Pho restaurant famous over 2 decades in Hanoi

Chinh Thang noodle shop in Ngu Xa area is a familiar place for generations of Ha Thanh people over the past 20 years.
Ngu Xa (Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) concentrates many noodle shops. Previously, this area was famous for copper casting.

Summer food Located on Mac Dinh Chi street, Chinh Thang noodle shop is quite easy to find. Around 11am, the shop was full from the house to the sidewalk. Many guests have to wait 10-15 minutes to be served. The shop sells from 9am to 10pm, lunch and dinner time is the most crowded. According to Mrs. Vu Thi Chinh (66 years old), the owner of the shop, in the summer of 2000, when she saw diners mimicking their sweat to enjoy a bowl of pho water, she thought about changing a new dish. During the absence of guests, she rolled uncut noodles with beef and herbs. “When serving, customers like it. I have developed it until now. Rolled pho is like pho, but it is dry and suitable for summer food”, Ms. Chinh shared with Zing . Even though she is over 60 years old, Mrs. Chinh still blows away at her pho. Photo: Quynh Anh. In the early days of the business, the shop sold both cooked beef noodle roll and lemon leaf chicken noodle roll. However, customers who come to eat mostly love the rolled beef noodle soup, so she decided to only sell this type until now. Her noodle soup and bamboo noodle soup have been sold in Ngu Xa area since 1981. By 2000, the shop only sold pho roll and moved to Mac Dinh Chi to take the name Chinh Thang, which was taken from the couple’s name. Thanks to pho, she has raised 3 grown sons and both have master’s degrees. Currently, the youngest son has left his job behind to take over and succeed the family. Despite her high age, her pho manipulation is still very mature and fast. She boasts that she can roll 10 in just 1 minute. So when there are many customers, Mrs. Chinh still goes to the kitchen to help her son. To save time and meet a large number of customers at the same time, the owner must use a radio to order food with the staff in the kitchen inside. Depends on the dipping sauce With the carefulness in the cooking process and the selection of ingredients, each plate of pho brought to customers is always delicious and hygienic. “If the noodle bowl is important in the broth, the rolled pho needs a dipping sauce to balance it. Every family selling has a recipe for the sauce so my restaurant also has its own flavor. This is the result of a process.” I change to suit the taste of most diners “. A plate of pho roll of 10 is priced at 65,000 VND. Photo: Quynh Anh. Being a meticulous person, all the ingredients for pho roll such as pho cakes, beef, herbs … were ordered by Mrs. Chinh from longtime acquaintances. The shop owner said that the noodle cake must be tough and thin so that it does not break when rolled. If the cake is broken, the fried pho cannot be crunchy. The noodle roll only includes stir-fried beef with lettuce and herbs. Unlike other locations, the restaurant’s beef is a tender cutlet that is sliced ​​into a large size so it is not crumbled. Before the Covid-19 translation, the shop often welcomed many Japanese tourists. They often stop here after finishing their tour and discovery in Hanoi. Introduced by the owner as a regular customer of the restaurant, Mr. Huy Hoang (40 years old) said he had eaten at the restaurant for 7-8 years. “In the past, I lived in Hanoi every week. Later, I moved back to Quang Ninh, so today, I come here to work here and eat to help me eat.” Minh Ha (22 years old) knew about Chinh Thang noodle shop through the introduction of an acquaintance. At first, when she stopped by the restaurant, Ms. Ha thought like many other addresses. However, in the first time, she ate half a plate of pho by herself. “Pho rolled at the restaurant served is still warm, the sauce is rich. The space is clean, although eating on the sidewalk, the neighborhood is empty, so I do not find it inconvenient.” Currently, in addition to pho roll, coming here you can enjoy fried pho, crispy egg noodles, sour pho … with prices from 50,000 to 80,000 VND. Enjoying puffed pho with the restaurant’s dipping sauce will be more harmonious. Photo: Quynh Anh. Customer reviews: Ngoafood: “Compared to other addresses, the noodle rolls here are smaller, but the book is firm. The filling has enough beef and vegetables. The noodle rolls up quickly, but the fried pho serves slowly. I found it to be eaten, not very impressed. “. Ninheating: “A plate of pho roll consists of 10 pieces, served with sweet and sour sauce. The restaurant has fried egg pho, sour noodle is quite delicious”. Linh Le: “Sometimes the restaurant is crowded, the shop owner usually does not accept more customers. Rolled noodle is full, a lot of meat. Sour pho is full of scallion, delicious sauce. However, the restaurant is still slow to change.” Thao Chi Vu: “Rolled pho is quite small. Puff-fried pho and egg-fried noodles are very good. The price is quite good, about 60,000 VND / person is full”. Thuyseatbook: “Lunch and dinner is when the restaurant is quite crowded. The beef eaten with all dishes is sliced ​​into large pieces. The fried noodles are crispy outside, sticky inside”.