BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — It’s pho season.
Just in time for the cooler temperatures, a Brooklyn resident is again hosting pop-up brunches in her Bed-Stuy home for lovers of the Vietnamese noodle soup.
Isabelle Nguyen launched “The Art of Pho” this summer after she was unable to find a good pho spot in the city, she said.
Options at more than a dozen restaurants in areas like Elmhurst, Chinatown and Sunset Park couldn’t compare to meals made by her mother, so she decided to take the matter into her own hands.
“I’m not an expert, I just love it,” Nguyen said. “Making a good pho is essentially a lost art. You need a good broth, nice color, have it robust in flavor.
“I decided that since I can’t find a place, I’m going to make it.”
Since June, Nguyen has served more than 100 people at pop-up events in her Bed-Stuy apartment and a Carroll Gardens art gallery, she said.
The four-course, prix-fixe menu is a blend of traditional and modern dishes, including crispy rice cake with braised pork belly and quail egg, grilled pork summer rolls with fish sauce, and beef pho.
Nguyen makes the soup with bone broth, simmering it for 16 hours with a variety of spices, she said.
The meals hosted at her DeKalb Avenue home start at $38 per person and diners can bring their own beer and wine. In addition to the pop-ups, she also caters private dinners.
"One good thing about these pop-ups is that you meet as strangers and you leave as friends," Nguyen said. "Everyone is coming together for the universal love of food."
On Saturday, Sept. 26, she’ll host a New Orleans-style brunch with offerings including beignets, shrimp and grits, and French toast.
Vietnamese dishes will be served at pop-ups starting in November, Nguyen added.
For more information on upcoming brunch and dinner dates, visit The Art of Pho Facebook page and website.
