The owner is a "fan" of pho.
One day, a friend introduced me to a pho restaurant that makes handmade noodles on Tran Quoc Toan Street (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City). I was interested in finding and chatting with the owner - Mr. Le Van Truong (48 years old).
Mr. Truong opened a pho restaurant 6 years ago.
My first impression when entering the restaurant, which is about 300 square meters wide, was that it was quite airy and clean. At 9 a.m., there were many customers coming and going. Some ordered regular bowls, others ordered stone pot pho. Inside, the staff was busy, some making pho noodles, some cutting noodles in neat rows. The atmosphere was quite bustling.
Mr. Truong shared that he moved from Phu Tho to Ho Chi Minh City to live for more than 20 years. He likes to eat pho and considers himself a "pho fanatic". In the past, his family occasionally cooked pho, making pho noodles by hand like making rice rolls.
Pho noodle drying shop staff
"I learned how to make pho noodles myself to check the quality, doing it manually. The steps such as selecting rice, grinding rice, and making noodles are all done the traditional way," said Mr. Truong.
Pho noodles are dried for a short time.
Mr. Truong's restaurant is called Pho Viet Nam. "Why is it called that?", I asked. "I want to target all customers from all regions. On the table, I use spices from all regions. Northerners can eat chili sauce, Southerners use black sauce and garlic, and people from the Central region have onions and vinegar. The restaurant has regional flavors, customers can choose according to their taste," the owner explained.
Pho noodle cutting process
This pho restaurant is open from 6am to 10pm. One of the restaurant's specialties is stone pot pho. "Whether it's raining or sunny, pho must still be eaten hot. I use stone or Bat Trang ceramic pots to hold the pho to keep it warm for a long time. When I directly light the pot, the temperature inside is about 200 degrees Celsius. Each portion has pho noodles, beef shank, beef ribs, beef brisket, oxtail... if customers eat it well-cooked, they can leave it for a long time to enjoy it in their own way, " said Mr. Truong.
Handmade pho noodle shop
Guests experience making pho noodles.
When coming to Pho Viet Nam restaurant, customers can witness the process of making pho noodles. From spreading, drying, to slicing the noodles, all are done directly by the staff at the restaurant. Customers who want to try making their own noodles are always welcomed by the owner and staff.
After drying, the pho will be sliced.
"Many places buy ready-made rice noodles outside or make them by machine, but I still make them the traditional way. This step is hard work, but I control the quality from the moment I select the rice. The rice noodles are made 100% from rice flour, without additives or preservatives. I do it this way so that customers know how to make rice noodles. People can make several hundred kilograms of rice noodles in an hour by machine, but by hand, they can only make about 10-20 kilograms of rice," he said.
Pho noodles are cut evenly.
I tried a bowl of pho at the restaurant. The noodles were soft and chewy, with a fragrant rice aroma, the pho broth was hot and sweet, and the beef was tender and delicious. All of these blended together to stimulate the taste buds of the diners.
Soft and fresh pho noodles
"After more than 6 years of opening the restaurant, I am happy to have customers' support. There are customers who come every morning, foreign customers who are curious to experience making pho noodles, and go into the kitchen to cut the noodles themselves. Although it is hard work, customers trust me, my staff and I always try our best to satisfy them," the owner confided.
Pre-sliced beef
Ms. Dang Thuy Trang (25 years old, living in District 3) said that the pho here is delicious, the noodles are soft. "I moved from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to live and work. Pho is a dish I eat regularly. Seeing the staff make the noodles themselves, I feel secure so I come back to the restaurant whenever it's convenient or I crave pho."
Pho at Mr. Truong's restaurant costs from 60,000 - 100,000 VND/bowl.
Stone Pot Pho
Meat and noodles are ordered separately outside.
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