Famous Hà Nội noodle shop opens Tokyo franchise

TOKYO — Phở Thìn – a family-run noodle shop in Hà Nội open for 30 years – has opened its first franchise in Tokyo.

Opened on March 9, the new shop has been greeting hundreds of guests each day. Outside the shop, there is a permanent long line of people waiting patiently for a seat.

The famous noodle soup has retained its authentic flavour and presentation. The thin beef slices are flash-fried before topping the noodles together with sliced spring onion and boiling beef broth.  

Within a half hour of opening, the shop had sold out. While a bowl of Phở Thìn in Hà Nội costs VNĐ60,000 (US$2.6), its Tokyo version costs 840 yen ($7.5).

Owner of Pho Thin Tokyo, Kenji Sumi, is a former office worker who travelled regularly to Hà Nội for business and was amazed by the unique flavour of the famous dish.

He said it was completely different from any kind of phở that he had tried before.

“The broth is flavourful, the green spring onions cover the white noodles, and the smell is so good. Even the chili sauce is also very different,” he said.

Haunted by this traditional dish, in March 2016, Sumi decided to quit his job to pursue his “dream” – to open a Vietnamese noodle shop in Tokyo.

In January 2018, he flew back to Hà Nội to meet the owner of Phở Thìn, Nguyễn Trọng Thìn, to convince him to share his family recipe. After long negotiations, Sumi received the nod from the owner to start his business in Tokyo.  

Before Saturday’s opening, Thìn also flew to Tokyo to make sure every step in the new shop replicated the authentic version.  

At present, the shop, which can be found at B1, Hayakawa Building, 1-12-14, Higashiikebukuro, Toshima District, is open from noon to 2pm.  — VNS