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"Eating pho is happiness"
“In the past, being able to eat a bowl of pho was already a blessing, my dear.” The emotional words of Ms. Thanh Hien (66 years old) seemed to lift the curtain of memories of a distant time. Sharing with Travellive reporters, Ms. Hien could not hide her emotions when talking about this special dish. She began the story in a warm, reminiscent voice, “Back then, in 1965, the subsidy period was very difficult. Noodles had no drivers, pho had no meat. Many times, we had to ask for more pho broth to put on cold rice for our children to eat at school."
Ms. Thanh Hien (right) and her friends share memories of the subsidy period, when they bought pho to bring home and serve with cold rice for their children to eat.
That seemingly simple story is the soul of pho with cold rice, a specialty only available on Nguyen Du Street (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi). Here, each bowl of pho comes with a free bowl of cold rice, which makes diners both curious and moved. For Ms. Hien, pho with cold rice is a dish from unforgettable memories: "Back then, a bowl of pho was a luxury. Young people today eat pho with cold rice to enjoy, but in the past, it was very difficult."
A bowl of beef pho at the restaurant is served with a free bowl of cold rice, a way of eating reminiscent of the subsidy period of Hanoi people.
Pho restaurant retains the flavor of Hanoi in the past
Pho Thanh Beo restaurant is located at 36 Nguyen Du street (Hai Ba Trung ward, Hanoi), is a rare address in Hanoi that serves pho with free cold rice. A bowl of beef pho at the restaurant has an average price of 50,000 to 60,000 VND, with clear, sweet broth, soft and fragrant meat. Next to it is a bowl of cold rice served with hot pho, enough to "awaken" the taste buds of a generation.
The restaurant owner has put a lot of heart into each pot of broth, considering cooking pho as a passion. It is this meticulousness that has created a unique flavor, especially the dish “pho chan cham coc” (cold rice noodle soup).
The first location of the restaurant is located on Tran Hung Dao Street, and the second location is on Nguyen Du Street. Since opening, the restaurant has quickly attracted customers, not only because of its rich flavor, but also because of the way it retains memories of difficult years, turning poverty into a unique feature that cannot be found anywhere else. Because of this, the restaurant makes many young people curious with a "strange way of eating", pho with cold rice, imbued with the nostalgic spirit of Hanoians.
The restaurant is always crowded with customers from morning to night.
Mr. Hoang Minh Thanh, owner of Thanh Beo Pho restaurant
According to the restaurant owner, Mr. Hoang Minh Thanh, the idea of serving cold rice with pho comes from his childhood. He added that he wants to bring customers memories of Hanoi during the subsidy period. He wants to preserve those memories and share them with today's diners, as a tribute to the past. With its special service and way of eating, the restaurant has attracted many people to come and enjoy. They come to enjoy and feel the old taste of the previous generation, a taste that is not easy to find in today's restaurants.
Hot pho served with cold rice is an interesting combination of rice grains slowly blooming, absorbing the sweetness of the broth, mixed with a bit of fat and the fragrant, sweet smell of fresh beef. That feeling is simple but profound, making the eater feel like returning to old memories through each spoonful of pho broth.
If in the past, cold rice with pho broth was a way to fight hunger during the subsidy period, now, that dish has become a unique feature in the heart of Hanoi. Pho with cold rice makes many people who lived through those years slow down, return to the memories of hardship but warm human affection.
On Nguyen Du Street, each bowl of pho served with cold rice at Thanh Beo restaurant evokes the taste of the subsidy period. The simple yet rich flavor, combining hot pho and cold rice, makes many people find old memories in a familiar yet strange dish, simple yet full of warmth. It is a living proof that sometimes the most delicious dishes are the ones that evoke the most difficult days.
