Recently on social media, many young diners have introduced a “one-of-a-kind” pho from a small eatery on Ngo Thi Nham Street. Instead of blanching pho noodles as usual, the shop steams them in a bamboo steamer for about one minute (like banh bao-steamed bun), then combines them with fragrant stir-fried beef with burnt garlic, fried shallots, roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, and two types of sauce.

Opened two months ago, the eatery has drawn crowds. Nghiem Ngoc Anh, 44, the owner, said the dish is made following his grandmother’s recipe, a Chinese woman from Hong Kong. As a child, this was his favorite dish.

However, compared to the original recipe from his grandmother, Ngoc Anh has adjusted significantly to suit Vietnamese tastes.

“My grandmother’s version used many Chinese spices, so the smell was quite strong. When brought to Vietnam, the family reduced the spices so the dish is lighter and easier to eat but still keeps its character,” he said.

Before opening the shop, Ngoc Anh had more than 15 years in food business, having run a grilled pork rice shop and barbecue business.

“I’ve long wanted to open a steamed pho shop but didn’t have the chance. Later, an acquaintance happened to transfer the premises, so I started. Customer feedback is good and the number of customers is stable beyond my expectation,” he said.

Unusual preparation

The biggest difference of the dish lies in the pho noodles. Instead of using small-strand noodles, the shop uses wide noodle sheets, about three finger joints wide, but thin and soft. When a customer orders, the noodles are placed in a bamboo steamer and steamed for about one minute.

This method makes the noodles softer, smoother, and hot while still keeping their chewiness.

At the same time, Ngoc Anh prepares stir-fried beef with burnt garlic. He usually chooses beef shoulder, the cut with large grain and marbled fat, which becomes tender and rich when cooked just right.

The meat is not marinated for all-day use, but he seasons each small batch to avoid watery, less fresh meat. After frying garlic until golden and fragrant, the meat is quickly stir-fried over high heat, then bean sprouts are added.

While the noodle sheets create a difference in preparation, the sauce is considered the decisive factor for flavor.

The shop uses two sauces at once: sweet-and-sour fish sauce, mixed from fish sauce, sugar, MSG, pepper, vinegar, slightly sweet, and soy sauce, mixed from four different soy sauces, including both Vietnamese and Chinese soy sauce. 

When mixing for customers, the two sauces are combined at a ratio of about two parts fish sauce to one part soy sauce. According to Ngoc Anh, this combination keeps the dish light, and not as oily as some other mixed dishes.

The shop opens from 8:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:00. Prices are around VND50,000 per serving.

Each day, the shop owner sells about 100 servings, using 6 to 9kg of beef, and weekends are usually more crowded than weekdays.

However, the shop is only capable of serving eight to nine customers at the same time. If arriving during the lunchtime hour when delivery orders are heavy, diners might have to wait for a long time.

Noticing that the volume of customers is growing, the shop owner has rented an additional 100 square meters of premises next door to expand the seating area.

Vu Khac Dat, 33, along with his wife, visited the shop for the first time after seeing an introduction on TikTok.

"I find the flavor here distinct from many mixed pho shops I have eaten at before. The pho sheets are wider and softer, and the beef is stir-fried flavorfully. This dish reminds me of Southern beef vermicelli (Bun Bo Nam Bo), but the sauce has a unique taste. This can be a delicious dish on hot summer days," he said.

He said the downside of the shop is the rather long waiting time because the shop owner begins to prepare each step from scratch only after customers arrive.

Linh Trang - Nguyen Huy