O Kay Hue beef noodle soup with clear broth, fatty and crab delicious cake, sliced beef shank

Bún bò Huế O Kay nước trong, chả cua vừa béo vừa bùi, bắp bò hoa xắt lát - Ảnh 1. — A bowl of clear Hue beef noodle soup at O Kay includes: beef shank, crab roe, sliced pork leg, and sliced pork leg, priced at 115,000 VND/bowl, with an additional cup of Pu'er or Snow White Shan tea - Photo: HO LAM

In alley 400/8 Le Van Sy street, Nhieu Loc ward (old district 3), Ho Chi Minh city, there is a Hue beef noodle shop O Kay located quietly. The shop only sells one dish: clear beef noodle soup, open from 6:30 to 10:00.

The reason it is called "clear Hue beef noodle soup" is because the broth in the bowl of beef noodle soup at O Kay is as clear as spring water, without foam, without lumps, without the eye-catching color of annatto oil and still has the right amount of sourness, sweetness, and richness.

Mr. Ngo Duc Hien, owner of O Kay restaurant, told Tuoi Tre Online that clear beef noodle soup is not strange because in the past, the ladies in Hue often cooked it for their families, but now the pace of life is faster so it is difficult for people to leisurely cook it this way.

Stepping through the O Kay gate is like entering another world .

Mr. Hien cooks the broth for about 10 hours, including 2 or 3 steps: "stewing the bones and meat, separating the water, then cooking and seasoning again".

Like many other restaurants, Mr. Hien chooses to simmer bones and meat to create a sweet taste for the broth, but he will pay close attention to how to season the shrimp paste and lemongrass so that the broth is not cloudy and does not focus on finding the smell of shrimp paste and lemongrass.

"Many people think that just smashing a lot of lemongrass and mixing in the shrimp paste is enough. But if you overdo it and are not careful, the broth will easily become cloudy. Even when boiling meat, if you are not careful, the broth will not be as clear as desired," said Mr. Hien.

That's why O Kay's Hue beef noodle soup is quite light, not too strong with the smell of shrimp paste or overwhelmed by the smell of lemongrass, but a gentle and delicate combination.

Stepping through the gate of O Kay restaurant, diners feel like they are lost in another world - Photo: O Kay

On Google Maps, Huyen Thuong rated the bowl of Hue beef noodle soup at O Kay as leaving a clear taste of beef noodle soup. The pork leg, beef, and crab cake are well-balanced, retaining their own distinct flavors while blending together, and the broth is clear.

"The crab cake is especially impressive because it gives the eater the ability to clearly know what this crab cake is made of. It is not powdery, and does not feel like the color is mixed with powder or spices. In the crab cake, there is also yellow crab fat, the same color as salted eggs, it looks very sexy!", Huyen Thuong wrote.

Tam Nguyen Quang commented: "The beef noodle soup is surprisingly clear. The broth is light, sweet enough, and doesn't overpower the smell of lemongrass or shrimp paste like in regular beef noodle shops.

Personally, I like it. If there were more soft, juicy pieces of blood pudding, my "chewing" experience this morning would be more satisfying. I like clear broth because eating foods with a lot of color is really not good for the intestines."

Previously, O Kay used to be a coffee shop. Later, O Kay was renovated by Mr. Hien, the owner, entered a Hue beef noodle shop.

Many diners said that when they walked through the gate of O Kay beef noodle shop, they felt like they were "traveling through time" to another world because in the middle of bustling Saigon, they could find a Hue beef noodle shop that brought diners such a quiet, peaceful feeling.

Enjoy the taste of beef noodle soup while embracing the peaceful sounds of music, the sound of waterfalls and sometimes even birds chirping.

A corner to enjoy beef noodle soup at O Kay - Video : O Kay

From Harvard University researcher to beef noodle kitchen

Currently used to be a researcher at Hravard University in molecular biology. The path from the lab to the kitchen seemed like an unexpected turn, but for him it was natural.

Cooking is inseparable from science. On the contrary, what he learned in the lab became the foundation for his thinking about cooking and processing.

"Cooking Hue beef noodle soup with a laboratory spirit helps me reach the desired recipe faster. For example, I don't estimate the fish sauce by eye, I don't measure with a spoon but by grams," said Mr. Hien.

bún bò Huế - Ảnh 4. — Crab cakes and broth are two highlights that many diners love - Photo: HO LAM

According to him, in addition to being careful and meticulous, choosing and using fresh, delicious, and authentic ingredients makes diners feel satisfied and worth the money spent.

In 2013, Mr. Hien opened a restaurant with the style of Evolved Vietnamese Food, selling traditional Vietnamese dishes such as beef stew, fish stew, rice balls with anchovies... but with many changes and innovations in the preparation to bring a taste that is "both familiar and strange".

Recently, he decided to make O Kay clear Hue beef noodle soup to retain his family's tradition, but at the same time it also contains the taste of displacement. The broth is still clear, but he added fatty and delicious crab cakes, and the beef was sliced into flower buds.

ForMr. Presently, cuisine and the small kitchen are places for him to understand, explore and interpret life.

He said: "A good chef needs the logic and precision of a researcher and also the sensitivity of an artist to create delicious dishes. No matter what field it is, it is a learning process. I do not come to cuisine because I know. It is because I do not know that I come to it."