Pho Cafe, London

i had a wicked night here with my girlfriends last week.

we shared a few starters to begin with - summer rolls, spring rolls, meatballs, a crepe…all yummy.

we all had pho (noodle soup) for mains - amazing, which could have been precarious before going out, but the girls working suited us all up with bibs, and all our dresses were spotless for champagne induced dancing later.

fantastic little place!

i have been here quite a few times now, and it has definitely become one of my favourite restaurants.

it’s just so healthy, tasty, and fresh that i rarely think of a place i would rather eat.

last night i had the 'bun bo hue’, or the spicy brisket pho. it was to die for.. loads of coriander and chili - delicious.

i washed it down with an ice cold beer - Halida. Perfect dinner.

It’s not just 54 that keeps my taste buds titillated. Pho Cafe provides a cute, reasonably priced Vietnamese outside of Kingsland Road. Here’s their mission statement:

“The short menu means that we can specialise in a small number of Vietnamese street foods and ensure that everything is made in house from the highest quality ingredients and is bursting with fresh flavours. We don’t buy in pre-packaged processed meatballs and frozen spring rolls – instead our Vietnamese chefs make everything using authentic recipes. Our pho takes up to 12 hours to prepare and it’s this care that is key to the stock retaining its goodness and developing its subtle and distinctive taste.”

This place is also great for the gluten free, dairy free, fat free and the allergy ridden amongst you. No carbs can equal happiness, ask Dr Atkins!

I don’t think this place is anything special, it certainly isn’t as good as some of the Vietnamese restaurants in East London.

I found the Vietnamese pancakes very greasy and heavy, quite disappointing really. The noodles were nice and so was the soup but i thought the prices are too expensive. It wasn’t great value for money but if you’re catching up with friends and looking for somewhere quiet to eat then Pho is good for that as it doesn’t seem to get very busy in the evenings.

There is nothing I enjoy more than pigging out, whilst still feeling healthy. Nothing.

Pho (pronounced 'Fuh’, like a curtailed expletive) has become a regular haunt on those 'it’s your turn to cook, no it’s not it’s your turn to cook oh what the hell, let’s go out’ nights. The generously priced Vietnamese fare makes it simple to nip in, eat and skidaddle home without any lingering feelings of guilty economic downturn extravagance.

The noodle soups, all under a nine quid, are filled with healthy, flavoursome and filling ingredients and leave just enough room to finish off with some of London’s finest homemade ice cream. The choice of either honey and ginger or coconut would be hard for James Joyce himself to articulate in mere words alone. I am salivating as I write this and struggling to keep this keyboard dribble free….

So, moving on. If you work in this 'hood, the lunchtime takeaway menu is criminally fair priced, the service always friendly, affable and endearingly only 83% competent. The modern, minimalist setting though not ideal for a elongated dining experience, suits me just fine.

Pho-king marvellous.

Pho is rather disappointing. I won’t use the word ‘authentic’ as this isn’t it. I suppose if you’re new to Vietnamese food, there’s no harm in starting off here, as long as you doesn’t leave here thinking that this represents Vietnamese cuisine. The bill came to £32 (with no alcohol) for two.

Truly the worst Vietnamese meal I’ve ever eaten. Last year I was lucky enough to work on a cookbook with experience in a professional Vietnamese kitchen in London – this rather spoilt me. Eating Vietnamese food in London can often be reminiscent of eating Indian food here in the 1970s. So, why is the restaurant PHO so bad? The banh xeo was like a hard greasy taco shell, the nuoc cham tasted like red dish water. The Pho, and noodles, and “curry” were vapid, with meat that tasted as if it had been frazzled-black several hours ago - like bits of old shoe leather. All in all, truly appalling food. The range of beer was good and the Saigon beer was the tastiest item on the menu by far. The staff were professional, courteous and very friendly – but he food was so bad I went home and cooked for myself.

I really have to agree with all the details of the above review. They don’t have the biggest variety of Vietnamese on their menu compared to all the ones on Kingsland road, yet everything that I’ve had at this place has always been tasty, delicious and reasonably priced.

I’m addicted to the flavourful stock that they use for all the 'Pho’ dishes, and it’s especially warming on those cold days. I’m happy for others that they’ve now opened up a new branch in Oxford Circus somewhere.

The emphasis on really fresh, good quality ingredients also seem to win over their customers as it almost always seems full of people whenever I arrive. They even have a small counter (fitting three people) if you ever find yourself dining there by yourself or just can’t wait for one of their tables.

It’s rather embarrassing how many times I might eat here in a week. But it’s good and filling, fast and easy. I love their summer rolls and their fresh juices (my fave is the carrot, apple and ginger mix). And I’m crazy about their pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). I usually get the Bun Hue Ga ( hot and spicy chicken soup – with emphasis on the hot!) but all the soup’s are wonderful. And, yes, I’ve tried them all.

If there were only a zipline from my flat to their dining area … oh well, I’ll live I suppose.