Phen moved to the U.S. from Vietnam when he was around 18 and quickly developed a passion for cooking.
After overcoming a brush with cancer, he followed his passion to become a chef and opened Broth & Basil with Tumy in 2019.
Tumy said her and Phen’s upbringings allowed them to approach menu development with varying perspectives.
“He grew up with the traditional flavors of Vietnam, and I was obviously a Texas gal, and so we thought about how to influence the traditional menu with some new twists to it,” Tumy said.
The resulting menu adds a Southern twist to Vietnamese dishes. One fan favorite, Tumy said, is the beef rib pho, which is served with a chargrilled beef rib.
Tumy said Broth & Basil’s fusion style and one-page menu help to accomplish one of their main goals.
“Our thing from the beginning is we wanted to keep it simple and approachable,” Tumy said. “We’re just real passionate about bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the community and making it more approachable for all our customers.”
Another element of Broth & Basil’s dishes is locally sourced ingredients, Tumy said.
The restaurant sources its popular wagyu beef from Austin-based ranch Ranger Cattle.
“We’ve toured [Ranger’s] facilities multiple times, and we’ve gotten to see how they care for their cows,” Tumy said. “You know, it’s a little bit different than just the regular rare beef that’s served in other traditional Vietnamese pho dishes.”
After recently celebrating four years in business, Tumy said she and Phen plan to continue doing what they have since 2019.
“We know what we execute well, and so we just want to focus on that,” Tumy said. “We’re still just committed to bringing the best quality food available.”
Fusion cuisine
Vermicelli, pho and traditional rice dishes form from the core of Broth & Basil's Vietnamese-Texan fusion menu.
The Western aspect
Menu items commonly found in American cuisine:
- Texas-raised beef
- Barbecue-style dry rubs
- Chicken wings
Menu items commonly found in Asian cuisine:
- Pho: a meat soup dish garnished with vegetables and herbs
- Vermicelli: a thin rice noodle
- Bao: an Asian-style dough used for bun sliders
- Pho beef rib ($20): pho served with a chargrilled beef rib and sliced rare steak
- Pho wagyu ($21): pho served with wagyu beef sourced from Ranger Cattle in Austin
- Bun sliders ($7): two steam buns topped with house sauce; cilantro; cucumbers; pickled carrots; jalapenos; and choice of pork, chicken or shrimp
- Chicken wings ($6): four wings served with choice of Asian ranch dry rub or sweet and savory Saigon-style fish sauce
18817 Limestone Commercial Drive, Ste. 400, Pflugerville
512-251-4746
www.brothandbasil.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8:45 p.m., closed Sun.
