Refreshing Vietnamese snacks at Ningxia Night Market – The beef pho with a faint pink hue

Text & Photos /Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

I’m not entirely sure what good eats are left at Ningxia Night Market, but I always struggle with what to eat when I go back. Except, for some reason, “Húxū Zhāng” (胡须张) there tastes especially good. Recently, I wandered into a small alley and discovered this little shop that an older lady had mentioned to me before.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of this type of beef pho. The one I’ve liked the most so far might be from 【Hu Luan Chi Yi Tong】【Jiangzicui Station】– Peipei Vietnamese Cuisine, but I only occasionally crave it.

The shop is quite bright and clean, and for a snack joint, the air conditioning is pretty strong XXD

The prices are pretty average for Ningxia Night Market these days. After looking at the menu, I was more inclined to get fried rice, but I thought I should try the signature pho on my first visit.

Besides pho, many common Vietnamese dishes are available here too—I’m also quite interested in the Vietnamese ham baguette (越式火腿法国面包)!

After looking around for a while, I finally chose the Vietnamese fried spring rolls.

I went with the Vietnamese beef pho and added all the optional toppings—the beef comes in both cooked and raw versions.

The cooked beef has a texture similar to what you’d usually find in beef noodle soup, but the meat is quite tender, with slightly oily edges, though even better is the faintly pink raw beef. I recommend eating it first as soon as it arrives—if it soaks in the hot broth too long, the flavor of the raw beef completely disappears.

The beef tripe and omasum are quite generous in portion, with a slight crunch when you bite into them. The flavor is dominated by the refreshing sweetness of a bone broth, and then there’s the unique sweetness of the tripe after chewing—but overall, the tanginess of the broth is more prominent.

The beef meatballs taste like they have a lot of stuff mixed in, but I’ll be honest—I didn’t get much out of them...

The broth is less sour than I expected, and because of that, you can really taste the umami of the beef. It’s a refreshing and delicious bowl of soup—while it’s not mind-blowing, it’s definitely tasty.

The pho noodles are a bit firmer and lighter than usual ones I’ve had—they at least have some texture and don’t just slide into your mouth flavorless. They’re pretty smooth to eat, and the flavor is still dominated by the mildly sour beef broth.

Finally, the fried spring rolls were extremely crispy and had a nice oily aroma. The filling had a more predictable texture and taste, and they were delicious even without any dipping sauce. I’d definitely order another serving if I come by again.

Ah Zhong’s Traditional Vietnamese Beef Pho:
No. 19, Lane 57, Section 2, Chongqing N. Road, Datong District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2555 1235
Business hours: Mon & Tue & Thu 17:00–00:00, Wed & Fri & Sat & Sun 11:30–00:00

"Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog
If ‘eating’ is just about filling your stomach, then ‘food’ would be far too boring~~~"