The pho restaurant is located at 3 Tran Phu street, at the beginning of the road to Tong Duy Tan culinary area. Because the restaurant is located next to the train line, the name Pho Duong Tau was born from that moment. With a small area of just over 20 square meters, the restaurant serves customers from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every day.
The restaurant is owned by two sisters, Kim Cuc and Kim Oanh, originally from Nam Dinh. The owner said that she sells about 400 to 500 bowls a day. On busy days, she has to prepare the ingredients while selling, making customers wait for a long time.
Ms. Oanh shared: "In 1970, the restaurant was opened by my grandfather to sell Nam Dinh pho , mainly serving train passengers or working people who came to eat at night. In the past, this area was deserted and the shops were very sparse. My house is one of the first restaurants here so it is very crowded. After my grandfather passed away, my mother took over the business, and in 1998 it was my turn to sell."
While talking, Ms. Oanh's hands still quickly made hot, fragrant bowls of pho, making everyone passing by sniff and praise. The restaurant has been open since the subsidy period until now for several decades. Although there are many restaurants around, this night pho restaurant is always popular.
The menu here is mainly rare, cooked pho and beef stew with red wine. The beef chosen by the shop owner at the wholesale market must be fresh and bright red. Sliced boiled beef, when customers order, just put it in a bowl, add some scallions, add hot broth and it's ready to serve.
The important thing is to cook the beef until it's cooked, still retains its softness, sweetness, and is not dry. The pot of stewed beef bone broth has a unique smell, and the beef marrow forms a layer of golden fat. Beef bones are stewed for many hours to produce a pot of quality broth - the most important part of creating a delicious bowl of pho.
The beef stew pho requires more elaborate preparation. The beef is cut into square pieces, seasoned with spices, stewed until tender, creating an attractive pot of beef stew, mixed with a thick red gac sauce that looks extremely eye-catching. The owner blanches the pho noodles, scoops the meat, then pours in the fragrant broth of fresh ginger, cardamom... and you have a bowl of beef stew pho, a signature dish of Pho Duong Tau.
The pho restaurant next to the train line makes an impression on diners with the image of a meat hook right next to the kitchen table. Late at night, when the city gradually falls asleep, people around here are used to the sound of jingling, the sound of people chatting along with the mouth-watering aroma that spreads around the night pho restaurant. Now the shop is not too different from before, just changing the old wooden tables and chairs into plastic tables and chairs for convenience.
The price of a bowl of rare pho or wine sauce is 50,000 VND, mixed is 70,000 VND. Serve pho with hot stir-fry and poached eggs depending on diners' taste. The shop owner is always cheerful and enthusiastic to serve, whether late at night or early in the morning. If anyone wants to have a more interesting experience, they can stop by the restaurant around 11:30 p.m. every day to eat pho and watch the night trains pass by.
