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"Downtown at 99 Third Ave., this new 1,400-square-foot spot centers a Nam Định–style pho built around fresh, wide, house-made noodles produced on an imported Thế Chiều machine. The kitchen soaks and mills a blend of basmati, broken rice, and leftover cooked rice, resting and testing the noodles in hot broth until they reach the desired chew. The long-simmered broth starts with beef bones washed in mẻ (a long-fermented rice paste), cooks for about 12 hours, is seasoned generously with black pepper from Buôn Ma Thuột and finished with fish sauce and a light hand on aromatics like star anise. Beef comes as multiple cuts of brisket, while a Đặc Biệt adds beef navel, tendon, tripe, and meatballs; condiments — including garlic pickled in rice vinegar and sliced onions in a six‑month‑fermented hot sauce — are presented as essential to the Nam Định profile. The team also mills rice for bánh cuốn (including a Buôn Ma Thuột–style tower of rice sheets with grilled pork, pickled mustard greens, and shredded young mango served with a fermented fish-sauce dip) and bakes its own baguettes to showcase regional bánh mì styles such as Haiphong and Nha Trang." - Chris Crowley