Pho Franchise

The Spot: Located on one of Hanoi's shadiest streets, at 37c Phan Dinh Phung, Pho 24 is one branch of a fast growing chain of noodle soup franchises. In Saigon, the distinctive green signage denotes a total of 21 branches, a presence which surely compares with McDonalds' in cities in the States or Downunder. This spot in Vietnam's capital is in amongst some quite chic cafes and boutiques but the real Hanoi is close at hand, in the form of monstrously noisy construction sites all around, a dinky one man photo-copy shop nearby and the archetypal ground level tea and fag seller at the front door.

Space and Atmosphere: Classy, almost minimalist, a far cry from the cluttered detritus of the average family pho show in Hanoi. The front area is partitioned glass serving station, adjacent to which is a counter for five or six punters not unlike a Japanese ramen bar. It's a step through a waste of space courtyard to the main dining area, which seats about 30. Lots of door opening and swishing of hands by the waiting staff, who outnumber the customers, lead me to my table. Shiny, simply designed square black timber tables and stools, white walls, red lanterns, nice paintings of herbs and kitchen utensils.

Shopfront Style: Glassy and green, with a touch of neon.

Sticks, Condiments and Crockery: All white, including the plastic chopsticks. Even the toothpicks are wrapped in trademark stamped white paper. Individual square platters of herbs (Asian basil, saw-leaf coriander), chili, lime, beanshoots and thinly sliced onion make this set up more like southern-style pho than Hanoi pho. One thing that really got my goat was the bloody trademark stamped paper placemat foisted upon me as I sat down. With nothing to weigh it down and half a dozen overhead fans buzzing about the ceiling, I spent my 'order to delivery gap' chasing the friggin' thing around the restaurant.

Serving Station: The cone-of-silence style, the chefs and their preps and pots like monkeys at the zoo.

Meat Generosity: The menu reads like an anatomical run down on the bovine; flanks, brisket, muscle, tendon, fat and tripe all hanging out. In my bowl, there's carefully weighed portions of beef and brisket, probably equivalent to the recommended daily intake for both protein and fat. Pho 24 servings are a precise science, as expected in such a franchise. 

Order to Delivery Gap: Enough time for me to run a marathon after my recalcitrant placemat. A tad longer than the industry average.

Stock Factor: When the plate of herbery arrived at the table and armed with the knowledge that Pho 24 started as a Saigon outfit, I was expecting a slightly sweet stock. Not so. I wonder if the ingredients are altered to cater for more purist Hanoi tastes?

Cost: Not surprisingly, the most expensive pho outing in the swoop, ranging between 24,000 and 35,000VND a bowl (USD$1.50 - 2.15, AUD$1.90 - 2.80).

Rank: Four of nineten.

Comments

[a viet ~]

Hahahaha... that's ONE classy pho place! Actually, the classiest pho place I've ever seen. When I get back to Vietnam I will go through your blog and visit every single restaurant that you've been to.

Cheers!

[a viet ~]

Hahahaha... that's ONE classy pho place! Actually, the classiest pho place I've ever seen. When I get back to Vietnam I will go through your blog and visit every single restaurant that you've been to.

Cheers!

[Rasa Malaysia]

Thanks a bunch for linking me. :)

[Henno]

Hey yeah that place looks really stylish for a pho joint. Got to your blog via expat-blog.com - you've got a really nice site and for a gastronome ex-pat like myself living in Vietnam (HCMC). Will be sure to visit the "recommended" spots when I come up to Hanoi for Tet!

[Tom Andrus]

I have to agree with you, not that great, in fact the worst Pho we have had in Vietnam. We are on a one year trip around the world and I have been looking forward to the food here, primarily because of you wonderful pictures and writing. We just got off a 3 day tour of HaLong Bay and I saw this shop near our hotel so we went. Our breakfast pho in the hotel was much better. We are going to spend the next 4-5 days in Hanoi and the next 2-4 weeks in Vietnam. I will look back at some of your posts for ideas but if you have any "must visit" suggestions we would love to follow them. Keep up the great site, I am a long time reader but first time commentor. Tom (http:/www.sixintheworld.com)

[m@t]

bias stated upfront - I live in Saigon and think Hanoi food in general is bland and boring. Remove all flavor and then call it 'standard'. OK, that said, I just had my first Pho24 Hanoi experience last week - and I agree with you. They dull the taste up there for Hanoian 'buds.

It lacked the spiciness in the broth that I am used to with their southern restaurants (where they have been very successful at setting up a unified chain of restaurants where you know what to expect food-wise).

I tend to agree with Graham at noodlepie on Pho24 down here, I wanted to hate the place on general principle when they started popping up all over town, but in the end they gave me a fine bowl of pho at a decent price (sure, I can get it for 7000 and sit on a stool sweating if I want to, but Im quite happy with 24000 and aircon).

My favorite pho by the way, is the grubby joint on Le Van Sy in HCMC's Phu Nhuan district. That place is fantastic...

[ourman]

I liked em. I was snotty about them at first when they opened and then I started to like the relative cool of the sites and the consistency of the pho.

Wish they had them here in Newcastle.

[Jay Houston]

I have an office in a building adjacent to the Pho 24 kitchens located at 67 Hai Ba Trung - where all the food for Pho 24 branches is prepared.

The food served in the branches is generally reheated food and therefore less than optimum.

Being able to view the kitchens has persuaded me never to eat at Pho 24 as the kitchens are overwhelmed with rats - who also infest adjacent buildings.

They do kill the rats periodically - the restaurant at 67 HBT uses air freshener to try to hide the smell of decomposing dead rat bodies.

Furthermore, the noodles shipped out to the branches are cooked THE EVENING BEFORE and left standing, in plastic bags, on shelving located on the second floor of the restaurant in the stair well.

Food preparation staff smoke whilst the food is cooked in the kitchen. Furthermore, the kitchen facilities are are used for washing clothes which is hung out to dry near the food area. I have pictures of these (many of rats) to prove my points.

Furthermore, prices at Pho 24 are generally well above average, too.

Pho 24 also supplies foodstuffs to smaller restaurants at a 10% discount according to invoices I have seen on the motorcycle food carriers that block the sidewalk.

If people want a FRESH cooked pho, in a decent setting, PHO 2000 offers a prepared whilst-you-wait selection, including vegetarian dishes, at LOWER prices than Pho 24.

In case anyone questions my interests please note I have NO interest in restaurants other than eating! Also I find the rats somewhat distracting as I work in my office and watch their antics on Pho 24's Hai Ba Trung facility.

The Pho 24 franchise in Hue has closed through lack of business which is a pity. It prepared all pho fresh as you ordered.

Jay Houston (Reisdent in VietNam)

[Kiwi]

I actually like Pho 24.. or maybe it's because i live in Saigon, and I greatly hate Hanoi's pho even tho people's been telling me how those are the real Pho.

Maybe i'm too biased. Hanoi food, with the overuse of bot ngot, always makes me feel unhealthy. I remember going to Hanoi when I was like 8 years old, had Pho Ga, could never finish it, got headache 5 minutes after that.

Plus staff here in Saigon aren't as... $&#(*&$ as those in Hanoi/from Hanoi. Annoys the hell out of me.

[Derek Chan]

Want to try something unconventional. Pho with clams. I was wondering with some friends along the street near the ben thanh market and bump into this eatery called Pho Ngheu Huong Thanh. Wow, pho with clams. Never heard of it before. Tried the spicy soup with clams and yes, yes. It taste really good and we like the clams fried with lemon grass and chilli and its not hot at all and goes so well with bread. Drank their signature beverage called this Green Ocean and mann, it was refreshing. Located at 276 Le Thanh Ton, district 1. HCMC.