This is my older brother. Never been to
00:00
Vietnam. Fresh off the boat and the only
00:01
three things he knows about Vietnamese
00:03
food is pho, spring rolls, and then the
00:05
banh mi sandwich. So, first off we have
00:07
are you excited? Yeah, super excited.
00:12
And for you guys, you're probably
00:14
wondering, he is my older brother. He
00:16
has a lot more white hair than me. I do
00:18
have a lot of white hair, but white hair
00:19
runs very early in my family. But we
00:21
have a lot of hair, so let's get some
00:23
pho. So you guys, this is Kang. He's the
00:24
owner and main chef at the Jeep Ma. So
00:26
Yeah, I've been here before. It's very
00:30
good pho, but for my brother I want him
00:31
to try something nice and special. So,
00:32
for anybody who doesn't know what pho
00:35
is, can you give me like a one or two
00:36
sentence answer what pho is? Basically,
00:39
it's the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.
00:41
It's very delicate while being also
00:44
flavorful and with the herbs, it's the
00:47
whole Vietnamese experience. How is your
00:49
pho different? The main thing is no MSG,
00:52
we don't do MSG here. So, how can we do
00:55
it? We cook with a lot more bones,
00:58
exactly four times the bones than the
01:01
other pho shops. And also we use some
01:03
western and modern techniques to make
01:05
the pho more tasty.
01:07
See, my brother lives in the
01:10
so he's in Amsterdam, and we went to
01:13
like the the top reviewed pho not pho
01:14
place Vietnamese restaurant.
01:18
It was the worst Vietnamese food I have
01:19
ever had in my life. Yeah, it was
01:22
terrible. We got a guy, the salad was
01:24
was horrendous. The pho was horrendous.
01:28
We got bun thit nuong out. I don't even
01:30
know what these dishes are. And it's
01:31
fully Vietnamese staff. I won't say the
01:32
name, but it was absolutely terrible.
01:34
So, my brother has extremely low
01:36
expectations, so I'm very happy for him
01:38
to try something really like delicious.
01:40
The Amsterdam Vietnamese food is
01:42
terrible. I don't care what anybody
01:44
says. It's absolutely terrible. So,
01:46
we'll get some pho and we'll probably
01:48
order a few other things. He's really
01:49
excited. He's He's tired though. He's
01:51
>> Northern pho or either southern pho.
01:54
Okay. But here we give you not two but
01:56
also three options. You can take a look
01:58
And then for the meat options you get
02:02
four meat options here. All the stars
02:03
are the recommendations.
02:06
And here's the you tell or way, which is
02:07
a signature of our restaurant because
02:10
we're the only one in Vietnam doing it
02:12
with sourdough. Oh, okay.
02:14
Do you prefer northern or southern pho?
02:16
Northern for sure, man. Really?
02:19
>> For me, northern. Yeah, I'm a
02:20
southerner. Okay. But I love northern.
02:21
Yeah, I'm southern all the way. I'm
02:24
southern. Are you southern? I'm
02:25
southern. I'm southern. Yeah, we got
02:26
everything for you here.
02:28
>> Yeah. So, do you guys want to maybe we
02:29
can do one of each?
02:30
Sure. Is that okay? So you can try the
02:33
different flavors for them. So for your
02:35
pho, how long does it take to cook one
02:37
>> We start from 5:00 a.m.
02:39
on this day, then we finish 5:00 a.m.
02:42
the next other day. So 24 hours of
02:44
cooking for making your pho? Yes,
02:47
correct. For our pho, it takes 24 hours.
02:49
That's how we extract all of the flavors
02:51
because we cook low and slow. We get all
02:54
the flavors from the bones that we don't
02:57
need to use MSG. But like I'm looking at
02:59
the broth right now and they all look
03:01
different. So like this this one is a
03:03
little bit more golden, this one is less
03:05
golden, this one is a little bit more
03:07
fat. Do you know which one is which? I
03:08
know it's labeled but like could can you
03:11
tell the difference?
03:12
>> I can tell the difference. I can show
03:13
you guys also. So we have three kinds,
03:15
right? The clear one. So of course the
03:17
clear one usually it's a lot less fat
03:19
and you can see it's almost like
03:22
clarified. Yeah. Yes, you can see the
03:24
bottom of the pan. Which pho is this?
03:26
This is the clear northern pho. So
03:28
northern pho. Clear northern pho. And
03:30
then when you take a look then we see
03:32
the fat. Yeah. And those are the
03:34
northern and the southern. But then how
03:36
you differentiate? The southern will be
03:39
more dark because we roast the shallots
03:41
quite quite a bit so it will be more
03:44
dark. So now you can take a look. Yes.
03:46
So here you can see it's the southern.
03:49
Southern? Yeah. And here's the bone
03:51
marrow. Okay. So northern? Yeah, so
03:54
these two are northern and
03:57
this is the southern one. Interesting.
03:59
Yeah. You know what? I'm learning
04:01
something new. I like this. I see
04:02
there's a lot of marbling in your beef.
04:03
What is What's the difference with this?
04:05
Yeah, so I tried a lot of beef. We did
04:07
R&D for years trying to find the best
04:09
beef for our pho. So it has to be
04:11
Vietnamese beef. So after a while of
04:13
looking we found this Vietnamese beef
04:15
that is raised with Japanese technology.
04:18
So it brings this beautiful marble into
04:20
the Vietnamese beef but while keeping
04:23
the chewy and the sweetness of the umami
04:26
of the beef. Uh King, I saw you guys use
04:29
this. What is this? Yes. So this is our
04:32
pho foam. So what we do with this we
04:34
emulsify we we blend some aromatic
04:37
tallow with our pho broth to make a
04:40
aromatic foam for the stir-fried pho.
04:42
So which which pho is this? It's a
04:51
northern pho. Northern pho. Okay. That
04:54
is the southern. Oh joy. I am oi.
04:56
>> This is the new stuff. Was it one pho?
05:02
This is It's okay. It's okay. This is
05:06
the bold one. So King, my brother's wife
05:07
Tashina was asking what is the
05:10
difference between northern and southern
05:11
pho? Okay, so for the southern pho
05:13
a bit more sugar and there's more less
05:17
spice in the bowl. So it has a more
05:20
aromatic and more rounded feeling. The
05:22
northern is usually more of a umami
05:25
forward taste. Yeah. Like if I answer
05:28
I'd say northern pho is less flavorful.
05:31
>> Southern pho is more flavorful. In a
05:34
That's a very controversial statement
05:37
for Vietnamese though. There's a lot of
05:39
competition with north and south. So
05:40
northern pho here, northern, southern
05:43
and then this was um the This is the
05:45
stir-fried pho. Stir-fried pho, and then
05:48
the pho spring rolls. Yes, and the pho
05:50
rolls, yes. So, if somebody likes pho,
05:51
this is the This is the the dish to try.
05:53
So, pho everything.
05:56
>> Everything pho, and but a little bit
05:57
modern. So, like this one, we put inside
05:59
some It's going to be good pork and with
06:01
homemade kimchi and uh some cilantro
06:04
green onions. Okay. Yes, and for this
06:07
one, you can see it's a normal
06:09
stir-fried pho, but on top we use a very
06:12
rare kind of beef. It's a golden corn
06:15
shin. We have for one cow, there's only
06:17
600 g of golden corn shin.
06:19
And on the surrounding, there's a pho
06:21
bowl, which we use the broth with the
06:24
fat to make the pho more aromatic for
06:26
We got the stir-fried right here, spring
06:30
rolls, northern, northern, southern.
06:31
Yeah. Also, he calls these pho rolls,
06:35
not spring rolls. Pho rolls, thank you.
06:36
I'm trying to the the taste the flavors
06:43
that he was describing with Mommy. So,
06:45
the biggest difference between this and
06:48
say something cheap on the street, he
06:49
So, yeah, like the MSG does add like a a
06:52
flavor to it that's very unique and
06:55
So, another northern.
06:58
Almost like a chicken
07:03
tastes different, like less beefy for
07:05
Okay. Now I'm afraid I'm going to like
07:10
the southern one cuz that's what I think
07:13
>> I'm used to. Yeah, I'm used to a little
07:15
bit more sugar and things. Here, you
07:16
take it. I'll spill it.
07:18
Actually, I think I might like this one
07:23
the most. Really? Yeah, yeah, we'll see.
07:25
I mean, when I try everything together
07:27
cuz it's like all the vegetables and
07:29
There are slight differences. They're
07:35
not like extremely different. So, I'm
07:37
going to put things in kind of
07:39
perspective for you guys. My brother has
07:40
not really had probably he's from
07:42
Southern California, but even the fun
07:43
Southern California is hit or miss. I
07:45
don't care what anybody says the
07:47
Vietnamese food in California
07:48
it can be good and it's also really
07:50
terrible. What condiments okay? Yes. So
07:52
chili sauce? Yeah, chili sauce is
07:54
homemade we ferment it for 7 days.
07:56
>> Oh, okay. Okay. Garlic?
07:58
I will I change for you another one. So
08:01
the garlic vinegar we make from Hanoi
08:03
beer. We ferment Yeah, we ferment it
08:05
inside for 15 days and then we put in
08:07
the garlic. But I change for you guys.
08:10
Yeah, no no problem. No problem.
08:12
I'm going to do a broth taste test. We
08:13
Okay. Brother do you want to help me
08:19
with the the northern one? How do I do
08:20
that? Just give me a little I want to
08:22
taste the the broth first.
08:23
>> Yeah. Am I going to feed you?
08:24
Yeah, this one has a lot more like
08:30
fatty texture to it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
08:33
I'd always prefer Southern, but if I
08:34
were to have these all three of them
08:36
taste quite different.
08:37
>> Yeah. Yeah, I don't know how to describe
08:39
it. This one though has a bit more oily
08:40
to it, but otherwise like Yeah, and I'm
08:41
a pho snob cuz I don't eat a lot of pho
08:43
it it's good. Cuz your since your pho is
08:48
a little bit nicer and higher end, do
08:50
you recommend still adding like the
08:52
these condiments into it?
08:53
>> Yes, of course because
08:55
in the traditional way of eating pho we
08:57
still put chili sauce and garlic vinegar
08:59
into it, but I would not recommend too
09:01
much lime or hoisin sauce. Okay. I still
09:04
put it there because it's a very
09:07
preferential thing, but to me the best
09:08
is still chili sauce and garlic vinegar.
09:11
Okay. So yeah, so for you guys the chili
09:13
Yeah. For sure. Thank you.
09:16
Not pho. Pho rolls. Pho rolls. Yeah, I
09:18
call them pho spring rolls, but pho
09:20
rolls. If you're somebody who likes pho,
09:22
this this is definitely going to be
09:24
something up your alley.
09:25
This is really good. It's really good.
09:29
You just had your first bite of proper
09:34
Vietnamese food and Vietnamese food in
09:36
Vietnam cuz you just arrived. On a scale
09:38
of 1 to 10, how would you rate this pho?
09:40
I mean, well, it's clearly the the best
09:43
>> Exactly. But I think the biggest thing
09:46
actually I'm noticing is the noodles are
09:48
The noodles back home suck. I don't know
09:52
what it is. They just But these have a
09:55
different texture. They're way better. I
09:56
would absolutely agree. That's like my
09:58
biggest issue. Like in Amsterdam,
10:00
horrendous. Everything about that was
10:01
horrendous. Horrendous.
10:02
>> Even California, like I had pho with you
10:04
before in California and the noodles
10:06
there are a little bit different. But I
10:07
I do remember me I commented to him cuz
10:09
they knew who I was. And I was like,
10:11
"The pho is fine. It's just the the
10:13
noodles are different."
10:14
So, it's the best pho he's ever had in
10:17
his life. Yeah. Hands down. You know,
10:18
before he came, he was giving me
10:21
He was saying that he doesn't want me to
10:22
take him to bad places, which I would
10:24
You you told me that.
10:26
>> I said, "I don't want you to like take
10:27
me to like sketchy food." Cuz I know you
10:29
like like you've eaten weird things in
10:32
the past. So, I was like, "I don't want
10:33
you to feed me the weird stuff."
10:34
>> So, this is this is brotherly love and
10:36
good brother bonding time. So, I'm glad
10:37
you're enjoying the the pho. So, this is
10:40
So far the best meal he's had in Vietnam
10:42
because he's been here less than 24
10:45
>> So, he hasn't really eaten anything, but
10:48
I'm glad you're enjoying this. So, this
10:50
is my pho. I like a lot of chilies.
10:51
Oh, my brother's trying the the pho
10:55
Wasn't what I was expecting as
11:02
I was expecting like a spring roll, but
11:05
it's definitely different.
11:06
>> No, the texture of the rice paper is
11:07
like it's it's a nice mouth feel when
11:09
you eat it compared
11:11
>> meat in this is really good. Yeah, it's
11:12
like the high-quality meat that he's
11:14
using. Proper bite of the the pho.
11:15
I feel like local people or countryside
11:24
people would sometimes prefer the street
11:26
pho cuz it's more of like a childhood
11:28
taste cuz of the MSG you you you mommy
11:30
All right, stir fry.
11:36
>> Yeah, I'm feeding you.
11:40
Again, the meat's really good. Like good
11:48
good? Yeah, really good. I don't know
11:50
what's in it, but like it's really good.
11:52
Yeah, cuz this foam is like the the
11:54
aromatic foam that he like bubbles with
11:56
not bubbles. Bubbles is not a good word
12:00
to use for that. I don't know. He
12:01
mentioned earlier on camera.
12:03
>> No, that meat's really good.
12:04
Right? It's really good.
12:07
Cuz if the noodles remind me of like a
12:09
pad thai noodle, but better. Like that's
12:10
Yeah, that's actually like that's if you
12:13
like pad thai and that type of dish this
12:14
So, I've had a lot of fun in Vietnam.
12:17
The one thing you can really taste the
12:19
difference especially with the meat
12:20
quality in this and then also it you
12:21
don't have the MSG taste which I like
12:24
and I think a lot of people in Vietnam
12:26
would prefer that. I understand some
12:27
people don't want to have
12:29
Um but like I would think like so maybe
12:31
some people from the countryside or who
12:33
grown up eating pho with MSG, they may
12:36
prefer that taste, but especially coming
12:39
to this place like this, I think it's
12:42
like 150 to 200,000 Vietnamese dong. So,
12:43
um I'll ask him in a second cuz I forgot
12:47
how much like $6 to $10 for a bowl. It's
12:49
a bit more expensive compared to stuff
12:53
on the street, but it's it's nice. Like
12:54
my brother said it's the best
12:56
>> quality. Yeah, and you can taste it. So,
12:58
how I I forgot to look at the menu on
13:00
the cost. So, how much is the bowl of
13:02
pho? Uh so, a bowl of pho that you guys
13:04
just had is 205. 205,
13:06
>> okay. Or the basic one for one meat is
13:09
So, yeah. So, 150 so like $7 to I'll say
13:14
>> $6, yeah. Yeah, 6 7 to 10-ish. Yeah. All
13:18
right, brother. We finished. What was
13:21
your favorite thing?
13:23
Actually, I think it was the stir fry of
13:25
uh that's what it was called, I think.
13:28
But I think it was cuz of the meat that
13:30
they the flavors and like I don't know
13:31
what it was. It was really good. But
13:34
then actually I think my most my pho,
13:36
but I also ate some of her pho. I tasted
13:38
all of them, but I think I maybe liked
13:40
my pho the best, which is the northern
13:42
pho. Yeah, that one
13:44
you can taste like the fatty flavor to
13:46
it as well. Yeah, and thank you King.
13:47
King, if people want to try your pho,
13:49
so it's G Ma's in Thao Dien. Yes. Please
13:52
come here to G Ma and try our our pho.
13:54
And also for the evening we have some
13:56
more new contemporary Vietnamese dishes
13:58
that we really want you to try out.
14:00
All right, brother. Let's go.
14:03
I'm trying to get him to wear these, but
14:08
I don't even got any yet. You don't It's
14:10
very cold in here. I'll get me a pair. I
14:12
got the green ones. You want to the
14:13
green ones at the house? No, our hotel
14:15
has some, too. Those are blue, but yours
14:16
are like cheaper. All right, we're
14:18
taking a quick break. Uh
14:20
Brother, this is the salted coffee.
14:22
He got black coffee cuz yeah, he's
14:25
That's really good. Yeah, I told you it
14:31
Like But I couldn't drink that much cuz
14:36
I don't know. I don't eat a lot. Yeah,
14:38
he can't handle milk very well.
14:39
>> Interesting. It's like a dessert though.
14:46
Yeah, like this salted coffee, the milk
14:47
coffee, they have the coconut coffee.
14:49
And later I'll have you try egg coffee.
14:51
There's avocado coffee, there's
14:55
coffee coffee everything. Like coffee
14:58
Vietnam coffee is top like in the world.
15:00
I got to try that black coffee. Yeah,
15:03
you can try the black coffee, but
15:05
It's black coffee. This is like a cold
15:09
I mean I was starting to get a tip, so I
15:15
think I need to count it.
15:16