3 Great Titchfield Street
Fitzrovia
London, W1W 8AX
020 7436 0111
Unlike traditional Vietnamese restaurants, Pho focus solely on a small number of (Vietnamese only) street foods and specialise in the Vietnamese national dish, a delicious and very nutritious bowl of soup noodles.
If you go to the Pho Cafe website they’ve got a quote that sums it all up... “Pho is much more than breakfast in Vietnam: it is the soul of the Nation. A contribution to human happiness” BTW its pronounce fuh (rhymes with duh) not Foe.
I have to agree wholeheartedly, it’s one of the only things I crave when I’m under the weather and I’m not even Vietnamese!
I love you Pho, there I said it... now it’s out in the open, and I’ve professed my love affair with Pho. I’m going to preface this review by stating that most people will find this review overly critical even bordering on nitpicky. That’s fine as long as you know where I’m coming from.
This was one of my first London Pho experiences since moving here in February. The prices are definitely right. £6-$7 for a bowl seems reasonable almost inexpensive.
The broth: The distinguishing factor that set’s pho apart from other Asian soups, is the broth. The broth is typically a blend of spices (star anise, ginger etc.) boiled with beef bones and other beef parts. This is a process takes hours to complete.
I found the broth at Pho cafe to taste like salty beef broth; I didn’t get a hint of any of the delicate flavours of the spices at all. Maybe it was a bad batch... I’m going back to give it another go.
The Noodles: The rice noodles tasted and felt like they were using dry rice noodles. The kind you and I can get at any Thai grocer. If you’re asking yourself does it really make a difference? Then just stop reading here.
Meatballs: If you’re the type of person who’s afraid of fat on your beef, then get the chicken pho. Typically the meatballs in Pho are made from the not so choice cuts of beef. You’re going to get a fairly firm texture with some chewy bits. It is what it is... The meatballs that were served to me at pho cafe were clearly meant for a more upmarket clientele. They’ve used regular ground beef to make the meatballs, and to be fair I’m sure the majority of people eating their enjoy that.
To me it’s doesn’t taste and more importantly feel right. You can try to go up market with it, but it doesn’t necessarily make it better.
I was slightly disappointed, but I would go back. If you’re on the fence, I would recommend getting off the fence and going, you will still enjoy it.
Pho is a new Vietnamese place on Great Titchfield Street, they make fresh Vietnamese street food.
They specialise in Soup Noodles which are fantastic. The noodles come with a side plate of fresh herbs to tear up and add to your own taste. Really good tasty food. You feel like you’ve eaten healthily but your still very full. The starters are interesting too, we had some great meatballs with dipping sauce and the spring rolls were very fresh tasting.
I spoke to the owner who said the secret is in the stock they make on the premises. It takes 12 hours to cook and keeps all the fresh flavours in the stock. Tastes great.
The décor is fairly basic whitewash walls and a couple of pictures but there is a good atmosphere with a lively local crowd gathering their most nights. Once this place gets into the guide books I expect it’ll be booked up weeks ahead so get in there now while it’s still new and not well known. Expect to pay about £30 for two with some beer.
I’ve been to ‘nam but never had food as good as Phos.
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