The shop keeps the traditional Northern taste, different from most pho restaurants in Saigon, but still attracts customers.

In Saigon, you can come across many different versions of pho from many localities across the country. Many of them have “joined the custom” when adding bean sprouts and black sauce to satisfy southern diners’ taste. However, there are still many restaurants that insist on keeping the traditional flavor of Pho Bac. Phu Gia restaurant on Ly Chinh Thang street, district 3 is a typical example.

The shop has many different spaces adjacent, especially the main selling place has about 8 tables that are always full of customers, in front is the kitchen area, a pot of fragrant broth. If you come early in the morning, you will see in front of the restaurant a pan of hot oil, non-aged garlic with a large fire to stir-fry beef, the flame is high and the aroma spreads to attract the attention of passersby.

The shop sells pho encrusted, bucket, ve… prices from 70,000 VND per bowl, the most famous one is the re-rolled noodle soup, which is the “nail” dish of the shop, priced from 75,000 to 90,000 VND a special bowl. Nguyen Xuan Chinh, the owner of the pho restaurant, said the shop has been open for more than 20 years since his parents’ time, and now he has taken over.

“Red-rolled beef noodle soup with the main ingredient is soft beef that is lightly fried and then added with rice noodles, rich in a rich, rich broth, very popular with diners”, Mr. Chinh shared and said that the shop has been selling for many years now. such way. The bowl of pho doesn’t have herbs or cilantro like other places. The seasoning is only pickled garlic, chili lime and red sauce, crispy crackers. Whether customers eat pho encrusted, ask for more prices, the restaurant will bring it out to serve.

A bowl of pho at the shop is quite full, the noodle is soft, the fibers are flat, white, and have a chewy, smooth texture. On top, the bowl is covered with chopped scallions, onions and cilantro, and rare stir-fried beef. The broth still has a layer of fat, attractive and high in protein.

Tasting a spoonful of the broth, you will feel the rich taste, quite a bit of sweetness, mostly the aroma from the broth and stir-fried beef with garlic. Compared with the encrusted, bucket-shaped noodle soup, the rare-rolled pho has a stronger broth because the stir-fried beef has a little more spice in it. This dish adds a little lemon to make it more balanced or eat with crispy crackers. In addition, the stir-fried beef is soft, not chewy, and the green onion is also sweet, easy to eat and has no pungent smell.

Mr. Thanh Binh, a regular customer at the restaurant, said the price of the food is high but the quality is commensurate with it. “Without vegetables, I will focus on broth, noodle soup and beef, to feel more standard pho,” he shared. In the shop, there will be a fan open continuously, but the space is narrow, adding hot food, so sometimes it feels suffocating.

Guests who come to eat will pay an additional 4,000 VND for motorbike parking. The cost is not too high but many people feel uncomfortable. The shop sells from 6:30 to 11 am, the afternoon is reopened from 17 pm, the morning is the most crowded because people come to have breakfast before going to work.