BIG IN JAPAN: Phở Thin's venue in Hà Nội (left) and it's restaurant in Tokyo. VNA/VNS Photos Alex Reeves

By Alex Reeves

I woke up in August of 2017 feeling anxious: I was, as they say, fresh off the boat. New to Hà Nội; new to Việt Nam. After seventeen hours’ travel the previous day, and with the anxiety that accompanies a one-way ticket to an unfamiliar land, I needed something comforting. “Phở helps,” Thuy (my host) reassured me.

I pulled out my phone and searched for the nearest option, then wandered nervously down Hàn Thuyên Street, took the first left I came to, and there it was at 13 Lò Đúc: Phở Thìn.

Little did I know, within those walls was the best bowl of Việt Nam’s iconic noodle dish that money can buy — in my humble opinion, of course.

I still remember that bowl of noodles — my first in Việt Nam like it was yesterday. What stood out to me then — as it still does — was the richness of the broth, the texture of the beef — my teeth carving through it without the all-too-common gristle clinging between my teeth — and the smell and flavour of garlic throughout.

I’ve eaten many bowls since and, for some time after, none seemed to meet my expectations; to match up to the first hearty broth that started my culinary journey into the country I now call home.

Initially, I put it down to that first-bowl wow factor; it’s of course normal to notice and enjoy something the first time we experience it.

However, it turns out I was wrong (and right in a sense): Phở Thìn isn’t just serving up your average bowl of phở. Their signature style of stir-frying the beef with garlic and whatever other magic goes into their broth has delighted and divided Vietnamese opinion, with some feeling as though it’s a dish entirely of its own.

This, then, might explain why throughout Hà Nội and indeed the rest of the nation, you can see — like a Vietnamese Colonel Sanders — stores adorned with the famous face of the man behind the magic: Mr Nguyễn Trọng Thìn, accompanying the name and address of the original diner.

It has become a symbol of quality — and garlic. Lots of garlic.

HIGH TECH: The restaurant in Japan (right) has a slightly different way of paying.

Founded in 1979, Phở Thìn has been knocking out bowls of the good stuff for over 40 years, and such is its popularity that you can often find yourself struggling to get a seat at the original diner.

That same popularity which has you sandwiched in between tourists and locals alike, elbows everywhere, has propelled Phở Thìn as far as Hồ Chí Minh City, Tokyo, and now even Melbourne, Australia. Phở Thìn International.

In 2018, after long negotiations, Kenji Sumi — Japanese national, long time Việt Nam visitor, and fan of the legendary broth — convinced Mr Thìn to disclose the family recipe to an outsider for the first time.

Determined that the legacy of his recipe would stay intact, Mr Thìn travelled with Kenji to oversee the training of the chefs and the start-up of the operation.

In 2019, Phở Thìn Tokyo opened its doors to a waiting Japanese public. The only people disappointed? Those who missed out.

The place was sold out in the first hour; a trend that would continue, and, four years later, it remains busy with a similarly loyal customer base to its home here in Hà Nội.

Fast-forward to 2023 and I decided, while visiting Tokyo, that I had to smell, see, and taste it for myself. Could I really get that same intense flavour in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, so far from the comparative peace of Hai Bà Trưng District in Hà Nội?

Replacing the same familiar face — that has been handling cash and memorising inordinate numbers of orders to bark at the chef by the doors of Lò Đúc since I’ve been visiting — was a machine.

Choose your size and quantity of toppings, feed in your yen, take your ticket, and wait to be guided down a plain wood-panelled corridor opening into a well-lit dining room. Glass dividers allow space for diners to enjoy another’s company while they slurp down the slender noodles and enjoy the sharpness of the scallion scattered bowls for which they came.

The Phở was good — great, in fact: The best I’ve had outside of Việt Nam and better than many I’ve had within. The garlic is still notable, the onions prominent, and the broth satisfying on a subzero winter’s night. They even had the crispy breadsticks (quẩy), customary poached egg, served in a side dish, with an imported bottle of 333 with which to wash it down.

HERE AND THERE: Phở served in Hà Nội (left) and the equivalent dish in Japan.

And yet, I felt something was missing. It wasn’t the difference in the flavour of the fish or chilli sauce. It wasn’t a shortcoming in the depth of the broth.

It was the lack, after much consideration, of Hà Nội.

Phở Thìn Tokyo is a fine restaurant, a fitting homage to one of the best bowls of noodles on the wider continent.

However, enjoying a dish isn’t always just about the flavour.

We're lucky to have the hectic neighbourhood noodle shop that is Phở Thìn at 13 Lò Đúc Street. All elbows, the sound of clattering dishes and multiple languages in one small room. Its perfect balance of order and disarray is matched only by the aromatics of its flavours.

Whether you’re a tourist or a local here in Việt Nam, or abroad in Tokyo, visit Phở Thìn. VNS

• Price (with egg and quẩy): Hà Nội: VND80,000/US$3.40Tokyo — 900 Yen/$6.60
• Dining companions: Many (I take everyone who visits)
• Top tip: Get two poached eggs in a separate bowl. The broth they come in is distinct yet as good as the noodle soup itself. Break them open in your mouth and enjoy a warm mouthful of smooth, salty yolk.