No starters, no bouillon, no cheats. Pho at Pho Cafe (formerly Dream Berrie Cafe) starts the traditional way—a six- to eight-hour slow simmer of broth that gradually infuses it with spices, herbs, marrow and beyond.
Even if you have a seasoned palate for this Vietnamese noodle soup, you may not have considered the dozen-plus ingredients and patient cooking time that goes into making the base. Behind the kitchen doors, owner Chris Nguyen and his team are working to make the flavors come together in each batch of broth.
Next come the rice noodles, which are blanched and then laid at the bottom of a bowl, followed by meat—raw in some cases, then cooked by the broth poured over it. Topped off with green onion, basil, cilantro, lime, chili paste, sriracha, fish sauce, hoisin, bean sprouts and jalapeños (it’s all up to you at that point), the end result is one simple soup made of more than two dozen ingredients.
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“We cook it slowly to get that richness of flavor,” Nguyen says. “We’re making everything from scratch, and it’s a long process, but it’s worth it to balance those flavors.” dreamberriecafe.com
Scroll over the image below to see the seasonings that go into Pho Cafe’s pho broth
