There is only one thing that had to be tried when visiting Pho and it had to be the Vietnamese national dish of the noodle soup, Pho. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of other items on the menu that sounded just as tasty such as the vermicelli noodles Bun, broken rice Com Tam and the various starters.
The Pho Nam Rom was made of enoki, shitake and button mushrooms in a vegetable broth. It was a superb fresh tasting soup with a light flavour and there was a real depth to the mushrooms. So many mushrooms, spring onions and rice noodles made this wholesome soup. It was a bonus that it had my favourite of enoki mushrooms too. A side plate of fresh herbs, lime, chilli and beansprouts came with the Pho. Extra condiments of fish sauce, garlic vinegar and chilli paste were on the table.
Even though there was enough flavour with the Pho Nam Rom, it was great that you were able to add the herbs and sauces to your liking. A much needed wooden spoon together with the chopsticks was the only way to delve into the big steaming bowl of Pho.
Pho is quite a small restaurant with wooden tables and red chairs. There is a big illuminated “Pho” sign at one end of the restaurant. All of the food was made fresh and it seemed that the kitchen was on the lower level. There was fairly loud music playing in the background mostly from the 80s and 90s. The staff explained the menu really well and they were friendly and gave service with a smile.
Having a hearty bowl of Pho at Pho was really satisfying. The portions are big so definitely go there on an empty stomach.
Pho, 86 St John Street, London, EC1M 4EH
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