Pho
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our comments
Food divides opinion, especially when people consider themselves experts on a nation’s cuisine after spending some time in the country. Oddly enough this only seems to happen with the countries of the Far East. No one who spent his or her two-week holiday in Spain would claim to be an expert on the cuisine as a result, but spend six months travelling around the Far East clutching a bottle of water like a comfort blanket and suddenly you’re an authority.
All of which is a preamble to saying that I have never been to Vietnam and have no idea what ‘authentic’ Vietnamese food should taste like. All I know is that I like Pho’s take on it very much and have done so since they opened their first restaurant in Clerkenwell. I’m obviously not the only one either as the husband and wife team have been successful enough to open a second here in Great Titchfield Street and its busy, busy, busy.
With digital and analogue ad agencies moving into the area, there are plenty of cool people looking for fast food with flavour and that’s what Pho is all about. The new Pho has added some new dishes to the winning menu of hot and tasty bowls of meat and vegetable laden broths (the Phos themselves). These include an evenings-only starter of a rich crispy pancake folded over bean sprouts, chicken and prawns, all to be wrapped in a lettuce leaf and dunked in fish sauce. It’s enormous and filling. Also new are the pork and lemongrass meatballs, again in generous quantity although for me a little tame on the seasoning. There are jars of chilli sauce on the table for some who like it hot though.
The Phos themselves (Pho = French Feu = Fire) rarely need extra chilli but if they do, then the side platter which comes with every dish has in addition to basil, mint, lime and bean sprouts, a little pile of sliced birds’ eye chillies which are eye-wateringly hot. Another new dish is Bun Bo Hue, which features a shrimp paste on the side, which you stir in to your personal taste, adding another dimension to a bowl already brimming with flavours. The new Pho also does Vietnamese curries in the evening with vegetarian options. In fact vegetarians will have no problems finding suitable dishes at Pho and the mushroom options are really good enough to wean any carnivore away from meat.
Drinks range from wines and Vietnam beers from North and South of the country, to a range of exotic organic teas, flower teas and the infamous weasel coffee which tastes so nice you don’t worry about how it’s produced. Ask though and you’ll be surprised.
There will always be people who say you can get more authentic Vietnamese food in Hoxton, but so what? Pho is stylish, tasty and most importantly smart, clean, in Central London and just a few steps away from Oxford Circus. You don’t need to go travelling to the Far East, or even EC1, to get a proper spice fix at a very fair price anymore.
N.H. - June 2008
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The Pho here is certainly not the be all and end all. The beef stock is simply not beefy enough and the fillet steak slices were too overcooked. On the whole, the establishment is still very much Vietnamese and should be congratulated for introducing the cuisine to W1. The café/canteen environment is great for quick lunches and the service was efficient and smiles all round. The Iced Vietnamese Coffee is notably 2 die 4.
If Pho had a branch in Kingsland Road, they would’ve been worried sick with the competition there. But then again for all those Westenders who simply cannot be bothered with the epic trip on the Route 52 bus to Hoxton, Pho will do us fine.
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bellaphon
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Pho certainly occupies a conceptually attractive space. Healthy, nutritious, SE Asian...blah blah. It's pretty obvious that it's a Wagamama rip-off where the twist is Vietnam not Japan. The places are generally small and pretty characterless (contrast with the groundbreaking design of the early Wagamamas) and you get the sense that the owners are playing it safe, as if they're not entirely sure they're on to a winner, so they're holding back rather than backing their convictions. As for the quality of the food, it was, well, fine. But my problem with this style of cuisine (as with Wagamama) is the whole menu is a study in how many dishes can be devised using a small portfolio of ingredients: stock, noodles, chicken, prawn beef. The result is that pretty much everything tastes the same - because it is the same! It's lifestyle eating pure and simple where what you eat means more than how it tastes.
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Tim Gush
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Friday, August 08, 2008
I simply love this place! The pho with the prawns tastes so good that I can eat it every day.
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Mariah
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 25, 2008
Pho's a lively, informal restaurant, well-suited to a group meal. Eight of us enjoyed the varied starters we shared after dining here recently. For my main course, I had the traditional Pho dish (a noodle soup), which was quite nice, but not really worth finishing, as every mouthful was the same! Herbs and sauces livened the soup up a bit. Although unexciting, it was pleasant enough - and certainly tasted like it was healthy.
Service was friendly, if a little hard to attract at times - I was probably in the restaurant for close to half an hour before I received the drink I'd ordered. staff are courteous though, and we never felt hurried, even though they were quite busy. The 50% off meal deal running currently is excellent value - it worked out as a little over £14 per head for our party, which included drinks and service change.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, July 25, 2008
The best place for nice & fresh lunch around by miles. And the summer prawn rolls are just great. Will def visit the Clerkenwell site just to compare!
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Nina
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 18, 2008
Having been unimpressed with a noodle dish I got as a takeaway from the Pho in EC1, I decided to give the W1 branch a try. I'm a big fan of Thai and Malaysian food, so was disappointed to find the food bland and uninspiring. Given the rave reviews here, I'm confused as to what I missed.
Summer rolls were fine but not tasty and my mushroom pho was - in my opinion - unnecessarily large, with a flavourless stock, dull noodles and not much else going on. I added all of the herbs provided, and the lime and chilli, but it only helped a little.
Yes, it's pretty cheap and I guess if you're looking for a filling, fresh lunch in the area then it might fit the bill, but I'll be looking for authentic Vietnamese food elsewhere. Maybe my tastebuds are spoiled from the strong flavours you find in Thai tom yum gai and Malaysia laksa, but I was really hoping for more from Pho.
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-K-
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Excellent value, fresh and tasty food. Similar to Wagamama but feels more personal and not like a big chain. They even give you paper bibs so you don't end up with splashes all down your front!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
I love fresh, healthy, and vibrantly flavoured food, and Pho has all of that and more. The dishes are absolutely gushing with flavour! Their fresh juices are a fantastic way to start your meal, and make sure you try one of their flower teas at the end - wonderful.
The staff are extremely bubbly and helpful, and very quick to serve. I can't recommend Pho enough. This all adds up to a sublime experience! Pho could become a new religion in London.
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Michael
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I've been here to eat on lunchtime 2 weeks ago. I went there because both of us love Vietnamese food. We wanted to try this new restaurant. But we were very disappointed. The Vietnamese food serves here is an insult to Vietnamese food in general and to Vietnamese culture.
1. food is bland, no taste at all (eg prawn salad bowl)
2. the beef in the pho tai is too cooked (meant to be medium rare)
3. overpriced
4. home made lemonade is a joke
I would adviced anybody, from beginners to addicted to Vietnamese food to move towards Hackney to find the best of Vietnamese cuisine.
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Tony
Overall rating 
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I was taken here for the first time today by a friend who had been raving about it for ages. I can now understand why! The food is absolutely fantastic - fresh, healthy, delicious and cheap! You walk away from your lunch feeling uplifted rather than drowsy and full of food. The service was knowledgable and just right. I will be back tomorrow! Highly recommended.
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Mark
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
