“Pho is a delicacy of Hanoi. You can find the dish at some other places but pho in Hanoi is the best," the words of Thach Lam in his culinary book “36 Streets of Hanoi” affirmed the delicious taste of pho (noodle soup) in the capital.
Hanoians can enjoy pho anytime a day, even at the midnight. Pho shops opened at night are intended to serve workers at late shift. Nowadays, eating pho at night is not only a demand to fill up the stomach. It gradually becomes an interesting experience for tourists and the culinary culture of Hanoi.
Looking at a few night pho shops in Hanoi, it is impossible not to mention the shop at Hang Chieu Streetandthe one nearby railway at Tran Phu Street which always welcomes diners to enjoy a hot bowl of pho to soothe the chill at night.
If you wander along the railway at Phùng Hưng and Trần Phú streets to enjoy the nightlife of the city, you can try a hot beef noodle soup at the shop on Tran Phu Street.
The shop is crowded from midnight to 4 AM. Gourmets have many options of beef to eat with pho such as rare beef (pho is served with thinly sliced rare beef cooked quickly in the hot broth), well-cooked beef, stewed beef in red wine, fatty brisket, and tendon. The shop was opened in 1968, according to the owner. Pho sot vang (noodle soup with stewed beef in red wine) is the best-seller here with a unique taste. The light-brown broth is rich in spices. It’s interesting to see a bunch of spring onion and beef hung on an iron hook as the image reminds people of pho shops in the past.
If you want to experience the feeling of waiting for an hour to have a bowl of pho at 3 AM, you should visit the shop at the crossroad ofHàng Chiếu and Hàng Đường streets. The small shop has served many customers at the midnight for 30 years. It opens from 3 AM when people are falling asleep and closes at sunrise. The like-no-one opening time makes it a famous pho shop in Hà Nội.
The shop looks simple with a pot of broth, a pot of boiled water, noodle, and beef. Pho sot vang here is highly recommended. The noodle thread is small, soft, and firm. The stewed beef is well-cooked, spicy, and tasty. The bowl of pho is more delicious to have with quay (fried dough sticks) then topped with lemon juice and chili vinegar.
Among pho shops opened at night, Pho ga Nguyet selling chicken noodle soup at Phu Doan Street closes quite early in comparison with the shops mentioned above. You should come between 11 PM to 1 AM to enjoy the dish.
You can choose to eat the noodle soup with chicken shredded from thigh or breast.
The noodle is boiled roughly with boiled water to make it soft then it’s topped with chicken and herbs. At the last step, the broth is poured over all ingredients. Customers can choose to it the noodle in broth or dressings. Some add-ons include wings, chicken hearts, and meatballs. You can add some chili sauce to make the dish hotter.
This shop is so popular among gourmands in Hanoi. Every night, many people queue up in front of the shop to wait for their turn. Diners remark that chicken here is tasty and firm. The chicken skin is crunchy and attractive yellow. Together with a rich broth and special spices, the dish is a charm to anyone who comes to the shop./.
