Famous Pho

Pho Bo is beef noodle soup. This version above was had at the famous noodle house at 13 Lo Duc Street, a mere 10,000VND xe om trip from the old quarter. I'm always dubious of famous pho establishments for a few reasons. For starters, what if the experience doesn't live up to the recommendations? What if aloofness is the prevailing attitude upon entry? What if it's so darn popular that the proprietors don't care if you're there or not, won't show you where to park, bark about paying up before you've scanned the scene for a spare seat and make you wait a good ten minutes for your fill (a ten-minute wait being seriously an hour in a pho cave)? What if the soup's, god forbid, crap?

Would the skeptic in me be quelled on these counts?

On all but one, the most important.

The soup is pretty good.

The kitchen is front of house, assembly line and bubbling cauldron activity frenetic enough without the added calculations of the 'buy before try' check in procedure. In any five second interval, the proprietress on shift was tearing dangling noodles from bowls' edges, digging a steaming meat portion out of a bamboo basket with a saucer, doing a herb scatter and a broth pour and, first but not least, whipping dong out of the patrons hands. Multi-skilled yet eternally frowned. I would pick my moment before requesting anything out of the ordinary from this formidable woman.

Not that it's possible. It's one pho fits all here. The broth is all beef, meaty flecks afloat on clear liquid, a tad salty for my tastes. The kitchen is testament to the scientific research project that is pho stock preparation, with every member of the Pot family in residence, and it makes my attempt a few weeks back a *ha ha* laughing stock! The slivers of beef in the bowl have been briefly stirfried, not done rare as in other pho joints nor is there any chin (slices of corned beef) on offer. Condiment offerings here are heavy on the chili, light on the lime.

That's the beauty of pho in Vietnam, the variation from one shack to the next, one city to another.

Everyone has their favourites, right?

This is not mine. But I wouldn't rule out a return visit.

Famous Pho Dough

Two bowls - 20,000VND (payable on admission)

Pho Thin
13 Lo Duc St
Hai Ba Trung District
Hanoi

Comments

[Graham Holliday]

Finally... Always throw an egg in too. I tried a lot of pho in Hanoi and TBH I found it disappointing. Actually, I found it crap. Saigon was a revelation on that front. But, I do have a soft spot for Lo Duc and a few other joints in the area.

[Sticky]

I have found some good ones and I'm sure there must be plenty out there. I reckon it wouldn't matter how many I tried, I'd still only be scratching the pho surface. I must say I do like the herb extravaganza of the pho experience in the south.

[pieman]

Yes, it's bit greenfree in the north. A bit of a brubbier experience too. After four years in Hanoi I went to a Pho resto in Saigon and I remember being shocked that the place was clean, no shit on the floor and no SHOUTING.

Have you found the Pho Map to Hanoi? I believe there are 80 listed. I've always thought a dedicated blog that covers the map (and more) would be a great, if challenging, thing to do. I've also considered blogging a 'pho month'. A different Pho every day for one month. Just not sure I'm a big enough fan to muster up the stamina. You?

[Sticky]

One a week for six months might be more realistic for me. I'll do some investigating about the pho map. I've got other documents about a range of dishes but nothing devoted to pho alone.

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