Tái lăn is a technique, not a topping

The wok has to be ripping hot. Meat in, scallions in, a fast toss — the seared scent rises before the broth is poured.

That's why the broth here runs darker than familiar Saigon phở: long-simmered bone broth, northern seasoning, cracked black pepper on top. Scallions come so thick every bowl looks green.

This is the Saigon branch of Hanoi's tái lăn Phở Thìn line. The sign still shows the old address, 110 Lê Thị Hồng Gấm — the shop moved to 113 Nguyễn Thái Bình without changing it. A small detail that says everything about the place: more care for the phở than the sign.

• LineageHanoi — tái lăn, the recipe unchanged in Saigon
• BrothDark, northern-style, cracked black pepper — no clear-broth route
• ScallionsCut thick, wok-tossed with the meat and heaped on top