In 2018, husband and wife Nguyen Lam and Duyen Le Ky brought 40-year-old Hanoi eatery Pho Thin to Melbourne. Their second venture is the first outpost of Pho Gia Truyen, a beloved 76-year-old pho shop in Hanoi that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award. Rather than keep the same name, the Lonsdale Street location has adopted the moniker Pho Bat Dan, the nickname Hanoi locals use for the original shop due to its address in the Hanoi Old Quarter: 49 Bat Dan Street.
In Melbourne, the broth is made by simmering beef bones, brisket and ginger overnight. The team is particular about ingredients. Only mature ginger knobs are used, and the crew goes to great lengths to get the brisket right. The same attention to detail goes into the rice noodles. They’re cut thin but with a higher ratio of rice to water, producing silkier, more opaque strands distinct to Pho Bat Dan.
The Hanoi original only has three pho options – rare beef, well-done beef, or brisket – while the Melbourne menu is expanded. You’ll also find bowls topped with beef ribs, meatballs and extra-fatty brisket. There are also four earthy, coriander-root-forward chicken pho bowls, and a vegetarian version made with carrots, white radishes, dried mushrooms and celery root.