When their mom was diagnosed with cancer and had to stop working, these brothers took on second jobs to help provide for the household. And that’s where Phuc Nguyen fell in love with cooking.
Phuc didn’t grow up cooking. Their mom owned a restaurant in Vietnam, and Phuc remembers going to it after school but he mainly stayed out of the way. It wasn’t until he started working in that kitchen, to help with household bills, that he began to learn about cooking.
Now, about Eighteen years later, these three brothers operate the best Pho shop in College Station, Texas, Nam Cafe, and a bubble tea shop next door.
Van, the oldest brother, does all of the marketing. Dat, the youngest of them, is front-of-house, and Phuc, the middle is the Mastermind chef behind it all.
They have another brother, the youngest of them, who attended Texas A&M. The older brothers would come up from Houston to visit him and that’s when they fell in love with College Station, and saw the need for a Pho shop.
The brothers purchased a building on Northgate, close to the university, and began extensive renovations. The building had been a restaurant prior and had caught fire, leaving it too badly damaged to operate. They opened BonAppeTea, the bubble tea shop first, then after more renovations they opened Nam Cafe in 2018.
Then in 2020, they opened a second location on William D. Fitch in South College Station. Being so close to the university is seasonal and difficult at times, so they were hoping that the South College Station location would be an opportunity to connect more with their local customers.
Now, after about 7 years in business, they’re feeling a squeeze; 2023 was a tough year. They pride themselves on excellent service, giving back to the community, and phenomenal food, but with higher prices and so many new restaurants in town, things are getting worrisome.
There’s nothing better than getting to enjoy lunch with your bestie, unless it’s getting to support a local spot at the same time. So Dawn and I stopped in at Nam Cafe, the Northgate location, to have some lunch and visit with the guys.
I’d never had Vietnamese coffee before, so you know I jumped on the chance to get a glass of it from BonAppeTea. It was creamy and sweet, with a robust coffee flavor. Dat explained that they double brew the coffee to get the depth of flavor. Tender, little pearls of tapioca bounced around the bottom of the cup; they had no flavor but added a fun texture. My girl, Dawn, got the tarrow honey coconut milk tea. It was creamy and lightly sweetened, with a flavor similar to vanilla; very refreshing and light.
We tried the loaded fries first. Crisp french fries, topped with bulgogi, spicy mayo, grilled
onions, cilantro, and a fried egg on top. This dish hit all the spots. The bulgogi beef was tender, but crisp on the outside. The mayo was creamy and spicy. The cilantro brightened up all of the flavors and the egg yolk combined to create a luscious sauce. Enough to share, but you won't want to.
The steak and egg plate was an amazing combination of two fried eggs, filet mignon and hot sausage in a sweet sauce, a baguette, and a side of butter and pate՛. This was a full-bodied dish, packed with deep flavors. The cubed filget mignon had a crisp sear on the outside and a tender inside, and it was sizzling in the sweet, sticky sauce on the hot cast-iron platter.
Nam Cafe offers four types of Bao, and we got to try one of each; Beef Bulgogi, Shrimp, Pork Belly, and Tofu Avocado. While they were all delicious, y’all know I’m a sucker for Shrimp. It had a light crispy batter on it, then it was topped with a crunchy cabbage slaw and sriracha mayo. In my mind, these are kind of a side dish or an appetizer, like an egg roll. So be sure to get one alongside a nice big bowl of pho.
Speaking of pho, Phuc brought out a couple of different types, one of them a sneak peek and hadn’t been released to the public yet.
The first bowl was beef pho, a combination of lean brisket and fatty brisket. That’s where it’s at, the combination of the two, that way we got some bites of a denser, meatier beef and some bites that had an extra pop of flavor. The aroma of the spices was incredible, the flavor was beautifully, full-bodied, and the noodles were perfectly cooked. Of course, we added in all of the goodies that came with it, cilantro, lime, bean sprouts, basil, then a little hoisin and sirach sauces.
The new dish, which may be out by now, was the awesome broth and noodles, but it had barbequed pork and baby bok choy. While similar, this dish had a very distinct and amazing flavor because of the pork.
It would be a tough decision, but I think my favorite dish of the day was the lemongrass beef vermicelli bowl. A huge bowl of vermicelli noodles, topped with lemongrass seasoned and seared sliced beef, then loaded with fresh veggies. Lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, daikon, and cucumbers; then sprinkled with cilantro and chopped peanuts. Served with a glaze to drizzle over everything. I was absolutely in love with all of the textures; crunchy peanuts and bean sprouts, tender beef and noodles. The variation of the savory hot beef, in contrast to the fresh, cool veggies appealed to my brain and left me dreaming of the next time I’m going to get it.
Take a drive down the backroads this weekend, then stop in at one of the two Nam Cafe locations, and be sure to tell the guys I said hi. Leave a comment on one of my socials because I’d love to know what you got, that way I can try it next time!
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110 Nagel St College Station, TX 77840
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