Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Goi Cuon Thit Nuong, lemongrass grilled pork spring rolls
It’s hard to believe they're already celebrating their fifth anniversary in business, a bittersweet parallel to the anniversary of hurricane Katrina, which brought the family, and the restaurant, to Lancaster. Rice and Noodles owners Vy Banh, her husband Ninh, her sister Alys Truong and Alys's husband Bernard evacuated New Orleans and came to stay with an aunt in Lancaster after their successful chain of restaurants was destroyed. But like their mother and grandfather had done before, they started fresh and are thriving.
It began in the '60s when their grandfather started a chain that grew to 13 pho restaurants in Vietnam, but with the fall of Saigon in 1975, the family fled to the United States to start over from scratch, explains Vy. By 1982, their mother had saved enough money to open up a stand at a New Orleans flea market, and soon was selling out of pho everyday.
At the time, it was only the Vietnamese community that flocked to savor the specialty soup (pronounced “fuh”). It was not until the mid-90s, the sisters say, that Americans started to try Vietnamese food.
In 1983, their mother opened the first Pho Tau Bay in America, giving it the same name as her father’s successful line of restaurants in Vietnam. By 2000, the oldest sister, Vy, and her husband Ninh were ready to take on the family business and open up their own restaurant, which was an immediate success. When Alys graduated college, she and her husband became partners in Pho Tau Bay 3, and a year later the family opened a fourth restaurant in the heart of New Orleans. A cousin was slated to open the fifth Pho Tau Bay right at the time of Katrina. “In New Orleans, people compared us to the McDonalds of Vietnamese,” says Alys. Their family had been there for 30 years and the restaurant was very well known and loved.
But when they decided to start over in Lancaster, the name Pho Tau Bay just didn’t have the same reputation, so the sisters decided to freshen it up, and in nine months opened Rice and Noodles.
The recipes and the menu are the same, passed down from their grandfather and mother, and the flavors fast became a local favorite.
“The pho recipe is my grandfather’s original recipe,” Vy adds.
“It’s such a simple broth, but there are so many layers to it.” They start it at 8am, and it takes all day to reach readiness. Choose from beef (prepared to your liking), chicken, or even vegetarian pho, and a variety of noodles: Rice, glass, egg, bean thread or tapioca noodles. They’re served with a basket of fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, jalapenos and house specialty nuoc mam sauce. Speaking of sauces, the hoisin peanut dipping sauce that comes with many of their 12 different types of fresh spring rolls is outstanding and addictive.
Light and refreshing tastes like the jasmine tea with lime and the vermicelli salad bowls which are some of the most popular menu items, exemplifying the essence of Vietnamese cuisine. Room temperature noodle salads are served over shredded cucumbers, cilantro, bean sprouts and crispy lettuce, topped with roasted peanuts, green onions and the best part—fried shallots. You can choose from char-grilled sliced pork, chicken, shrimp, lemongrass beef, homemade pork sausage, tofu or even sliced eggrolls.
A dessert case offers a variety of mostly coconut-flavored endings and dessert drinks like che 3 mau, which is layered with coconut jelly that gets its green coloring from pandan leaf that has a vanilla-like smell and a distinct flavor, red bean paste made from adzuki beans, mung bean paste and coconut cream. And the Vietnamese coffee is a must-try for coffee lovers, served hot or cold, with or without condensed milk. It’s the real deal—just like everything else at Rice and Noodles.
Rice & Noodles: 1238 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, 717-481-7461; www.riceandnoodlesrestaurant.com | Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10pm
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Pho Ap Chao, pan fried noodles with shrimp, vegetables and pineapple
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Owners Alys and Bernard Truong and Vy and Ninh Banh
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Assorted noodles decorate the restaurant
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Bun Tom Nuong, char-grilled shrimp vermicelli salad bowl, a refreshing light dish served room temperature with shredded cucumbers, cilantro, bean sprouts and lettuce with nuoc mam sauce, roasted peanuts, green onions and fried shallots
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Che 3 Mau, dessert in a glass filled with mung bean paste, red beans and coconut cream topped with coconut jelly, also served with Vietnamese coffee
