Last Updated on March 3, 2022
Pho – from Vietnam via Canada to Spitalfields
Delicious Pho, tucked away near Spitalfields Market, are offering what should be a winning proposition in this part of town. Yes, it’s fast food, but one up from MacDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken. The kind of place where you wouldn’t be embarrassed to hang out with friends. The food is all freshly cooked to order and most of it could be classified as ‘healthy’. And, if you’ve never heard of ‘dry Pho’ here’s where to come and try for yourself!
Chau Tran, the founder, opened her first site in Canada in 2003 – and now has 12 restaurants throughout the country. This is her first UK opening and she’s hoping to replicate her success across the pond. She’s developed a simple street-food style menu where you customise your pho dishes with various proteins – beef, chicken, seafood and tofu. And, there are lots of other options too. We went along to find out more.
Right now, there’s a choice of two bottled beers from Vietnam, some soft drinks including fresh lemonade, Viet ice coffee and coconut water or a selection of classic teas, bubble teas and milk teas. We tried both of the beers – at £5 a bottle it was hard not to be tempted. I’ve never quite got into bubble tea, but if that’s your thing there are around ten different varieties on offer here.
There’s a range of starters but, you can also pick a sharing platter and that seemed like a good way to enjoy a variety of dishes. Our choice of ‘Surf and Turf’ didn’t sound very Vietnamese, but it looked and tasted the part. If you just wanted a light snack and a beer after work with friends, this would be a good choice.
The panko crumbed fried seafood was crisp on the outside and nicely tender inside – king prawns and salt and pepper squid were both tasty, especially with the dipping sauces. I was less convinced by the spring roll which had a rather thick wrapper and a filling that was also rather chewy.
My companion’s Chicken Dry Pho was an excellent choice. As the menu explained it is just pho without the broth, though the beansprouts were cooked and it was nicely garnished with coriander.
My Pho seafood speciality was very filling and tasty. I should have looked a little more closely at the menu because I’m not a great fan of what they describe as fish cakes but what I know as crab sticks and that was the dominant seafood ingredient
A herb rich broth that was full of flavour made up for that though – and there was far more than I could eat, even without adding in the extra beansprouts that were provided.
Neither dish was particularly hot – we learnt that Delicious Pho deliberately serves milder dishes that can be spiced up with the range of soy and chilli sauces provided, which is a good idea for a restaurant that aims to provide plenty of options.
In addition to the pho dishes, other savoury options included stir fry, curry, fried rice and vermicelli or rice bowls with a variety of protein enhancements. It’s a simple formula that allows for a huge range of dishes from a relatively small inventory.
The dessert menu has a similar structure – there is a selection of Chè – Vietnamese dessert drinks – a mix of coconut milk, ice and flavourings from fruit to sweetened beans and coconut meat. With fourteen options in total, we tried to pick a healthy one with lychees longan and jackfruit together with a whole host of other ingredients – The Fruit Lover was deliciously refreshing and would be perfect for a summer’s day.
The interior of Delicious Pho is lively and clean, with well-spaced tables and plenty of light. Downstairs is still being developed but will provide a large bar area and more seating – perfect for casual get-togethers after work
3-6 Steward St, Spitalfields, London E1 6FQ
Looking for something different? We also recommend La Tagliata – a quirky Italian restaurant, just around the corner. Or, for special occasions, Galvin La Chapelle gets our vote
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