I don’t write much pho reviews these days, but I can’t help but write this one on Phở Lú. It’s a funny name, but the pho is near heaven. We all have our own ways of describing our best pho experiences, and here is my own example of great and authentic pho.

Many well known pho chef and Viet culinary experts have said, I agree with them: It’s all in the pho broth.

So it happened at Pho Lu. A whiff of the bowl placed in front of me almost knocked me off my chair. It wasn’t bad, no, it was strangely yet familiarly great! I instantly knew that I was going to enjoy this. In fact I sat and stared at it for 5-10 seconds (I don’t remember.) So what’s the big deal? People eat great pho everyday. Well you can read many online reviews of pho at Pho Lu, but for me, the fragrance that entered my nostrils instantly brought back life I had in Saigon. No not recently, not even at Pho Hoa Pasteur that I raved much about recently. No it was my childhood. Pho as I remember it in Saigon before 1975!

My intuition told me I needed to pick up the spoon and try the broth immediately. All I can say is: it is what pho broth should be. So then on this rare occasion, I finished this huge bowl of pho without adding the hoisin sauce for pho and the red hot sauce. No I didn’t forget. I just didn’t need them. I normally only do this for authentic Pho Bac, the northern kind.

Here’s what I had and my ratings:

November 9, 2009
Pho tai, chin, sach (beef: rare, well-done brisket, tripe,) large size, and cà-phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk.)

Pho noodle: (5/5)
Soup stock: (5/5)
Meats: (5/5)
Garnishes*: (5/5) freshness
Garnishes: (5/5) extra points for fresh ngo gai
Price: (-1) for small extra charge for rare beef on the side
Extra points: (5/5) for clean dining area, very comfortable ambience, authentically friendly service
Total points: 29/35
* No points for expected garnishes of sprouts, Thai basil, lime and chiles.
For further explanation of my rating system, see the post “The Importance of Garnishes for Pho.”

Phở Lú
10141 Westminster Ave, Ste 5
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 539-7979

Phở Lú as seen from Westminster Ave. – just across from Pho Vie II!

View Larger Map

The coffee was great by the way. And as long as we’re talking great pho and great pho restaurant, why not take this poll and tell us your opinions if you haven’t already done so. Thanks!

What Is Great and Authentic Pho? Here’s One Example is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Here’s the second part of the YouTube video telling an important story about a great pho family in Vietnam. First the video itself, followed by my loose transcription. Time stamps in brackets [ ] match video timecodes for easy reference. You can view part 1: “Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1.”

Video: Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 2.) Narrated in Vietnamese.

Phở Cồ is pronounced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNMcmw2Geps

The Co Family Patriarch Guides Pho Hanoi to Its Future

Mr. Rao has been passionate about pho all his life, and will probably continue to be for a long time. In his hand is a book about the foods of Hanoi, written by the famous French culinary expert Didier Corlou. In it of course one can’t miss his [Chef Corlou's] praise about pho by the family Co in Hanoi.

[0:30] Mr. Rao: “The vast majority of people, when talking about pho in Hanoi, know about the phở gánh or pho carts. [Editor's note: gánh in Vietnamese means bearing on shoulder with a bamboo stick with products hung at each end. It's a way for many people to make a living selling various foods, snacks and products.] It was the Co family and their people taking their pho from Nam Dinh to Hanoi, and according to current family members, Mr. Co [audio indistinct]. He was the first to open shops here, then followed suit by other people from the same village Van Cu. Around the 1980-1985 time frame, the Van Cu people started to scatter to Ha long, down to Da Nang. Even Saigon now has Van Cu people.”

[1:19] Of the 4 brothers from the second generation of family Co, all pho experts, two have passed away. The remaining brothers include Mr. Phở Hùng, his real name is Cồ Như Hùng, and the second brother, Co Nhu Thu[?], who has just reached 80 years in age.

For many years now, Mr. Pho Hung no longer looks after the business. Rather his main work now is to pass on his experience to sons and daughters. For many years Hanioans have not seen Mr. Pho Hung. Today they have a chance to witness his demonstration on the art of making pho during the showcase of Vietnamese culinary arts organized by UNESCO in December 2003.

Standing next to him is the first grandson of Nhu Quang[?] who is fluent in making family Co pho.

[2:19] Despite getting older, Mr. Pho Hung remains strong and confident as he demonstrates his slicing techniques of a true professional with his quick, flexible hands and fingers. Today he is also the President of the professional association for pho countrymen from Van Cu, Nam Truc, Nam Dinh, which represents almost a hundred family members who are making a living serving pho in and around Hanoi.

[2:47] These two pho carts on demonstration have been rebuilt by UNESCO for the event. They are representative of those used by the Co ancestors in early 20th century. They were reconstructed based on Mr. Pho Hung’s own memory of the years when he followed his father seling pho on the old streets of Hanoi. The pepper shaker itself was made from dry bamboo tubes; the fragrant northern pepper, together with the aromatic flavors of cinnamon, star anise, fresh ginger and charred onions have probably accompanied him all his life.

[3:22] Despite the months and years of laborious and hard work, Mr. Pho Hung and his family takes great pride as the those responsible in bringing this rare gift to the land of Hanoi, then help in making pho famous across the country and now the world.

This is Pho Hanoi. And the soul of pho Hanoi is still the pho broth vat with its unique, special aroma and taste.

[3:48] Mr. Pho Hung on stage [audio indistinct]

[4:08] Mr. Pho Hung: “… first off the [bones, meat?] must be fatty and rich. Once the water begins to boil, they must be pulled, then continue to keep the broth simmer without boiling over. This is how the broth can be kept clear always. This particular broth being served today has no well-done meat cooked in it. Together with the proper seasonings, the foundation of the stock must include the best quality ingredients. After that we’d add in charred ginger and onions, then nuoc mam (fish sauce), and that’s how we served it.”

[4:59] Mr. Pho Hung [audio indistinct]

[5:11] Dr. Tran Manh Dat, of the Hanoi University of Education, is a long time citizen who grew up and studied in Hanoi. He has also traveled to foreign countries for education and business. Today, like many others, he by chance happens to attend this cultural event demonstrating the traditional Hanoi pho, and met up with Mr. Co Nhu Hung.

Dr. Dat: “In Paris or Amsterdam or [audio indistinct] or most anywhere else, I’ve always run into pho shops. The pho itself always makes me feel homesick. Today being at this festival, I’m very moved, at the same time feeling proud that our country has a rich culinary culture that is vey rich. Many of my friends from abroad tell me they can never forget Vietnam, because of this pho dish. It is the pho that attract them back to this country.”

[6:28] Now in his retirement, Mr. Pho Hung rarely go visit many places, even to pho shops run by descendants of family Co, and by his countrymen from the same village Van Cu. There are at least a few hundreds of them. Though he does make exception for family members, like this Pho Hang Dong. He always wishes them continued success, in any era or generation.

[7:01] [audio indistinct]

[7:14] Everyone, whether in the family or from the village, or even the customers, wishes Mr. Pho Hung good health and long life, hoping that he will continue as a strong guide for their pho Hanoi, as well as keeping pho famous across the five continents.

[7:35] On a beautiful day in the near future, during the celebration of 1,000 years establishment of Thang Long-Ha Noi [Editor's note: October 2010 will officially mark 1,000 years of the establishment of the city of Hanoi] we hope to be able to view Mr. Pho Hung in action again, right next to his traditional pho cart of Hanoi, with its deductive fragrance.

To read more about events and people related to this video’s production, check out these articles:

• An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine
• Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine
• Pho by Chef Didier Corlou

Pho Nam Dinh: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-31-09. Here’s a unique YouTube video telling an important story about a great pho family in Vietnam. It made my list of top phở videos (Great Vietnamese Pho YouTube Videos Worth Seeing.) It’s narrated in Vietnamese, so not surprisingly it has a very limited audience. I think non-Viet speaking pho lovers will find it fascinating just like I did. For this reason, even though the audio is quite degraded, I was able to make a loose transcription of the video to share with everyone. Some specific audio details may be lost, but I believe the overall meanings are still intact.

The whole program is more than 16 minutes but hamivovn, the YouTube uploader of this video, had to break it into two 8-minute parts, because YouTube only allows 10 minutes maximum per video upload. So here’s part one, beginning with the video itself, followed by my loose transcript. Time stamps in brackets [ ] match video timecodes for easy reference.

Video: Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 1.) Narrated in Vietnamese.

Phở Cồ is pronounced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P513niljeMg

The Co Family and Pho Hanoi

Early morning in the old copper antique row Hàng Đồng, the small shop at the crossroad of Hang Tai and Hang Dong seems completely hidden among the constant noisy of the surrounding commerce activites.

The large block of well-done beef steak for many years has come to symbolize the inviting sign that welcomes customers to the many Hanoi pho shops.

The large vat with soup stock as clear as rain water just comes to its boiling point.

Every morning, as the air is still full of morning dew, the shop owner and his wife together with their children begin their daily chores as owners of a pho shop. This is hard work.

This is the family business that has passed down to them through 3-4 generations.

The smokes and steams from boiling vats are the signs that easily identify these family-owned shops as the famous pho shops of Hanoi. The fragrance of the familiar pho and its tasty beef always seem to bond themselves to their server’s presence, in their hair and in their clothes.

Known as the multigenerational pho of Nam Dinh, there’s only one kind of pho: beef pho or phở bò.

[1;32] The family Cồ started from the village Vân Cù, district of Nam Trực in the town of Nam Định. This man’s father, Mr. Phở Chiêu, or elder Cồ Như Chiêu, opened this pho shop, called Hàng Phở Đồng (or Pho Hang Dong,) among the copper antique row since the middle of the 20th century, and handed it down for him and his wife to take over the business to this day. Mr. Phở Chiêu himself was in fact the first-born son of grandfather Phở Cồ, who brought his pho from Nam Dinh to make a living in Hanoi back at the beginning of the 20th century.

Like any other well-known pho shops in Hanoi, Hàng Phở Đồng not only has many regular customers, but always attracts many more new customers all the time.

[2:15] Like this guest. Every morning he walks 5-7 km to come to Pho Hang Dong in order to enjoy a bowl of authentic Phở Chiêu, as the pho is still called.

Guest Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho says: “The pho here is very good, fragrant, the noodle is so soft. I like it so much [undecipherable audio].”

Sitting at the same table is a visitor [undecipherable] of Phở Chiêu. Guest Mr. Duong Dinh Thien says: “I came here to eat ever since the day when it was still called Phở Chiêu, who was the father of the current owner. Now I still come quite often. The pho here has a special characteristic that is just the perfect taste for us.”

Like many third-generation decendents of the family Co from Nam Dinh now in Hanoi, the shop owner Mr. Việt and his wife are very popular among many customers, owing to the experience and discipline passed down from his father before him.

[3:30] Mr. Cồ Như Việt says: “Since I was small, I have followed them [his parents] everywhere to work this business. Now in my 50′s, you can say that I know the business inside out, of course because of what they have taught us and left for us. My brothers, all running famous pho shops around Hanoi, have also followed the family business. Both our father’s and mother’s sides have been successful and dependent on this profession. All the other well-known pho shops from Nam Dinh in the old days have also made their ways here [to Hanoi] to work and help their family business to prosper.”

Mr. Việt: ”The way to maintain the delicious taste, first off, one must possess a real passion for the profession. You cannot use tricks, you cannot be deceitful, or use other schemes, in order to achieve a delicious bowl of pho, with delicious broth, and fragrant meats.”

[4:27] So then as it turns out, almost all the pho Nam Dinh in Hanoi have come from the same family of the village Van Cu, district Nam Trực in the town of Nam Dinh.

It has been known among Hanoians that in Hanoi there are 2 famous pho shops. They are the family Canh Diễn from the province Hà Tây, represented by the pho shop Pho Thìn by Hoan Kiem Lake, and the pho shop Tư Lùn in the Hai Ba Trung district. Today descendants of the Canh Dien family from Ha Tay, and many other pho chefs trained by both families, also operated dozens of pho shops around the streets of Hanoi. Not surprisingly, the 2 original pho shops on Dinh Tien Hoang and Hai Ba Trung streets still maintain business operation regularly.

By the 1990′s into 2000′s, the pho family from Nam Dinh has surpassed pho from Ha Tay in operation and popularity. The children of the family Co’s third-, fourth- and fifth-generation, and their families, have, are and will gain the majority of the pho market.

[5:41] This is the pho shop Cồ Cử on Van Hieu Street as it appeared in the mid 1990′s. The owner, Cồ Hữu Cử, though having the same surname, is actually of the same descent but by a different lineage from the descendants of Mr. Pho Hung [?]

Also from Nam Dinh, he had been in the profession for many years in Hanoi under the name Pho Co Cu, and his shop has also become quite famous. For Co Cu, finding a stable location to operate his pho business has not been easy, and at times the challenges seem insurmountable. But he is not one who is easily discouraged, like the old saying: “lửa thử vàng, gian nan thử sức,” a phrase that loosely means “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”

[6:29] Recently Co Cu has taken his pho shop to a new location on Nguyen Chi Khanh Street, and has been doing well. It’s only 9 AM, yet many of his vats have already emptied. His broth is so well brewed that, although down to the last few ladles, the liquid itself is still clear and full of fragrance and flavors, its quality just like the full vats of Pho Hang Dong in early morning.

Another unique characteristic of the family Co pho lies in the wide and long strands the pho noodle, or banh pho.

[7:01] Mr. Co Cu: “The banh pho itself has been passed down from the ancestors, and truthfully, today in Hanoi one can probably count only a few banh pho makers that make the family-style noodles like ours. These banh pho have been cut by hand, they’re always large in size, and they go together very well with the pho broth.”

“To tell the truth, our shop here may be at a disadvantage when it comes to economics, but really we do have our reputation.”

[7:46] It’s not until the afternoon when customers have thinned out a bit that Mr. Co Cu then has a few relaxing minutes to greet and chat with his special guests. Visiting today are Mr. Phở Hùng, an uncle of Mr. Co Cu, and Nguyen Dinh Rao, a specialist in Vietnamese cuisine studies and President of Unesco Club of Gastronomy.

You can view part 2: ”Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2.”

To read more about events and people related to this video’s production, check out these articles:

• An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine
• Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine
• Pho by Chef Didier Corlou

Pho Nam Dinh: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 11-25-11. There are gazillions of pho videos on YouTube. Among the 3,000 or so Vietnamese pho videos there are many how-to-cook, how-to-eat and a variety of other parody clips. After viewing a few of those, you’ll wonder why you’ve wasted a good chunk of your life on them, time that you’ll never get back in any shape or form. On the other hand, there are a few gems that will enhance your knowledge and appreciation of pho in many ways, and you’ll be glad you’ve seen them. Below are some of the best pho-related YouTube videos worth seeing. They’re not your run of the mill personal funny videos. They are quite entertaining and educational, and they definitely ooze personal styles and characteristics that make them unique. Above all they show a lot of care and thoughts put in both during the production and post-production. In addition, they also get the nod for treating pho with respect (though I’m still on the fence about the gigantic bowl of Pho Challenge at Pho Garden.) The magic of pho is really all about the broth, so anything showing large vats of brewing pho broth with huge ladles and crew buzzing to serve pho to hungry customers all get special consideration. Here are my youTube video picks in no particular order. The 2 Vietnamese-language videos are especially great documentaries. Maybe I’ll find time to translate them sometime.

Mobile Home Pho – Pho Bình in Houston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs5Qo0ICVoY

Phở gia truyền dòng họ Cồ (Nam Định) tại Hà Nội (P1 of 2)

Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 1.) In Vietnamese only. English transcription available at “Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P513niljeMg

Phở gia truyền dòng họ Cồ (Nam Định) tại Hà Nội (P2 of 2)

Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 2.) In Vietnamese only. English transcription available at “Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNMcmw2Geps

How to cook pho: long recipe howcookingworks.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imdVKGm-RKU

Vietnamese Pho Bo, Pho Ga and Bun Bo Hue at St Barbara Parish Fall Festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYquwQJfLNo

Pho Challenge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUpvc7O6ywg

Anthony Bourdain Pho – Food Porn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsSiA-JHm0U

Great Vietnamese Pho YouTube Videos Worth Seeing is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

The pho menu needs a major improvement or facelift. Pho noodle itself is great, but the pho menu needs to get with the 21st century. Here’s why.

Existing Pho Menu - Too Many Choices

Vietnamese pho is poised for an explosive growth around the world; it already started by some estimates. Pho as a dish should retain its authenticity, taste and tradition, but the pho menu needs to be upgraded if pho stands any chance of really going global and staying global. Pho menu needs a better appeal to a wider audiences outside of the Viet communities.

Too Many Unnecessary Choices

Starting in North Vietnam, Pho Bac or Northern Pho is pretty much available at street vendors as a single dish. Once brought to the South in 1945, pho took on more elaborate form with many options of meat and garnishes added. Pho restaurants in the South present customers with a menu that include all combination and permutation possible of the same pho bowl. Forty five years later the same practice continues, as it migrated with Viet immigrants to all corners of the globe.

Looking at the pho restaurant market, there are really only 2 groups of pho customers: one already knows pho, the other does not.

The fact is, when ordering pho, Vietnamese and many many non-Viet diners do not need to look at the menu. On rare occasions, he/she (more likely a she through my observations) may want something else for that meal, thus he/she wants to look at the pho menu. But for the vast majority of us, we know what we’re there for.

Much Improved, More Simplification Still Needed, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 3

The Trouble With Current Pho Menus

So what’s the real problem? Considering the non-Viet clientele and those new to pho, let’s start with these:

• Too many choices. Too many combinations and permutations of the same thing as already described above.
• Unfamiliar ingredients and terminologies. Let’s face it, pho is ethnic food outside of Vietnam, definitely in the U.S. Facing the challenge of conveying pho and its ingredients in English terms, early Viet immigrants did okay by strictly translating ingredients. At times these translations are a little too literally and may not be suitable for menu use.
• Culturally “unconventional,” odd, strange and scary meat parts. Many meat ingredients in pho are nonexistent on an American or Western dinner plate. When you talk about diners taking a “risk” to try the tendon, tripe, etc., you pretty much just created an obstacle in helping pho expand in popularity.
• Lack of explanation on proper use of garnishes. Thai basil, culantro and bean sprouts are important pho experiences, along with the chili sauce and hoisin sauce for pho. “Foreign” diners are left on their own to figure these out by themselves.
• Missing chicken meat choices for chicken pho. Beef pho is the king of pho, but chicken pho is very good too. On most menus chicken pho may be mentioned as a single item. This is true even for restaurants well known for their chicken pho! What more, that single chicken pho item is listed as the last item under the beef pho menu. Pho restaurants in the U.S. are missing an opportunity to sell thousands of chicken pho bowls to non-red meat diners.

Good Explanation of Ingredients and Options, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 4

What Is Pho Really?

Why not just tell or show what pho really is? If you really look at it, pho is quite simple to serve and to order, and the menu should reflect this fact. Any bowl of pho (pho bo or pho ga) consistently contains the following:

• Pho noodle, or bánh phở: the square variety of rice noodle.
• From-the-kitchen garnishes: the standard chopped green onions (scallions) and cilantro.
• Pho broth: either beef or chicken broth option.
• Choice of meats: various beef or chicken meats. Chicken pho has many options or choices of chicken meats and parts as well, but these are excluded or omitted outright.

Once served at the table, diners can further customize with additional garnishes and sauces. That’s it. There are not 20 or 25 pho dishes to choose from.

Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal

Existing pho menus can benefit from a good facelift. A very attractive design, with clear explanation, and great graphical elements will help take pho menus, and pho itself, mainstream. Content-wise, solution for a better pho menu should consist of the following characteristics:

1. Simplify description of pho choices. Keep it easy to understand.
2. Explain ingredients and their terminologies. Add photos or other helpful visual cues.
3. Describe unfamiliar meat choices and meat parts. Elaborate on their tastes, textures, etc. and why they’re important to pho.
4. Provide instructions on how to enjoy the garnishes and sauces. Present brief dos and don’ts.
5. Provide clear options for phở gà or chicken pho. Add a separate section for chicken pho and give it the same level of attention as beef pho section.

Several pho restaurants already made attempts to improve their menus, most probably to differentiate from the competition and/or to appeal to more clientele. In doing so they are (deliberately or inadvertently) taking their pho menus in the right direction. For now these are the exception rather than the rule though, and it will take more to go mainstream.

David McGaw's Repaired Pho Menu

Pho Hoa (the franchise) incorporated some innovative features in their menu, which are very helpful for pho diners. See the graphics above.

To the right is another great example. It’s David McGaw‘s repaired pho menu. It’s got many elements that can provide inspiration for improved pho menus. Read his full write-up on pho menu.

So pho restaurants, having a large pho menu does not equate to having quality pho – the two are mutually independent. But having clear and easy to understand pho menu will improve your clientele’s pho experience, and will definitely attract new business.

Pho franchises should take note.

Improving the Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

I had the privilege to meet and chat with Brian Nguyen, the founder of Quoc Viet Foods^® Incorporation in Westminster, California, the maker of Vietnamese pho and other soup bases. I find Brian’s story about how he started Quoc Viet pho soup base and where he wants to take his company quite fascinating. Here’s a recount of our encounter.

First a little bit about the company. Quoc Viet Foods^® specializes in manufacturing and distributing Vietnamese pho soup bases and other seasonings. The company is the first to use modern technologies to convert the traditional Vietnamese dishes into the convenient soup base form. Quoc Viet’s soup bases and seasonings are processed from natural ingredients and do not contain any preservatives. For those who think soup bases are cheap, MSG-laden imitation of the real thing, they haven’t try these products. In fact Quoc Viet’s pho and other products are so good you’ll get restaurant taste and quality at home. By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I did not receive any compensation for writing this article.

Those who have been looking for quick pho recipes probably saw my post about Quoc Viet Foods’s pho soup base. In it I described how to make a batch of 20 plus bowls of pho in less than 3 hours. I took my time for that post, but my subsequent performance has improved to less than one hour. So you can say I’m a fan, and Quoc Viet Foods’ products should definitely be on your try list if you don’t want to deal with bones, oxtails, and 3-6 hours in the kitchen.

Quoc Viet Foods’ Formative Years

The company name is Quốc Việt Foods^® Incorporation. In Vietnamese, the word “quốc” means nation, state or country, and of course Việt is the majority ethnic group of people living in Vietnam. So Quốc Việt Foods^® is all about the traditional flavors and taste of Viet foods of the motherland. By training, Brian Nguyen earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Food Sciences. He’s worked for major food companies so he had all the right knowledge, from food product development to testing, from production to packaging, and distribution. Only problem was, he had no product to call his own.

On many trips to the local supermarkets, Brian told me he often looked that Viet foods on the shelves that are made in Thailand and elsewhere, with questionable quality and authenticity. One can almost see the entrepreneurial mind at work, and like many entrepreneurs, Brian had this energy that was just waiting to explode into a great product for a waiting market.

It finally dawned on Brian Nguyen that pho is what he wanted to do. Already in existence were mediocre products at best, and Brian definitely had some ideas. Now I’ve written before that Vietnamese cuisine is not something easily duplicable into mass produced quantities. And when it comes to pho, the variation is something that is expected. It’s one reason why I’ve not been impressed with pho franchises. But I digress.

Back to Brian and his pho. His garage became his R&D and product development laboratory – think Steve Jobs, Apple computers, and garage. Local supermarket meat departments were his beef bone and oxtail suppliers. It came to a point that butchers knew his face, what and how much he wanted as soon as he approached them in their shops. And his neighbors started wondering about this family next door that cooked pho everyday, all day long. Brian’s family is Northern Vietnamese so it’s no surprise, but the real kicker was when he told me neither he nor his family liked pho!

It wasn’t until the business actually opened that the butchers and neighbors understood what he was up to.

Growth and Market Expansion

Quoc Viet Foods^® then began a journey of growth from a humble 900 square foot location in 2002, expanding progressively to larger facilities every few years, to the current 12,000 sq ft space.

With an excellent product line, an expanding pho market that continue to gain visibility and popularity, new products coming down the pipeline, Quoc Viet is poised for more growth in the coming years. You can now buy Quoc Viet’s products from many Asian supermarkets. For those who cannot find a local retailer, the company will make an effort to ship products directly as well, though it’s an exception rather the rule.

In addition to supplying to the supermarkets, Quoc Viet Foods^® also ships products to restaurants, hospitals, schools, and casinos. Recently the company also became an approved vendor to SYSCO, the ubiquitous distributor of food and related products and services to restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, hotels, motels, schools, colleges, cruise ships, sports parks and summer camps – wherever a meal is prepared away from home. This is serious pho distribution channel.

New Products – Vietnamese Coffee and Tea

Vietnamese milk coffee Cà phê sữa (either đá or nóng – iced or hot) is great by itself or it can go well with or after a bowl of pho. Brian Nguyen informed me that Quoc Viet Foods^® is also bringing to market its own new products of coffee and tea. Branded Cafvina, the coffee that I tried rivaled many coffees you may find in retail shops, and can give Lee’s Sandwiches’ iced coffee some serious challenge. Cafvina brand coffee comes in whole bean, ground, concentrated or ready-to-drink varieties. Look out for them.

Visit QuocViet.com.

Quoc Viet Foods® Steadily Growing and Bringing Vietnamese Pho to the Masses is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Here’s another proof of the popularity of Vietnamese pho in the U.S.

I know, I know, we all know how great pho is, but hey, another piece of self-serving data won’t hurt, right? The Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and Packaged Facts have just co-produced a report based on a survey of over 3,700 people about their comfort food preferences. And Vietnamese pho is definitely becoming the de facto comfort food for the younger crowd.

Sweets have long been the champion comfort food and still remain as the champion among the three demographic groups of Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Yers. But for younger, more active Gen Yers, Vietnamese pho is turned to as the comfort food of choice. Of course there are always the Viet clientele together with many non-Viet pho fans in the boomers and Gen X age groups. But Gen Yers, with their diverse outlook of the world, are already going global with their social networking and awareness of global issues, and easily take on the global aspects of their lives as they adopt the global dishes like Vietnamese pho, sushi, Indian and Thai curries.

The CCD’s report identified comfort food trends and mapped them against the five stages of niche-to-mainstream trend mapping. The five stages are essentially progressive trend representation of how widespread and popular a particular food is at any given time. They are:

• Stage 1. The ingredient, dish and/or cooking technique appears at upscale dining establishments, ethnic and popular independent restaurants.
• Stage 2. The item is featured in specialty consumer-oriented food magazines, such as Gourmet and Bon Appétit plus retail stores such as Sur La Table that target culinary professionals and serious home cooks.
• Stage 3. The item begins to appear in mainstream chain restaurants – Applebee’s or Chili’s -as well as retail stores such as Williams-Sonoma that target recreational cooks.
• Stage 4. Publications such as Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens pick up the buzz.
• Stage 5. Finally, the trend makes its way to quick service restaurant menus and is either starting to appear or is having increased presence on grocery store shelves.

According to the CDD, Vietnamese pho has reached stage 3, which means it is no longer just an ethnic food available in concentrated geographic areas (Vietnamese communities,) or made available by a niche group of professional cooks for a niche group of clientele. Pho is becoming mainstream with chain/franchised restaurants (as I’ve written about in Vietnamese pho going mainstream,) with plenty of recreational or non-professional cooks (that’s you and me,) and it is being enjoyed by many many people outside of its traditional Vietnamese dining circles.

And the reason for all of this excitement beside its being the super tasty and good-for-you soup noodle dish? Well the one very important thing that pho has going for it, that many other foods don’t have, is the global pho markets and supplies are now already in place wherever Vietnamese live. You name it, and Viet refugees and their descendants are there - the U.S., Canada, Asian countries, Australia, Europe. Pho doesn’t have to take the time to spread, because it’s already there! How cool is that?

Read the Packaged Facts press release.

Vietnamese Pho – No Longer Comfort Food Just For Vietnamese is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

One of the highest ranking pho recipes you will find online is a Pho Bo recipe posted on About.com. The recipe was taken from “The Vietnamese Cookbook,” a top-selling cookbook devoted to Viet cuisine penned by Diana My Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who currently lives in Washington D.C. The cookbook contains more than a hundred recipes for popular Viet dishes such as spring rolls and lemon rice, but no dish will equal the popularity of the Vietnamese Pho soup noodle.

From “The Vietnamese Cookbook,”

Diana My Tran was born and raised in Vietnam. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1975, with her husband and parents-in-law, days before her first child was born. Today, she is a successful designer and dressmaker in Washington, D.C. Her recipes have appeared in newspapers nationwide. She is also the author of The Asian Diet: Get Slim and Stay Slim the Asian Way.

The pho bo recipe is simple yet effective. It is a recipe for the traditional beef pho and will give you good pho. It is written clearly and comes with easily understandable instructions. The recipe is thorough yet it keeps preparation process to a manageable one hour, making it ideal for busy do-it-yourselfers. Ms. Tran’s recipe also has all the important ingredients and garnishes that are necessary to achieve the classic beef pho.

What many people appreciate about Diana My Tran’s recipes, as evident in her beef pho recipe, is their simplified processes. Though the recipes are complete, thorough, and uses complete sets of ingredients, Diana My Tran still manages to make the recipes appear simpler than normal. In fact, most of her recipes are mostly simplified, making her the ultimate source of people who are, like her, juggling home cooking and extremely busy careers. And since she lives in the United States, she also offers simplified recipes customized to fit the busy American lifestyle. In her own words, “Traditional Vietnamese food can take time and effort  to prepare – time I usually don’t have. I want to keep our family heritage alive, especially for my children, so I have created my own easier versions of Vietnamese dishes, tailored to the American lifestyle.”

The recipes also tend to have a Western twang to them but Diana My Tran has managed to retain the traditional Viet taste as well, successfully balancing the two influences she has received over the years. To make things even better, all the recipes are easy to follow and lead to wonderfully indulgent taste trips to Vietnam cuisine.

Diana My Tran is not a professional chef, but she has become a favorite author in Vietnam cooking. She succeeds in simplifying the many exotic and sometime complex recipes for her readers, at the same time maintaining authenticity of Viet cuisine, pho included.

Diana My Tran and Her Recipes – Exotic Vietnam Meets the Fast-Paced West is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 08-04-10. Per a request from Barb Carter over at the “Tips on Ordering Pho” post, here are audio files to help with your pho ordering in Vietnamese language. The selection is based on a typical pho menu one may find at many Viet restaurants. So drop me a note in the comment if I missed anything and I’ll add it.

First a few words about convention. In Vietnamese, the word “tô” means “bowl.” When ordering a bowl of pho tai, for example, a Viet would call a “tô phở tái” or just “tô tái.” If you’re already in a pho restaurant, then saying “phở” is redundant and is really not necessary (but optionally okay.) If you’re in a Viet restaurant that also serves pho, then ordering a ”tô phở tái’ would be more appropriate to make it clear that you want pho and not another dish. So for those who find saying pho a little challenging, “tô” will solve your problem!

Note: The “t” in “tô” pronounces as a hard t like in French (e.g., Tour de France) or in Spanish (e.g., Latino,) and not like a soft t in English (i.e., tow truck.)

For pho bo or beef pho, as noted in “Tips on Ordering Pho,” the seemingly endless pho options on the menu are really permutation and combination of the available meat cuts and types that you can mix and match. The most common options are:

• bo chin (sliced well-done steak),
• bo tai (sliced rare steak),
• nam (flank),
• ve don (crunchy flank),
• gau (fatty brisket),
• gan (tendon),
• sach (tripe) and
• bo vien (beef meatballs, normally with tendon).

So without further ado, here is the audio pho menu. As always each has the Southern Viet accent followed by Northern Viet accent.

1. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt Xe Lửa (pho dac biet xe lua) – special (combo) large
   size pho
2. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt (pho dac biet) – special (combo) regular size pho
3. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach) -
   rare steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
4. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - well-done steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
5. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
6. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, flank, tendon, tripe pho
7. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gan, Sach) – rare steak,
   flank, tendon, tripe pho
8. Pronounce: Tô Tái (pho Tai) – rare steak pho
9. Pronounce: Tô Chín (pho Chin) – well-done steak pho
10. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín (pho Tai, Chin) – rare steak, well-done steak pho
11. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân (pho Tai, Nam, Gan) – rare steak, flank, tendon
    pho
12. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Sach) – rare steak, flank,
    tripe pho
13. Pronounce: Tô Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Nam, Ve Don) – flank, crunchy flank pho
14. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Chin, Nam, Ve Don) – well-done steak,
    flank, crunchy flank pho
15. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gầu (pho Tai, Gau) – rare steak, fatty brisket pho
16. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm (pho Tai, Nam) – rare steak, flank pho
17. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gân (pho Tai, Gan) – rare steak, tendon pho
18. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Sách (pho Tai, Sach) – rare steak, tripe pho
19. Pronounce: Tô Bò Viên (Southern)/Tô Phở Bò Viên (Northern) (pho with meatballs) – Viet meatball pho
20. Pronounce: Nước béo (fatty broth) – Southern/Northern similar

Pho Pronunciation – How to Order Pho in Vietnamese is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

I’ve written about a number of pho franchises that exist both in the U.S. and in Vietnam. Most pho franchises tend to start in the states (mostly from headquarters in California) then expand to other states and Canada. Some have been more aggressive and ventured outside North America eastward toward Asia and Australia. There is, however, another aggressive move simmering: Saigon-based pho franchise Pho 24 is coming west to the U.S.

A Houston entrepreneur is in negotiation to bring Pho 24 where no Vietnam-based franchise has gone before, to borrow a certain well-known phrase. The plan calls for a number of Pho 24 restaurants to open over a yet to be announced period of time in key American markets, bringing the most authentic Vietnamese cuisine to sophisticated American palates.

On Pho 24′s menu being offered in Vietnam are a variety of truly authentic pho noodle dishes, together with offerings of various popular Viet broken rice dishes and refreshments.

Pho 24′s name itself describes the restaurant’s offerings. Pho 24 uses 24 “secret” ingredients and spices in its pho broth, which is diligently stewed for 24 hours before it is served. The most common and popular pho bo and pho ga (beef and chicken pho, respectively) each costs $24,000 Viet dollars or US$1.35 (based on mid-May 2009 exchange rate.) Finally Pho 24 restaurants in Vietnam open 24 hours. I guess it remains to be seen if its American counterparts will do the same as well.

Details are still sketchy, but for pho fans in North America, there are reasons to be excited. Oh there’s nothing wrong with your favorite local pho shop. But I must admit that given the chance to taste something authentically close to what’s available in Vietnam, without actually going there, that’s gotta be pretty cool.

When they moved into countries like Vietnam and China, American franchises like McDonald’s and KFC had to make adjustments to their menus to cater to local tastes and to take advantage of local opportunities, strategies and supplies, all while maintaining their brand identity. It will be interesting to see what Pho 24 will do to its cuisine to attract American diners while staying true to its gastronomic roots.

More on Pho 24:

• Eating and Franchising Pho 24 – Bringing Secret Pho Recipe to the World
• Global Pho: Pho Franchises Around the World
• Pho in the Philippines – Battle for Pho Supremacy is Heating Up
• Vietnamese Pho: Franchised and Going Mainstream?

Pho 24 Coming to the States to Take on U.S. Competition Head-On is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles