Chad Kubanoff, an American chef, is passionate about pho and believes that visitors to Ho Chi Minh City can find all kinds of pho prepared in different styles.
Chad Kubanoff, 37 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City, owns social networking sites specializing in culinary content. Chad Kubanoff shared with VnExpress He came to Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 and was impressed with Vietnamese food, decided to stay since 2011, working as a food blogger.
In April, Chad posted a video on his personal YouTube channel introducing Vietnamese pho and suggesting pho shops to try when visiting Ho Chi Minh City. The 37-year-old chef said he learned about these three pho shops because he was constantly looking for new street food spots in the city. Of the three shops Chad suggested, one specializes in southern-style beef pho, one specializes in northern-style pho, and the last serves pho with a fusion of two regions.
The first restaurant Chad Kubanoff visited was Pho Le on Nguyen Trai Street, District 5. Chad was introduced to this restaurant by a foreign friend who said it was the “best pho restaurant in the city”. Chad introduced Pho Le, which has been serving Southern-style beef pho for the past 54 years. The American chef ordered a full bowl of pho with rare beef, flank, and beef balls for 100,000 VND. The bowl of pho had few green onions and was served with nearly 10 types of herbs and bean sprouts.
Chad commented that the pho noodles at this restaurant have a rich flavor, the broth has a beefy aroma and the typical sweet taste of Southern pho. He also adds herbs, bean sprouts, satay and a squeeze of lemon into the bowl of pho to add more flavor. Chad commented that the pho restaurant is not located in the center of District 1 but is worth the time for tourists to explore.
Pho SOL in Thao Dien Western Quarter is the second restaurant Chad visited, which he commented as “the best Northern pho restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City”. The space here is designed to remind of the scenery of Hanoi and the menu has many other Northern dishes besides pho.
Chad Kubanoff enjoys his rare beef pho.
The first dish Chad ordered when he arrived was not the usual bowl of pho, but fried pho, priced at 119,000 VND per plate. This was the first time Chad had fried pho in Ho Chi Minh City. The next dish he tried was pho cuon, priced at 89,000 VND per plate. Chad commented that this dish was similar to spring rolls but with different ingredients. The dish that the American chef rated as the “star” of the restaurant was pho bo tai lan, priced at 159,000 VND. The beef used was wagyu beef. Chad commented that the broth was rich and the stir-fried beef was fragrant and smoky. He ate it with fried breadsticks, pickled garlic and chili sauce “in the Northern way of eating”.
The third pho restaurant Chad recommends is Pho Viet Nam on Tran Quoc Toan Street, District 3. The restaurant uses hand-made pho noodles, the flavor tends toward Northern pho, and the accompanying spices use some types of Southern pho. A bowl of pho here costs 80,000 VND. Chad commented that the broth of this dish has a strong beef flavor and a lot of cinnamon. Another dish here that Chad suggests diners should try is the stone pot pho for 100,000 VND. The broth has bones and oxtail placed in a hot stone pot, the pho noodles, beef shank, and onions are kept separately, and diners dip the ingredients themselves when eating.
Stone pot pho costs 100,000 VND.
Chad Kubanoff said that the flavor of pho changes with each seasoning. He usually adds satay and herbs when eating Southern pho and pickled garlic and chili sauce when eating Northern pho. Chad shared that pho is a great dish but he doesn’t eat it often, but usually for breakfast, late night snacks or when he’s sick.
“Eating a bowl of pho at 3am after a hangover feels great,” Chad said.