Hot Pot And Pho: Two Tasty Faces Of One Delicious Coin

Hot pot and pho are both Vietnamese dishes, with pho being a traditional soup dish and hot pot being a choose-your-own-adventure meal. Hot Pot & Pho in Spokane Valley is a restaurant that serves both dishes and is the first dedicated hot pot restaurant in the Inland Northwest. The restaurant is owned by Thuy Pham, who is originally from Vietnam, and managed by Brian Naccarato. Pham's story since arriving in the U.S. is described as inspiringly incredible by Naccarato, who has known her for 18 years.

Hot Pot & Pho Spokane Valley is the first hot pot restaurant in the Inland Northwest

Hot Pot & Pho offers traditional Vietnamese soups like pho, as well as hot pot, a traditional meal centred on a pot of boiling broth that each person gets to add to and cook their food in. The restaurant has high-tech hot pot tables, each with inset, heated basins for the broth so that the top of the pot is level with the table. Diners can choose a combo of broth, meat, veggies, noodles, or tofu to cook at the table. The ingredients and broth are brought out by a rolling, singing robot, which helps reduce the weight carried by human servers.

The dining room at Hot Pot & Pho is soft grey-blue with dark wooden accents, faux floral arrangements, and gilded gold ceiling tiles. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday, and takes reservations for special events.

The restaurant has received positive reviews, with customers praising the food, service, and cleanliness.

Hot pot is a traditional Vietnamese meal with raw ingredients cooked in a pot of boiling broth

Hot pot tables are designed with safety in mind, especially to prevent children from burning themselves. The pots are heated on induction surfaces, only becoming hot when the pots are placed on them. The cooktops are embedded in the tables, so the pots sit inside, and the tables have intercooler systems to prevent steam. Each table also has a control panel to adjust the heat, bringing the broth to a boil in 30 seconds before turning it down to a simmer.

The robot that delivers the ingredients to the table has several trays, reducing the number of trips for waitstaff, and it is also a hit with children. The restaurant offers three types of broth: clear, spicy, and hot and sour. Diners can choose from beef, lamb, chicken, or seafood, and meals are served with vegetables and either ramen or rice noodles.

Hot pot is a traditional meal with a modern twist at Hot Pot & Pho, bringing a unique dining experience to Spokane Valley.

The restaurant offers a variety of broths, meats, veggies, and noodles or tofu

Hot pot is a fun and interactive meal where guests cook their food in a simmering pot of broth at the table. The restaurant offers a variety of broths, meats, veggies, and noodles or tofu to choose from, allowing guests to customise their hot pot to their liking.

Broths

Hot pot broths can vary from mild to mouth-numbingly spicy. A classic choice is the Sichuan spicy broth, which has a high content of fat, a strong aroma, and a distinctive mouth-numbing and spicy taste. This broth typically includes beef tallow, dried chilli peppers, Sichuan pepper, star anise, cassia cinnamon, bay leaves, scallions, onion, coriander, garlic, ginger, and fermented beans. For a milder option, guests might choose a chicken stock-based broth, which can be made more flavourful with the addition of shiitake mushrooms, scallions, Chinese dates, and Goji berries.

Meats

When it comes to meats, thinly sliced beef, pork, and chicken are popular choices. Other options include lamb shoulder, pork belly, pork jowl, and chicken wings. For those who enjoy seafood, shrimp, scallops, squid, and fish slices can also be added to the hot pot.

Veggies

Vegetables are a crucial part of a well-rounded hot pot. Leafy greens such as spinach, watercress, and lettuce are excellent options, as are cabbages, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, lotus root, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Noodles and Tofu

For guests who prefer a more plant-based hot pot, tofu is an excellent option. Medium-firm tofu, firm tofu, tofu puffs, pressed tofu, deep-fried tofu, and egg tofu are all great choices that absorb the flavours of the broth. Noodles, such as udon or glass noodles, can also be added to the hot pot for a filling and tasty addition.

The restaurant is owned by Thuy Pham, who moved to the US from Vietnam in 2001

Thuy Pham is the owner of Hot Pot & Pho, a restaurant in Spokane Valley, Washington. Pham moved to the US from Vietnam in 2001 as part of an exchange program. She settled in Spokane, Washington, where she would go on to open her restaurant.

Pham has had a long journey to get to where she is today. She initially thought her English was good enough to work, but after arriving in the US, she realised it wasn't. She took a job at a manufacturing company and then became a janitor at Mongolian BBQ. It was there that she started dreaming of owning her own restaurant.

Pham worked and saved until she could open her own restaurant, Vien Dong Far East Asia, with the help of her former employers. She operated Vien Dong for about a year, selling it in 2005 when the Mongolian BBQ went up for sale. Pham bought the barbecue from the owners who had supported her so much.

In 2010, Pham opened another Mongolian BBQ in Airway Heights. Both spots were successful, but she still wanted to cook Vietnamese food. In 2019, she started making plans to open a Vietnamese restaurant in Airway Heights, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans.

Undeterred, Pham partnered with Brian Naccarato, and in 2024, they opened Hot Pot & Pho, Spokane Valley's first hot pot restaurant. The restaurant offers traditional Vietnamese soups like pho, as well as the choose-your-own-adventure meal of hot pot.

Pham is in the kitchen, overseeing the broths that take 16 hours to make, or prepping hot pot ingredients. She is living her dream of sharing her favourite Vietnamese dishes with her customers.

The restaurant has high-tech hot pot tables with inset, heated basins for the broth

Hot pot is a traditional meal with a pot of boiling broth where each person adds their choice of ingredients to cook in the broth. At Hot Pot & Pho, the restaurant has high-tech tables with inset, heated basins for the broth, keeping the top of the pot level with the table. This modern take on the traditional hot pot experience offers a unique dining adventure.

The tables are designed with a built-in heating system, ensuring the broth stays at the desired temperature throughout the meal. The heated basins are inset into the tables, providing a sleek and functional design. This innovative feature allows diners to enjoy their meal without having to worry about the broth cooling down. The technology ensures a consistent dining experience, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the meal.

These high-tech tables not only enhance the dining experience but also offer practical advantages. With the broth maintained at the ideal temperature, diners can take their time, savouring their meal and socializing without rushing to finish before the broth cools. This feature is especially beneficial for larger groups, as the broth can remain hot and fresh for extended periods.

In addition to the heated basins, the tables may also have other built-in features, such as induction cookers or grills, offering a versatile dining experience. The tables can be customized to fit the restaurant's space and style, with various materials, colours, and sizes available. The tables are designed with user-friendliness in mind, featuring simple installation, cleaning, and maintenance procedures.

The high-tech hot pot tables at Hot Pot & Pho elevate the traditional hot pot experience, providing diners with a unique, immersive, and convenient way to enjoy their meal. The heated basins for the broth ensure that the dining experience is not only delicious but also efficient and enjoyable, creating a memorable dining adventure for customers.

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