As a person who reviews food and drinks, whenever I hear someone say a restaurant is good, I feel curious and want to try to see if it is really like what they say. This morning, I decided to visit a traditional chicken pho restaurant in Phu Lo, Soc Son, Hanoi after seeing a person in a Facebook group in my area praise this restaurant a lot.
The restaurant is on a big main road so it is very easy to find. From outside, I already felt impressed because the restaurant is clean and bright, much more than I imagined for a normal breakfast place. The cooking area is right at the entrance, everything arranged neatly, no feeling of messy or dirty.
When I walked inside, I was more surprised because the space is large, tables and chairs are arranged nicely, and the floor is very clean. Especially, the restaurant has air conditioning – something that very few breakfast restaurants in Vietnam have. At first look, it feels more like a small restaurant than a normal pho place. This made me think: “Maybe the price here is higher than average.”
The menu is simple, focused on chicken dishes like chicken pho, chicken glass noodles, chicken rice... But the menu does not show prices. For a person who eats in many places, this made me a bit worried because I was afraid the price could be too high. But I already came so I decided to try.
I ordered one bowl of chicken pho and one bowl of chicken glass noodles (dry mixed) – the two most typical dishes of the restaurant to try.
Food experience: good taste, nice presentation
🍜 Chicken pho
The bowl of pho looks very attractive, the pho noodles are fresh, soft, not mushy. The chicken is arranged neatly, the skin golden and looks delicious. The broth is clear, with a light smell of scallion and roasted ginger.
When tasting, the broth is sweet and fresh, not too sweet like MSG. The chicken meat is firm, sweet, the skin slightly crispy, very enjoyable to eat.
On the table, there are fresh herbs, lime, chili, garlic vinegar and fish sauce for customers to add if they want.
🍲 Chicken noodles (dry mixed)
The bowl of chicken noodles also looks nice. The noodles are mixed with soy sauce, fried shallot, cilantro, bean sprouts and sprinkled with peanuts. The chicken pieces are cut to bite size, keeping natural sweetness and a little chewiness. When eating, the rich taste of peanuts blends with the aroma of fried shallot and the mild saltiness of soy sauce, making the dish very tasty.
With the noodles, they also serve a small bowl of chicken broth. The broth is clear, with some slices of scallion and a little pepper. Drinking the broth after eating the dry noodles helps avoid feeling greasy and balances the taste.
Price: a little high but acceptable for the space
After eating, I paid 90,000 VND (~3.5 USD) for both chicken pho and chicken glass noodles. Compared to other breakfast places in Hanoi, this price is clearly higher. But considering the clean space, cool air conditioning and more professional service, I think this price is still acceptable.
For me, this traditional chicken pho restaurant in Phu Lo is a place worth visiting if you want breakfast in a comfortable, cool and clean space. The only minus point is the price a bit higher than normal breakfast places, and the menu without prices may make some people hesitant. But if you do not care much about price and prefer cleanliness and comfort, this is still a good choice.
This article has images and content 100% from me @a-alice!!
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