Taste that has ˜em coming back for more
For any meal of the day or even a nightcap, claim a table at Ha Noi Pho, a longtime favourite among locals. Le Lan Huong reports between bites.
Ha Noi Pho Cafe follows a simple formula: high-quality ingredients, low prices and careful attention to detail. If the cafe packed tables are any indication, the formula works like a charm.
Of course, there are other factors in the equation. One is the cafe beautiful decor. Fresh, stylish decorations use glass and high-energy colours to liven up the atmosphere. The expansive windows create optimum space and entertainment for people watchers. Personally, I go for a window seat on the second floor for a bird eye view of people hustling up and down Tran Nhan Tong Street.
If you dont like the look of the place now, wait six months and check it out again. Ha Noi Pho owners change the appearance of the cafe interior twice a year with new tablecloths and chair covers.
Another key to Ha Noi Pho success is the breadth of the cafe menu. The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with prices lower than many other cafes comparable in scale.
The breakfast offerings include about 10 dishes, ranging from VND15,000-18,000 per dish. Most are variations of classics, including pho bo cay Ha Noi pho (spicy rice noodle soup with beef) and duoi bo sot vang va banh mi (cow tail ragout and bread). While traditional visions of pho include crusty tableware and slabs of beef hanging near the door, one breakfast bowl of pho bo cay will have you craving the fancier side of Vietnamese cuisine.
The cafe breakfast can be topped off with coffee, priced at VND12,000-26,000. Go with the standard hot or iced coffee with milk or jazz it up with ice cream or rum.
Ha Noi Pho drink list features 28 varieties of fresh fruit milk shake, priced from VND18,000-40,000, and 22 different alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. My favourite Ha Noi Pho cocktail despite its odd name is Laughing at the Waves, a blend of vodka, dry vermouth and campari, priced at VND30,000.
For a quick bite at lunch time, Ha Noi Pho is a safe bet, with about 20 lunch options, ranging in price from VND29,000 to VND39,000. Whenever I have lunch at Ha Noi Pho, I opt for com rang dui ga quay rut xuong (fried rice with boneless roasted chicken leg, VND33,000). The crisp, roasted skin is complemented with fresh veggies and a bowl of soup for a wide range of textures in one meal.
Other popular choices are vit quay rut xuong sot mang (boneless roasted duck with fresh bamboo sauce) and com tom sot cay hoac chua ngot (sauteed shrimp with spicy and sour or sweet and sour sauce, served with steamed rice). All of Ha Noi Pho dishes are served with boneless meat or poultry and shelled shrimp.
Perhaps the key to Ha Noi Pho longevity eight years running is the cafe consistent effort to improve its menu. Ha Noi Pho manager Pham Xuan Tien explained that he alters the menu each month by determining which three dishes were the least popular and replacing them with new ones.
High standards are maintained through a reimbursement system: if a dish or drink fails to satisfy a customer, the cook or bartender behind it must cover the customer charges.
"This is one of our secrets to having the 70 tables on Ha Noi Pho 750sq.m area full every Saturday and Sunday night," Tien said.
Tien also found a way to cater to music lovers with live performances every night from 8.30pm to 10.30pm on the cafe first floor. If youre hurtin for a specific tune that a piano or violin can handle, song requests from patrons are usually met.
Anyone seeking out a hotter music scene can climb the stairs to enjoy live flamenco music on the second floor, performed by the cafe own artists.
And with the cafe continual rise in popularity, it must be all the little things that make the grand difference.
Ha Noi Pho Cafe
Address: 50B Tran Nhan Tong St, Hai Ba Trung District, Ha Noi
Phone: (04) 943-8890
Hours: 6am to 11pm
Prices: VND12,000-40,000
Comment: Reasonable prices, nice decor, delicious foods and drinks
Source VNS