NAM DINH – Pho has been passed down for three generations and is a familiar breakfast address for many years of Thanh Nam people.
One of the dishes that visitors should not miss when coming to Nam Dinh is beef pho, which is included in the list of Top 100 Vietnamese specialties in 2021. Going to the center of Nam Dinh city, asking for a long-standing noodle shop, locals only come to Mr. Tang’s pho shop with the introduction of “Pho restaurant dating from the subsidy period”.
Arriving at the shop at about 8am, Mrs. Ha, the current owner, is busy making hot bowls of pho to serve customers. Mrs. Ha said that she is the granddaughter of Mr. Tang and is the third generation to take over the shop after her mother. She said: “My great-grandfather (Mr. Tang) started selling beef noodle soup in 1947, during the war against the French. At that time, his house was at 92 Hang Tien, the shop was just a small shop. Only moved to 1968. on number 21, so far it’s 23 Hang Tien”.
The shop is open for sale at two times, in the morning from 6 am to 9 am, in the afternoon from 16 pm to 18 pm. Outside, the area of about 18 m2, is where the owner of the restaurant prepares pho. There are two tables arranged on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Ha’s stall and four tables in the house behind the counter. Going into the small alley on the right is about three small booths, each space can arrange about 4 stainless steel tables of 1.2 m type to serve customers eating pho.
The restaurant’s menu includes three main dishes: rare or cooked beef noodle soup, pan-fried and wine sauce. The price ranges from 40,000 to 60,000 VND per bowl depending on the type.
A bowl of beef noodle soup at Mr. Tang’s restaurant includes noodle soup, beef and broth. However, the way to prepare Nam Dinh beef noodle soup has some differences with Hanoi beef noodle soup. The beef noodle soup broth at Uncle Tung restaurant is simmered from bone marrow, ox tail bone and pork bone. The shop does not use cardamom, cinnamon, and anise, but only adds grilled ginger and fried onions. After simmering for the specified time, the bones are removed to avoid clouding the broth.
For rare or cooked pho, the beef is also thinly sliced like Hanoi beef noodle soup. Slices of meat are smashed, minced but not too fine, blanched and then put in a bowl, adding broth. Thanks to this, the beef retains its freshness and nutrients inside.
Ms. Ha said that the most popular dish by diners is pan-fried beef noodle soup. Pan-fried beef noodle soup is similar to Hanoi beef noodle soup, but in Nam Dinh, beef is stir-fried with vegetables, tomatoes, celery, onions, adding dong powder to create a paste. Ladle a ladle full of beef onto the pre-baked pho noodles in a bowl, add a little stir-fry sauce and add broth to complete the restaurant’s famous pan-fried beef noodle soup.
For beef pho with wine sauce, the meat used is mainly encrusted with beef from the breast, shoulder, and neck of beef. After soaking in brine, the meat is boiled and then washed with clean water, then cut into chunks to marinate spices. The marinated meat is thoroughly stir-fried, then the pho broth is simmered. In addition to tomatoes and pho broth, the shop does not give cinnamon, anise, cardamom, cashew oil or gac oil to create color. Therefore, the meat does not have a beautiful red color but is soft and absorbs the sweetness from the broth.
Just looking at it, the broth of Nam Dinh beef noodle soup is not as clear as Hanoi beef noodle soup because it is sprinkled with beef stir-fry sauce. When tasting, the pho broth is sweet, simple, and somewhat paler than Hanoi beef noodle soup. The restaurant has ready-made spices such as soup powder, fish sauce, garlic vinegar, pepper, chili on each table for diners to add, taste and enhance the taste. Nam Dinh noodle soup is similar to regular noodle but thinner, softer and more flexible, blended with smooth and silky broth, easy to swallow. The beef is tender and sweet without being chewy due to overcooking or being mushy because raw meat is not fresh for a long time. Overall, the amount of beef in a bowl of pho is as much as rice noodle soup, which is suitable for the price.
Ms. Lan (67), a local who lives near the restaurant, shared that she has been eating pho here since she was a teenager (about the 70s), when Mr. Tang was still selling. “The first thing to do when eating pho is to taste the broth, you will clearly see the sweetness of the bones, not from the main noodles. For decades of eating here, the taste of the beef noodle soup with wine sauce I like the most has remained unchanged.” Ms. Lan said. Not only Mrs. Lan, her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren accompanying her are all regular customers of the restaurant.
Living in the center of Nam Dinh city, now studying at a university in Hanoi, Pham Van Duy (19 years old, Nam Dinh) said that he is still not used to eating rare beef noodle soup in Hanoi. “In my hometown, beef has a very characteristic, strong and pungent taste because it is fresh meat that has just been cut. So I am not familiar with beef dipped in Hanoi beef noodle soup. Nam Dinh beef noodle soup with fatty and sweet broth. mixed with beef stir-fry, so it’s very rich,” Duy said.
At breakfast time, guests fill all spaces in the alley.
Noodle Soup with eye-catching colors and lots of beef
Rare Pho.
Pan-fried beef noodle soup.
At breakfast time, guests fill all spaces in the alley.
Noodle Soup with eye-catching colors and lots of beef
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Mrs. Ha is still keeping the traditional recipe left by Mr. Thanks to that, over the years, the number of visitors to the restaurant has continuously increased. Foreign visitors have both new arrivals and returning customers. On average, the shop sells 500-600 bowls per day, and can be up to 700-800 bowls on weekends.
However, due to the large number of customers, the owner of the restaurant is not attentive to serve and communicate with customers. The front of the restaurant is quite cramped due to the arrangement of tables on the sidewalk, making it inconvenient to order and pay. The entrance in the alley is about 0.5 m, small and narrow, restricting the movement of guests and the staff serving customers.
For those who do not have the conditions to return to Nam Dinh, diners can go to the second establishment of the restaurant at 57 Van Cao (Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) to enjoy beef noodle soup with Mr. Tang’s heirloom.
Photo: Internet (Vinlove.net)