Pho roll Ngu Xa – Chinh Thang

In the past, Ngu Xa was a craft village with a popular bronze casting profession from the 15th century. But now, when mentioning Ngu Xa, people will immediately remember the noodle dish. There are dozens of pho restaurants here, but Chinh Thang restaurant is most famous for its history and original taste.

Summer food

Going back in time to a day in the summer of 2000, seeing her customers sweating over a hot bowl of pho (beef or chicken noodle soup), Ms. Vu Thi Chinh, owner of Chinh Thang restaurant, came up with the idea for a restaurant. a new dish of the restaurant, a dish for summer.

Then, she tried rolling pho, a piece of unsliced noodle soup with beef and herbs, and served with fish sauce, a typical Vietnamese dipping sauce. “My surprise was that my customers loved this dish,” she recalls, “since then, it has always been on my menu. Pho roll is similar to pho in terms of ingredients. But it's different in that, instead of a hot bowl of soup, pho rolls are served without broth, which is very suitable for summer."

Thanks to the delicious taste, the dish quickly won the hearts of diners and became their first choice when coming to her restaurant. The new dish helped her raise 3 boys and one of them inherited her restaurant. At the age of nearly 70, Chinh still rolls pho very quickly. She proudly said that she can roll ten pieces of pho rolls in just one minute.

The secret of the dipping sauce

If broth is the key to a traditional pho, then the dipping sauce is the secret to a good pho, according to Chinh. Each noodle shop in Ngu Xa has its own dipping sauce recipe and so does Chinh Thang restaurant. “The dipping sauce brings a lot of flavor and balance to the dish. Over the years of making pho rolls, I have adjusted my recipe many times until I have a sauce that has its own flavor and suits the taste of most diners,” Ms. Chinh shared her experience. .

In addition, the quality of ingredients such as pho noodles, beef and herbs is also important. They were purchased from loyal merchants who had been supplying the restaurant for a long time. To have a delicious pho roll, the noodle must not only be thin and soft to have the best taste, but not be crushed when rolled. The filling consists of beef, cut into small slices and sautéed in oil before being rolled with fresh herbs, especially coriander.

For more than two decades, the restaurant has welcomed hundreds of customers every day, both locals and foreign tourists.

In addition to pho rolls, Chinh Thang restaurant also serves other dishes that are later added to the menu that are loved by many people such as fried noodle soup, fried egg noodle or sour noodle soup.

Opening hours: daily, from 10:00 to 23:00

Price: 50,000 – 80,000 VND