Pho Cafe Opens Tomorrow with Traditional Vietnamese Dish
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
The business partners and brothers-in-law are opening Pho Cafe tomorrow at 11 a.m. at 346 Enterprise Drive. The lunch and dinner shop will serve up a style of Southeast Asian soups, sub and rolls that are quickly gaining popularity.
They point to specialty restaurants in bigger cities and increased visibility of Vietnamese dishes on cooking shows that have made food like pho, a noodle soup in beef broth, a rising trend.
“Everybody is more open-minded, they’re trying new things,” observed Ounkham, the chef. He listed the typical ingredients: round eye steak in a bowl of broth with vermicelli, onions, cilantro, beansprouts, basil and jalapenos.
For them, it’s a homegrown taste.
“It’s comfort food for us. When we visit our parents, it’s what they feed us,” he said. “Both of us love pho, but we have to drive to Fort Wayne to get it.”
Despite its trendiness today, pho has historically been a more basic staple, something thrown together with less expensive ingredients.
“It was called, back in the day, a working-class food,” Ounkham said, something thrown together with maybe $5 worth of meat for flavor and noodles for bulk. He compared it to soul food, which “used to be things like pig’s feet, and now you get it in a restaurant with collard greens and it costs $13.”
Um compared it to oyster and lobsters, high-end fare once seen as little more than fish bait or fertilizer.
“It’s the same concept, it catches on and becomes trendy or unique,” he said.
It’s also a healthy option, Ounkham said, with little red meat and a lot of vegetables. Um noted there will be also be vegetarian versions of everything on the menu.
Other fare at Pho Cafe will include Vietnamese style subs – banh mi – available with pork, beef or chicken plus cilantro, carrots and daikon radish.
“Everything is made to order,” said Ounkham. “We marinate the meat, it’s not made with cold cuts, and everything is grilled.”
Um added that though they have passion for the food, the challenge has been adapting it to a larger scale as well as getting the restaurant ready to open, which has meant long days and a lot of back-to-back meetings.
“I’ve been trying to bust my butt to get it going,” he remarked.
Pho Cafe will be open at 11 a.m. every day except Monday, until 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and until 6 p.m. Sunday. Its phone number is 574-267-6373.[[In-content Ad]]
The business partners and brothers-in-law are opening Pho Cafe tomorrow at 11 a.m. at 346 Enterprise Drive. The lunch and dinner shop will serve up a style of Southeast Asian soups, sub and rolls that are quickly gaining popularity.
They point to specialty restaurants in bigger cities and increased visibility of Vietnamese dishes on cooking shows that have made food like pho, a noodle soup in beef broth, a rising trend.
“Everybody is more open-minded, they’re trying new things,” observed Ounkham, the chef. He listed the typical ingredients: round eye steak in a bowl of broth with vermicelli, onions, cilantro, beansprouts, basil and jalapenos.
For them, it’s a homegrown taste.
“It’s comfort food for us. When we visit our parents, it’s what they feed us,” he said. “Both of us love pho, but we have to drive to Fort Wayne to get it.”
Despite its trendiness today, pho has historically been a more basic staple, something thrown together with less expensive ingredients.
“It was called, back in the day, a working-class food,” Ounkham said, something thrown together with maybe $5 worth of meat for flavor and noodles for bulk. He compared it to soul food, which “used to be things like pig’s feet, and now you get it in a restaurant with collard greens and it costs $13.”
Um compared it to oyster and lobsters, high-end fare once seen as little more than fish bait or fertilizer.
“It’s the same concept, it catches on and becomes trendy or unique,” he said.
It’s also a healthy option, Ounkham said, with little red meat and a lot of vegetables. Um noted there will be also be vegetarian versions of everything on the menu.
Other fare at Pho Cafe will include Vietnamese style subs – banh mi – available with pork, beef or chicken plus cilantro, carrots and daikon radish.
“Everything is made to order,” said Ounkham. “We marinate the meat, it’s not made with cold cuts, and everything is grilled.”
Um added that though they have passion for the food, the challenge has been adapting it to a larger scale as well as getting the restaurant ready to open, which has meant long days and a lot of back-to-back meetings.
“I’ve been trying to bust my butt to get it going,” he remarked.
Pho Cafe will be open at 11 a.m. every day except Monday, until 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and until 6 p.m. Sunday. Its phone number is 574-267-6373.[[In-content Ad]]
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