What is pho?
"Pho is from Vietnam," "Pho is a breakfast dish," "Pho is enjoyed with herbs and chilli" - these are the things that are displayed on Google when you search ‘what is pho’. Read on to see the facts that are not, plus, an infographic on how to eat pho.
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese dish. You could say it’s the national food of Vietnam, and it is one of the things the country is known for. First appearing in the 20th century, the dish is rumoured to be a composition of the way the French cook soup and the Chinese make noodles. To Vietnamese people, Pho is something they created from the spices from their region, using the techniques and recipes passed down from generations, and eaten however each individual would prefer - Pho is their tradition.
The essence of Pho is its broth. The main ingredient of the broth is the bones, so quality control of the bones is an important step in making the broth. Traditional Pho uses a beef broth, (even chicken Pho uses beef broth!) and it tastes phenomenal with help from cinnamon, star anise and onions.
In London, there are a lot of Vietnamese restaurants that serve Pho to choose from. Most of them let you choose from a choice of Beef Pho, Chicken Pho, Seafood Pho or Tofu Pho. A tip from a Vietnamese: if you want an authentic experience and see the choice of seafood Pho on the menu, do not order it. There is no such thing is seafood Pho, the dish is just a fusion from other kinds of noodles introduced to add choices for foreigners. On that note, vegetarians will never be able to taste authentic Pho because Tofu pho is also not traditional.
Restaurants with good broth and oodles of Pho in London:
Song Que Cafe (£): 134 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DY - loved by Benedict Cumberbatch, visit to see his autographed photo hanged on the wall.
Ngon Ngon (£): 144 Clerkenwell Rd, London, EC1R 5DP - Instagram-worthy interior design and good food.
Pho and Bun (££): 76 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6ND - a branch from popular Vietnamese chain VietEat, created by Vietnamese but developed to suit everyone.
Cay Tre (££): 42-43 Dean St, London, W1D 4PZ - traditional Vietnamese cooking with a flare of London’s Soho lifestyle.
Words: Ngoc Minh Thu Le | Subbing: Elise Fritts