuyện chủ quán đứng quầy từ sáng tới tối- Ảnh 4.

Famous beef and chicken pho at Huong Binh restaurant

According to the owner, the pho restaurant was opened by her grandmother, Doan Thi Ran (deceased) in 1958, when many pho restaurants were located next to each other on this street. Her family both sold motorbike and bicycle spare parts and sold pho. Later, when her husband was old, they focused entirely on running the restaurant, when they received a lot of support from customers.

To date, the pho restaurant has been passed down to the third generation, from her grandparents to her parents, and then to her siblings. As the only daughter in a family of four siblings, Ms. Thinh inherited her family's pho restaurant and devoted much of her heart to the restaurant built by her grandparents and parents.

Why is the owner always at the counter making food?

At noon, the pho restaurant welcomed a large group of customers. One of the customers said that he had been eating pho at this restaurant for over 20 years. Because he liked the taste of pho at the restaurant, especially the broth, he often came to eat and invited his relatives.

Meanwhile, Mr. Quang Nhat (27 years old), who came to the pho restaurant alone, said that this was his first time here, after following the Michelin list. On the way here today, he ordered a portion of chicken pho to try.

"The pho really suits my taste, the chicken is fresh and delicious, retains moisture, is chewy and soft. The most valuable thing in a bowl of pho is the harmonious broth, light taste, moderate sweetness, suitable for my taste. The pho noodles here are also unique. Because I work in District 3, I will often come here to eat," the customer expressed.

Quán 'phở Michelin' ở TP.HCM mở từ năm 1958: Chuyện chủ quán đứng quầy từ sáng tới tối- Ảnh 5. — Ms. Thinh is always at the counter serving customers.

[CLIP]: "Michelin Pho" restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City opened in 1958

Coming to the restaurant, many people will see the owner constantly at the counter area, next to the broth pot from morning to late at night to prepare dishes for customers instead of letting the staff take over. Talking about this, Ms. Thinh expressed that many customers who came to eat before commented that the pho dishes between her and the ones made by her assistants tasted different.

"Since then, I've always been the one standing at the counter preparing food for customers, while everyone else helps with serving, ordering, preparing vegetables... When I make a new dish, it has the exact pho flavor that regular customers want," she said.

Since the age of 13, she has started helping her family with business, and the restaurant is a special childhood memory for Ms. Thinh. Every day, she still diligently brings her dedicated pho dishes, passed down through many generations of her family, to customers who come to the restaurant to support her...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-pho-michelin-o-tphcm-mo-tu-nam-1958-chuyen-chu-quan-dung-quay-tu-sang-toi-toi-185240623141009651.htm