Pho Mai restaurant, nestled deep in alley 40 Nha Chung (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi), is a bustling place. During peak hours, customers may have to wait in long lines to enjoy the unique chicken pho dish.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, the restaurant owner, said: “I also accidentally thought of this dish when I was sick. I just thought of making this dish for fun, but when I made it for everyone to enjoy, everyone liked it and praised it as delicious. Every day I use about 30 - 40 kg of pho noodles and about 30 chickens to make chicken pho with dipping sauce.”
The owner also said that she has been selling this chicken pho dish for about 37 years. The chicken used is Vietnamese free-range chicken, with thin, crispy skin and no fat.
A serving of chicken pho will include sliced pho noodles, shredded boiled chicken sprinkled with shredded lemongrass leaves, a bowl of dipping sauce, raw vegetables and a bowl of bamboo shoot soup.
The restaurant serves a variety of side dishes with pho such as thigh, drumstick, breast... In addition, the restaurant also serves mixed chicken pho, chicken pho in broth and beef pho... Among them, the most popular dish is still chicken pho with dipping sauce. The price of chicken pho with dipping sauce ranges from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/serving.
Ms. Doan Thi Mai Anh (Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi) - a regular customer who visits the restaurant at lunchtime to enjoy chicken pho with dipping sauce.
“This restaurant is very crowded, customers often don’t have enough seats so they often line up outside to wait for a table. There was a day when I had to wait 15 minutes to get a seat. However, waiting to enjoy the chicken pho dipping sauce is worth it, because the food is delicious and unique. The chicken is very firm,” Mai Anh shared.
Ms. Le Thi Thu (Ba Dinh, Hanoi) experienced the chicken pho with dipping sauce for the first time at the restaurant. “I have eaten chicken pho with broth many times, but this is the first time I have heard of chicken pho with dipping sauce. That is why I took the opportunity to come here today to try it. The chicken is quite firm with soft and chewy pho, the dipping sauce is rich and the bamboo shoot soup is also delicious,” she said.
The restaurant is usually open from Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 1pm, but due to the large number of customers, the restaurant may close early. Customers who want to enjoy pho ga dipping sauce should come early.
