Ăn Viet isn’t new in town and has built up quite a reputation for itself among lovers of Vietnamese cuisine. It currently has four outlets, at The Gardens Mid Valley, Paradigm Mall, Sunway Pyramid and Gurney Plaza, Penang.
The City List was recently invited to try their new ‘Beefiest Pho in Town’, an upgrade on their previous beef pho recipe.
For starters, Ăn Viet really does put a hundred and one per cent into their customer experience with a focus on the community. The team behind Ăn Viet actually travelled to Vietnam for a period of time to try the best beef phos available. As a result, they’ve come up with a pho that combines the most authentic elements from Vietnamese cuisine. Their pho comes in three versions. The Vietnamese Beef Noodle Special is made with 100% pure beef balls, beef brisket, premium raw ribeye beef, tendon, honeycomb tripe and a beefy soup that has been simmered for more than 16 hours.
The other options, the Vietnamese Raw Beef and Beef Brisket Noodle soup and Vietnamese Raw Beef & Beef Ball Noodle Soup are made with the same broth, but different beef parts. We tried the Beef Noodle Special with all the parts included. The broth itself was really rich, with several layers of umami. This is no surprise as the soup has been simmered overnight. This is probably the part of the pho you should try first so that your tongue gets to taste the unhindered umami flavour before anything else.
The ingredients that top the pho was of the best quality too. One of the first toppings you’ll see is the raw beef ribeye which is thinly sliced and really fresh. If the word ‘raw’ worries you a bit, don’t be. The beef retains its tender texture, while the hot broth actually cooks the outer part of the beef during the pho’s assembly process. The beef balls are also made with fresh minced beef, and if you’re a beef lover, you’ll appreciate the strong beef flavour of their beef balls.
Ăn Viet has several unique dining experiences. If you’re ordering their Beef Pho, there’s a special condiments table at every outlet where you can help yourself to as much bean sprouts, bird’s eye chilli and basil leaves as you want. Here’s where it gets interesting. Customers get to cut their own basil leaves from potted basil plants at their little herb garden above the condiments table. Scissors and clean water are provided for you to harvest as much basil as you’d like and add them to your pho.
Ăn Viet also allows you to pick the number of noodles you want, from 100gm, 150gm or 200gm. This is because they’ve partnered with Food Aid Foundation to encourage zero food waste, and for every finished meal, Ăn Viet donates RM0.10 to the foundation. The same portion saving policy applies to dishes with rice as well.
From now until 15th September, Ăn Viet offers all diners a special price on their phos. Non members will enjoy a 10% discount while members enjoy a 20% discount for one order of the Beefiest Pho. If you order two phos, you’ll enjoy 15% off if you’re not a member, and 30% off if you’re a member. If you order three phos, you’ll get 25% off ( non members) or 50% off for members.
With travel restrictions in place, Ăn Viet’s beefiest pho is the next best option for getting that pho fix without the need to hop on a plane. What’s more, you’ll be able to indulge yourself in a veritable Vietnamese dining experience that’s full of fresh ingredients and generous flavours.
Opening hours are Mondays – Fridays 1100 – 2200, last order at 2145, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 1000 – 2200, last order at 2145
