Janz Chau Yu-sun is often asked why his noodle soups are served with a lot of fresh basil and an unfamiliar Vietnamese herb, rau om (also known as rice paddy herb). The general manager of Pho 26 claims the herbs are essential to authentic pho (noodle soups), commenting that versions served at other Vietnamese restaurants in Hong Kong are too localised.
'We provide the kind of pho found in side-street stalls and noodle specialist shops in Vietnam,' says Chau, adding that the imported basil leaves are just as expensive as the high-quality beef bought for the restaurant.
Pho 26's owner lived in Vancouver for eight years before coming back to Hong Kong; on his return, he couldn't find pho shops that were as good as those he had patronised in Canada. Chau sought to master the secrets behind a good bowl of pho and spent three months learning them last year in Hanoi. The recipes come from a popular, family-run noodle shop in the Vietnamese capital.
'I became an apprentice to the chef because he only passes on culinary secrets to family members. I was trained intensively on making the soup base, properly slicing ingredients such as onions, beef and chicken, plus choosing appropriate spices for each dish. During this period, I sampled almost every pho outlet in Hanoi so I could understand the differences,' Chau says.
'Our soup base is clear and sweet, and made from special beef bones and mixed spices that are simmered for hours. No fish sauce is added to the soup; it's only used as a dipping sauce.'
Chau's favourite pho dishes include Japanese Kobe beef (HK$138), Australian Wagyu beef (HK$49), rare eye of round steak (top right; HK$30) and rare eye of round steak with beef brisket (HK$32). Beef tendon, turnip and Vietnamese ham can be added at extra cost. Other dishes served at Pho 26 include lemongrass pork-chop toasted bun (HK$22), herbed minced meat on French toast (above; HK$30), pork and vermicelli lettuce wrap (HK$40), grilled lemongrass beef rice-paper rolls (HK$38), French-Vietnamese submarine sandwiches (HK$30), barbecued pork-belly skewers (HK$35) and deep-fried prawn cake vermicelli (HK$31). Prices are discounted by 20 per cent between 3pm and 6pm.
