A bowl of pho decorated with gold costs 4 million VND in the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City.

A restaurant in a skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City is serving pho priced at 4 million VND with expensive ingredients such as gold leaf, Wagyu beef, and truffle mushrooms.

Six years ago, a $100 (over 2 million VND) bowl of pho made headlines at a restaurant in Ton That Dam market, which was also the first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City to receive a Michelin star in June. That bowl of pho was considered the most expensive in Vietnam in 2017. However, this August, it has been surpassed by a bowl of pho priced at 4 million VND.

This is a new dish launched by the restaurant located on the 66th floor of an 81-story building in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. According to Le Trung, executive chef at the Autograph Collection hotel, the 4 million VND bowl of pho is an upgraded version of the "skyscraper pho" that has been served at the hotel restaurant for the past five years. Trung himself describes the pho as "sky-high" in both the literal and figurative sense, due to the use of premium ingredients including Wagyu beef, gold leaf, foie gras, truffle mushrooms, and braised pork ribs.

The tray of ingredients is placed next to the customer's table, and then the chef serves the meal at the table.

The beef is A5 grade, the highest grade when assessing the quality of Wagyu beef. The meat is thinly sliced into rectangular pieces, with abundant marbling, and when in contact with hot soup, it softens and "melts in your mouth like butter."

Next is truffle, or diamond mushroom, originating from Australia, selling for 45 million VND per kilogram. Each bowl of pho uses only about 10g of thinly sliced truffles. Regarding the reason for using truffles in pho, Mr. Trung explained that the mushrooms have a warm aroma with notes of earth, minerals, and wood. This aroma complements traditional pho ingredients like beef, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, creating a harmonious combination.

The highlight of the pho is the food-grade gold leaf, placed on the rim of the bowl. Mr. Trung explained that food-grade gold leaf is used by many chefs in famous restaurants around the world to garnish dishes. Finally, foie gras adds richness to the pho, and the pork ribs are simmered until tender in the broth, "the meat falls off easily when you gently lift it."

"During the creation of this bowl of pho, my colleagues and I, along with the culinary director, sat down to select high-quality ingredients that were both flavorful and retained the spirit of Vietnamese pho," said chef Le Trung.

The soul of Vietnamese pho in this upgraded version lies in the broth, which plays a crucial role in blending all the flavors of the ingredients. The chef maintains the traditional pho cooking method using beef bones, oxtail, brisket, and chicken bones, simmered for 48 hours, and using familiar spices including ginger, star anise, and cinnamon. The pho noodles are handmade. Serving a diverse clientele, the accompaniments include fresh fried dough sticks (quẩy), various herbs, garlic vinegar, Northern chili sauce, black bean sauce, and Southern chili sauce.

Jaron Guggenheim, Director of Food and Beverage at the hotel, said that this bowl of pho is a special dish, a tribute to traditional cuisine, and is not currently on the fixed menu; it is largely a performance. Instead of being served a steaming bowl of pho with broth, diners sit at their tables and watch the chef slice truffle mushrooms, garnish the bowl with gold leaf, and carefully arrange foie gras and beef on the rice noodles. When the hot broth is poured over the pho, the aroma of the ingredients spreads. The truffle fragrance is strong but does not overpower the familiar pho broth.

Ms. Luu Ngoc Thuy from Soc Trang said this was her first time trying pho at the restaurant on the 66th floor. Before arriving, she was unaware that the pho dish was trending on social media. Only after seeing the menu and noticing the restaurant's new pho dish with "many interesting ingredients" did she decide to try it.

Ms. Ngoc Thuy enjoyed pho for the first time in a skyscraper.

"The broth is light, sweet with bone flavor, and not greasy like some other bowls of pho I've tasted. I've eaten A5 wagyu beef in Japan and found the quality of the beef in this pho quite similar. The other ingredients also combine harmoniously," said Ms. Thuy.

The female diner, who described herself as having an open-minded view of food, agreed with the chef's innovative approach to pho. Furthermore, Ms. Thuy felt that the price of 4 million VND was "appropriate because the ingredients used are inherently expensive," and that diners received attentive service at their tables.

Mr. Guggenheim said that the bowl of pho has created a viral effect on social media since its launch. Despite differing opinions on upgrading the traditional pho dish, the number of new customers coming to the restaurant to enjoy the bowl of pho has exceeded expectations. Initially, the restaurant limited service to three bowls per day, but now the average daily sales have increased to 10 bowls.

"However, the 4 million dong pho is only served in August. Our restaurant's signature pho remains 'skyscraper pho,' without expensive ingredients like foie gras, gold leaf, truffles, and ribs," Mr. Guggenheim said.

Besides those who support and are curious about the expensive bowl of pho, many opinions suggest that pho should simply be "as it is" and "should not deviate from its traditional form." Ms. Thy Vân, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in recent days she has seen a lot of information about the expensive bowl of pho on social media. Due to the high price, she cannot afford to enjoy it.

"Personally, I don't like traditional dishes being altered, whether slightly or significantly. Pho is famous worldwide because of its simplicity and readily available ingredients. Although Wagyu beef is more tender and has higher nutritional value, it can't replicate the taste of the beef commonly used in traditional pho," Ms. Van said.

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