I recently visited London for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and I was really keen to try some new places to eat. Pho is somewhere I have been recommended a couple of times but (I’m ashamed to admit) is always somewhere that I never actually remember about.
On our first day in London we went to Westfield at Shepherd’s Bush and headed to the food court. I wasn’t feeling too confident that I’d find somewhere in the food court and was already pretty set on heading back outside to the Leon we had passed on our way in. Then I saw Pho.
I headed over to look at their menu just on the off-chance. Luckily nearly all the menu is gluten free and accredited by Coeliac UK. It actually lists the few items that aren’t safe for us – makes a change from only being able to eat one or two things!
Everything sounded delicious but I eventually settled on the traditional chicken pho and a glass of iced green tea. The staff member who took my order asked me straight away if I had any allergies and assured me that my choices were safe.
Pho is the Vietnamese national dish. It’s a rice noodle soup served with a plate of herbs so you can season to taste.
If it’s soup with chicken and noodles then it’s always going to be a win for me. Packet chicken noodle soup was my favourite food before my diagnosis so I was already excited before it even arrived.
I loved the presentation of this dish from the start and being able to add your own herbs is such a good concept. I’m not going to pretend I knew what everything was, but I added some beansprouts, what I think was coriander, and some lime juice. About half way through I also added a couple of mint leaves. There were some chillis but I’m not a huge spice fan so I kept away from those.
The broth, made fresh in each restaurant every day, was so rich. It smelled incredible and the chicken was cooked perfectly. It completely exceeded my expectations and my refreshing iced green tea was an ideal compliment to the pho.
It’s been a good few weeks now and I’m still dreaming about this soup! I know there’s a Pho in the newly opened St James Quarter in Edinburgh so I can’t wait to visit.
I really hope one opens in Glasgow soon as I know I’d be a regular customer. If you’re a fan of Vietnamese food, or Thai food, I would definitely recommend it. As well as a huge variety of gluten free pho, they also offer gluten free curries and gluten free rice dishes. A number of the starters and sides are also safe.
You can view the menu for Pho here.
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