If you haven’t tried out Vietnamese street food restaurant Pho which opened its doors in the St James Quarter in November last year, you are seriously missing out!
The vibrant family-run business on the fourth floor of The Quarter opposite Bonnie & Wild serves up healthy, good value Vietnamese food that’s freshly prepared from scratch on-site every day and is incredibly moreish.
Background
The Pho group of restaurants was founded in 2005 by Stephen and Juliette Wall after the couple travelled to Vietnam and fell in love with the country’s delicious cuisine and the first Pho opened in London later that year. Fast forward 17 years and there are now 30 + restaurants around the UK with this Edinburgh one being their first in Scotland (and more to outlets to open in Scotland this year – we cant wait!)
Concept
Pho specialises in its namesake rice noodle soup which is the national dish of Vietnam. This popular, aromatic, low-fat, healthy noodle soup is a signature dish on pho’s menu. It can be tailored to your own spiciness level and you can choose between, their classic Pho’s – think Beef Brisket, Steak, Chicken and King Prawn. Or go vege with their tofu and mushroom options. If you like it spicy – try one of their hot and spicy soups served with bún or phở noodles. All soups come with a giant plate of herbs that can be added to your pho and broths are simmered for at least 12 hours adding to the flavour profile.
The Menu
Delve further into the menu and you will find authentic flavours of Vietnam, which include spring and summer rolls, spicy salads, wok-fried rice and noodle dishes and decadent curries, plus Vietnamese beers and coffees, fresh juices and unique cocktails.
Pho caters for all – 98% of their menu is gluten-free, and they are accredited by Coeliac UK, 40% of their menu is vegan and they have a great kid’s menu that includes a meal and a drink for the little ones.
And if you are a true diehard spice fan they have a range of dips and sauces on your table to take things up a level!
Our Experiene
We were kindly asked along to taste the menu last week and here is a snapshot of what we sampled.
Drinks
To start with we ordered a couple of their classic cocktails, this is their signature cocktail the Phojito; white rum, mint, lime & soda on the right and the Gin Spritz on the left; Tanqueray, muddled cucumber, mint, lime & soda.
While we were looking over the menu we got a plate of prawn crackers, a huge portion served with a portion of sweet chilli sauce to dip them in.
Starters
Spring rolls – these come filled with either pork or veggies and you can choose either nước chấm (a spicy sauce) or peanut sauce – the peanut sauce is incredible and perfectly complements their deep friend crunch of the rolls.
We also opted for their Summer rolls, these are light and fresh – packed with herbs and vermicelli noodles and pickle and you can choose – veggie, chicken, prawn or This isn’t chicken (a bit like Quorn) fillings. Again served with your choice of nước chấm or peanut sauce.
And why have two starters when you can have three! So we also opted for a portion of Beef betel which is beef wrapped in Betel leaves. These leaves are known to flush toxins and restore the normal pH levels of the stomach. These delicious little parcels come on a bed of rice vermicelli sheets & nước chấm.
Mains
For mains we went for their Classic curry, this rich coconut-based curry is a bit like Thai red curry – packed with flavour and fragrance and not too spicy, and I guarantee you will be cleaning your bowl out with your spoon. You can choose for it to include chicken, beef brisket, king prawn, tofu or this isn’t chicken and it comes with a side of rice.
If you like it spicy then try their spicy curry which is similar but with a good chilli kick.
You can’t come to Pho without having one! So we went spicy and had the hot & spicy tofu & mushroom, it’s spicy, sour and OMG delicious!
And it’s important to get your greens, so a portion of Morning Glory is a must, this staple side in Asia is a simple dish of water spinach and garlic but simple doesn’t mean plain, its a glorious combination of flavours and texture and you might find that one portion just isn’t enough!
Desserts
And even though we were pleasantly stuffed, there is always space for a pud! So we opted for their banana fritters and a dish (I need to apologise I forgot the name of it!) an ice cream on a dough base. Both delicious and a great way to end the night!
Final Thoughts
We love Pho, it is great value, delicious food, the staff are incredibly friendly and they always have great tunes playing, no wonder it’s constantly full! It gets ten out of ten from us!
Address: Pho, Fourth Floor St James Quarter, St James Square
