What makes a bowl of phở that hits the spot, from the first slurp of the slick noodles to the final sip of the soothing soup? For Ăn Viet, the soulful secret might rest in its beef, whose essence is in every spoonful of its newly revised recipe - the slices swathed over the surface, surrounded by all our favourite beef parts, with bones infused slowly but surely into the very broth.
Ăn Viet launched this elevated version of its much-loved phở in early August, so if you haven't been back to this restaurant recently, this is the one to order next - especially if you're here on Tuesdays, when Ăn Viet is currently offering up to 50% off the phở once a week to celebrate this new rendition (more details below). Dubbed the 'Beefiest Phở You'd Love,' it lives up to its name for one of the most beautiful bovine creations you'll find at any venue in KL for Southeast Asian cuisine.
We had a glimpse at how each bowl is assembled, starting with the familiar flat rice noodles, a smooth, safe base for the beef galore above, the clear stars of this show. As Ăn Viet's fans know, patrons can choose their personal noodle portion - 100, 150 or 200 grams - to accommodate their own appetite and avoid food wastage.
You have three main customisation options - for the works, the Vietnamese Beef Noodle Special is loaded with handmade 100% beef balls, premium raw rib eye beef, beef brisket, tendon and honeycomb tripe. Alternatively, the phở can be savoured simply with raw beef and beef brisket for a pure, full-bodied meaty experience, or with raw beef and beef balls if you're not a lover of offal. You can also choose your own add-ons if you have your favourite parts, like the tendon.
After nearly half a decade, Ăn Viet has fine-tuned its phở to ensure an enjoyable experience. The beef balls are naturally textured with a nice tenderness; the rib eye, served raw before the steaming-hot broth is poured over, is delicately luscious (leave it lightly cooked); the brisket is fleshy, the collagen-rich tendon is clean-tasting, and the tripe has been upgraded to the most coveted honeycomb. Every component plays its part capably - beef buffs should be pleased with the protein.
What brings it all together is the precious broth, which we'd happily drink a bowl of, even on its own. Ăn Viet now relies on a variety of bones, from the neck for a sweeter flavour to the marrow for a richer texture. It's MSG-free, so what you taste is the goodness extracted from beef bones, simmered for hours with traditional Vietnamese spices and seasonings.
You can also harvest fresh basil leaves from Ăn Viet's live plants (at The Gardens Mall, Sunway Pyramid and Paradigm Mall) and select assorted condiments to brighten your meal.
From now until 30 September 2020, Ăn Viet is offering a special promotion every Tuesday - order one serving of the phở and enjoy 10% off the price; order two servings and enjoy 15% off; order three servings and enjoy 25% off.
Ăn Viet's subscribers can enjoy double the discount, up to 50% off. Subscribing is easy and can be completed instantly at any of Ăn Viet's restaurants (in The Gardens Mall, Sunway Pyramid, Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya, or Gurney Plaza in Penang).
You can also subscribe through this link: http://bit.ly/EDKL-AnViet
The phở is more than sufficient for a complete meal, but we can't help indulging every time we visit Ăn Viet - from appetiser platters of rice paper and green mango salad, sugarcane prawns, and fresh and fried spring rolls with tiger prawns, to dessert of Viet-ffogato (Vietnamese coffee with coconut ice cream), Ăn Viet shines in putting its best into each preparation.
Ăn Viet also has a genuine heart for the community and the environment - be sure to finish all the food you order and Ăn Viet will donate 10 sen per meal to the Food Aid Foundation as part of efforts to curb food wastage and feed the hungry (about 200,000 meals were finished at Ăn Viet last year!).
Ăn Viet also has a genuine heart for the community and the environment - be sure to finish all the food you order and Ăn Viet will donate 10 sen per meal to the Food Aid Foundation as part of efforts to curb food wastage and feed the hungry (about 200,000 meals were finished at Ăn Viet last year!).
Many thanks to Ăn Viet for a phở-nomenal lunch.
Find Ăn Viet at:
The Gardens Mall (LG-203B)
Paradigm Mall PJ (Lot LG 02-03A))
Sunway Pyramid (LG2.127)
