Pho Lam Beef is one of 5 new restaurants in Hanoi added to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list for good quality restaurants at reasonable prices.
Mr. Vu Bao Lam - the owner of the beef pho restaurant - said that he only knew that his restaurant was honored after relatives announced it late in the evening of the Michelin announcement date.
"My family was surprised and happy to know that the restaurant was mentioned in the media. That is a valuable recognition for long-time workers like us, said Mr. Lam.
Pho Lam beef restaurant is a family restaurant that has been operating for more than 30 years on Hang Vai street.
Mr. Lam's restaurant is also known as one of the few in Hanoi that specializes in serving beef core stew - a rare and expensive meat on the market.
According to Mr. Lam, the core is the inner meat of the beef, containing a lot of tendons, so it should be eaten crispy, sweet and not tough. To meet the needs of customers, the restaurant has to import meat from 5-6 different relatives around the old town.
Processing core meat also requires high techniques. When shed, the meat must be just cooked, keeping the light pink color attractive and ensuring natural sweetness.
Mr. Lam said that if the meat is not fresh enough, the bowl of rice will lose its characteristic flavor. Every day, the restaurant sells about ten cows, along with rare meats, crab, goose, tendon, etc.
The restaurant's broth is simmered for 14 to 16 hours with bones, grilled onions, cinnamon, salmon and some special spices. According to the owner, the broth recipe has not changed for many years to keep the flavor familiar to customers. The clear, clear, slightly fragrant water is clearly different from the rich and fatty cooking style of Nam Dinh pho.
The rice cake fiber has a small, slightly thick version, and when shredded, it still retains its softness and stability, not breaking.
Being listed in the Michelin food guide is an honor for restaurants and eateries around the world, sometimes some eateries take advantage of the opportunity to increase prices.
However, Mr. Lam affirmed that he has no intention of increasing pho prices after being named by Michelin.
"Up to now, although market prices have changed, my restaurant has kept the same selling price. We do not have any plans to adjust prices or expand the scale of operations, he shared.
The restaurant only opens in the morning, usually from around 6am until out of stock around 10am. On weekends, the number of visitors may be larger.
"We only focus on making good beef noodle soup as we have done for the past few decades. There are no plans to expand the menu or change the business model, he said.
