Half-Northern, half-Southern Pho in a famous alley in Hanoi, crowded for 45 years

11am-12:30pm, in Dong Xuan alley (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) - known as a cheap food paradise - there is a very crowded pho restaurant, as soon as one group of customers stands up, another group of customers will sit down to take their place.

At each turn, the restaurant welcomes 10 diners, sitting close together around the counter. Outside, many people wait to buy takeout or hold bowls of pho and sit at the tea shop opposite. The owner quickly slices meat, blanches noodles and bean sprouts, and mixes the "divine" broth.

The pho here is not the usual beef pho, chicken pho or the famous pho cuon or fried pho of Hanoi , but is called pho tiu. In fact, this is a type of mixed pho with enough sourness, sweetness, and richness, but not many places in Hanoi have it.

Pho tiu is a strange version of pho that is loved by many diners. Photo: Huy Nguyen

"Many years ago, my mother-in-law had the opportunity to go to the South to enjoy Hu Tieu. She loved Hu Tieu Xa Xiu, and also loved the flavor of Lang Son sour pho.

Being skillful and passionate about cooking, she came up with the idea of ​​combining two specialties from the North and South to create a new dish, named 'Pho Tiu'", shared Ms. Le Kim Dung, the current owner of the restaurant, the eldest daughter-in-law of Ms. Phuong - the person who "gave birth" to the famous Pho Tiu dish in Dong Xuan alley since 1980.

Customers packed Dung's pho tiu stall. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Forty-five years ago, Mrs. Phuong and her husband’s small pho stall was crowded with customers. In 2001, Mrs. Phuong passed away, and her husband personally cooked pho tiu and assigned the job to an adopted son.

In 2014, Dung and her husband took over the stall in Dong Xuan alley, selling pho tiu from 7:30 am to 5 pm every day. Dung's brother-in-law sells pho tiu from 6 pm to 11 pm every day at the extended family's house in Hang Chieu.

Ms. Dung - current owner of Pho Tieu restaurant. Photo: Huy Nguyen

"My father taught his children very carefully, requiring them to preserve the traditional flavor. Thanks to the secret passed down by their parents, both establishments are crowded with customers. My stall is usually sold out by 2-3pm, while my brother-in-law's stall is so crowded that it sometimes closes after 3 hours of opening. The recipe is not passed on to the outside world, even though many people have come to learn it," said Dung.

The ingredients in a bowl of pho tiu are simple, with fewer ingredients than Lang Son sour pho. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Pho tiu consists of simple ingredients: Pho noodles are blanched in boiling water, add char siu pork, blanched bean sprouts, fried onions, roasted peanuts, herbs (cilantro, basil), and raw vegetables to eat with. The difference is that the pho broth is cooked and mixed according to a traditional recipe, sour - sweet - rich - fatty and thick, mixed with the ingredients.

According to Ms. Dung, the main ingredients of the dressing are meat and pork bone broth. The dressing is made from 3 different sauces, kept in a separate pot, with garlic vinegar (or garlic-free vinegar, depending on the customer's preference) added.

The sauces are kept separately. Dung mixes the sauces as customers order. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Although it is a mixed pho dish, the bowl of pho is still warm when served. Diners just need to mix the ingredients with the sauce, like eating a salad, then can add some chili and a few drops of kumquat for a stronger flavor.

The sauce is smooth, with a harmonious balance of sweet and sour flavors, very "appetizing". The char siu is soft and sweet, not dry or tough, making the dish even more flavorful.

The char siu at the restaurant is made from pork shoulder and thigh. Every afternoon, Dung’s husband imports fresh meat, processes it, boils it, and marinates it with simple spices, adding a little annatto to give the meat a nice color before roasting it.

After cooling, the char siu is kept in the refrigerator to firm up the meat, and the meat broth is kept to make the pho sauce.

“When I bring the meat to the counter, I put it in an ice box to make sure it doesn’t spoil. I don’t marinate the meat with basil or other strong-smelling spices because they won’t go well with the dressing. I slice it as customers order so the meat doesn’t dry out or get tough,” Dung shared.

All the char siu are homemade. Photo: Huy Nguyen

The pho noodles are specially ordered from a familiar establishment for decades. These noodles are small but soft, chewy, not sticky or broken. The fried onions, roasted peanuts, and chili peppers are all carefully selected by Dung's family.

Each bowl of pho at the restaurant costs 40,000-50,000 VND, depending on the amount of meat. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Ms. Thi (66 years old, Hai Phong ) is a small trader, often coming to Dong Xuan market to do business. Since the 80s, she has been a regular customer of this pho tiu stall. Ms. Thi always remembers that Ms. Phuong, the owner, is a very beautiful, gentle, and customer-friendly Hanoi woman. Her pho tiu is unique in the alley, always crowded and bustling.

"I no longer do business, but whenever I go to Hanoi, I always have to go back to Dong Xuan alley to find pho tiu - a dish that is delicious, refreshing, and not boring. Once, I took a friend there but the restaurant was out of stock. I had to try another restaurant but couldn't find the same flavor as here," Ms. Thi shared.

Mrs. Thi has loved pho tiu here for more than 40 years. Photo: Huy Nguyen

To enter the restaurant, diners can go from the beginning of Hang Chieu Street to Dong Xuan Alley. The pho tiu stall is located about 7-8 stalls from the beginning of the alley. Visitors should park their vehicles outside and walk inside because the alley is small, the stalls are close together and crowded, making it difficult to move around or find a parking space.

Pho restaurant located in crowded Dong Xuan alley. Photo: Huy Nguyen

2 Michelin pho restaurants in Hanoi are located 24m apart, both are packed with customers . Located on Hang Vai Street (Hang Bo Ward, Hoan Kiem District, now Hoan Kiem Ward), Pho Lam and Pho Khoi Hoi are both named in the Bib Gourmand list (delicious, cheap restaurant) of Michelin Guide.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-pho-nua-nam-nua-bac-o-ngo-noi-tieng-ha-noi-tieng-ha-noi-45-nam-dong-khach-2448877.html