Sydnie Ito and Hans Li, American citizens, who now live in Singapore, first set foot in Vietnam in April. The couple spent three days in HCM City and visited tourism attractions.

Enjoying delicious food, from street nosh to luxury dishes, Sydnie and Hans were most impressed with the pho bo priced at $100, or VND2.5 million, at a restaurant in Ton That Dam Market in district 1, HCM City.  

Sydnie said the super-expensive pho is not always available and diners need to order in advance. 

The $100 was for food for two persons, including for each a bowl of pho, a cup of pho-flavored cocktail, two molecular pho balls and two pieces of banh my (bread).

At first, the couple thought the order would be a big and luxurious bowl of pho, but they were served dishes related to pho, from appetizers to main courses to desserts.

Sydnie and Hans were first served a pho-flavor cocktail and two pho balls, and then bread. The pho balls had a jelly-like texture, which immediately dissolved in the mouth, while banh mi had a crispy crust, and rich filling, including wagyu beef, pate, small ribs and herbs.

The ingredients were arranged cleverly, including seven different types of beef, such as cow marrow, beef balls, underdone beef and American beef loin, and a ration of fresh wagyu.

Noodles were put in a separate bowl. There was also a tray containing chili sauce, black bean sauce, truffle sauce, lemon, fresh chili and a bowl of egg yolk.

Sydnie said she was especially impressed by the broth. As the noodles were made manually, they were soft and delicious. The marrow was delicious, melting in the mouth.

After finishing the pho, the two travelers were served a fish sauce flavored ice cream, together with Phu Quoc pepper. Customers could put more fish sauce on the ice cream if they wanted.

Tasting the super-expensive pho bo was a memorable experience in Vietnam for the couple. They praised the flavor and gave good comments about the impressive decor of the restaurant and the cozy atmosphere, which differed from other luxury restaurants located in bustling places.

Thao Trinh