Time for Pho

Pho is a dish that originated in Vietnam traditionally consisting of an aromatic beef or chicken broth with rice noodles, meat, beansprouts and fresh herbs. Usually you’ll find a selection of sauces to mix into your pho for extra flavour and spice. Pho is the healthier relative of ramen. It’s not something I’ve had regular contact with partly because of the expected presence of a great deal of coriander and also the availability of Vietnamese food in Bristol is quite small, but having walked passed Pho a number of times and heard mostly positive things I decided to take a punt.  Kym and I were well over due a catch up so we picked this spot for lunch. Pho is a chain of just over 20, mainly London based, restaurants providing an entirely gluten free menu or options to make gluten free. Most bowls are under £10 so it’s a good place to go on a budget of an evening. 

 

The tables are populated with lots of Pho paraphernalia, fish sauce, pickled chillis, sriracha hot sauce and chilli oil so you can season your Pho to however hot or not you wish.  Wanting to get started on the eating part we made up our minds fairly swiftly I opted for a  Phở tái chín; steak and brisket pho with a starter of crispy squid. Kym meanwhile went for the Phở đặc biệt; prawn, steak and tofu in garlic beef broth plus a starter of spring rolls, with your dip of choice, which in Kym’s case, was satay.

 

Our starters arrived fairly promptly, which was just as well because we were tipping over into hanger. I was advised to squeeze my lime wedge into a pot of flavoured salt and fresh chilli with a quick mix this was a delightfully fresh dip for the small bites of crispy tempura squid.  Spring rolls are often something that is denied to the gluten free but not at Pho. Crispy rice paper rolls stuffed full of pork and veggies, and a creamy nutty satay dip to compliment them, these were some of the best spring rolls I’ve had in a long time. The portion is generous and will satisfy any craving, gluten free or otherwise.

 

 

Our Pho arrived after a bit of a wait and two large steaming bowls were set in front of our widening eyes. The herbs, chilli and beansprouts are thoughtfully placed on a plate so you can add as much or as little to your pho as you wish.   As we both like fairly spicy food we added all the chilli and set about sampling most of the aforementioned pho accoutrements so each of our bowls had a delightful kick. I was particularly impressed with the brisket, it was tender and melted in the mouth. The steak wasn’t as full flavoured as the brisket but with the additions I had made to my bowl it didn’t matter too much. I was hugely impressed with the food at Pho. The service was a touch slow and inattentive at times but it wasn’t bad enough to stop me from returning, which I did the following week with Jane after work. 

 

Pho offers something a little different for lunch in the centre. I would hesitate to recommend going in a lunch hour if you have a deadline but if you have enough time to while a way a lazy lunch it’s an excellent option  and I am looking forward to slurping up my next bowl. To find out more about Pho visit their website.

Eating Noodles and Sipping Bubble Tea at Cupp

On a recent warm Spring day, Naomi and I decided to meet up for lunch. Browsing local deal app Wriggle I posed to her the options available in the centre and she chose a noodle dish with Cupp, opened on St Stephen's Street just before the new year, which came with a bubble tea of your choosing. The decor is bright, geometric and fun with a few tables for dining in but as the focus is on the bubble tea most customers would probably be taking their tea away.

You can choose from rice noodles in soup, with a supplement of £2 if you want to add beef to the soup, or a vegetable noodle salad. I chose the latter and Naomi went for the former. For the bubble tea I picked my favourite flavour, taro, complete with coconut jelly. There are a few more options at Cupp now since I last visited their other home down in Cabot Circus; grass jelly and basil seeds which can be added to your tea. 

Lovely fresh and healthy ingredients with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts. The actual flavour was fairly mild but luckily I livened up with a healthy amount of sriracha sauce and a good stir. The bubble tea was as great as usual. Taro is quite sweet but there is something about it that I can't get enough of. For £5 for a bubble tea and some veggie noodles Cupp offer up a bargain that is hard to ignore. For a fresh and quick lunch option in the centre you can't go too wrong here. To find out more about Cupp visit their website or follow them on Twitter.

A Rainy Lunch at Wok to Walk

The sun had well and truly given up the other week, it was raining. I needed sustaining. Chris coaxed me up to Park Street on a lunch hour to sample his new favourite obsession Wok to Walk. Never one to turn down a noodle I was there like a shot. Wok to Walk's main selling point is it's ability to completely customise your dish from rice or noodle type to the vegetables you want to add in, you want it you can have it. Everything is cooked from fresh in front of you in a sizzling wok, and there is something for veggies, vegans and gluten free.

I decided on rice noodles with chicken, pak choi, broccoli with oyster sauce and topped with mixed sesame seeds, which came to around the £8 mark. I waited for a short while and then then heaviest cardboard traditional USA Chinese takeaway container was handed over to me, it looked slightly smaller than I expected but it was clearly jam packed to the rafters.

duck, sweet and sour noodles

The amount of food was pretty good and there are sachets of hot sauce, which taste a lot like the hallowed Sriracha sauce, and soy sauce for extra saltiness. I really enjoyed mine, the flavour was good and the vegetables had a nice bit of crunch to them. The price is the main sticking point for Wok to Walk. £7-8 is more than I would pay at lunchtime, but it could be a welcome quick refuel before a gig at the Academy one evening. Or perfect for your post gig munchies. Basically Wok to Walk is tasty but feels better value for an evening meal, not to mention it being really filling. To find out more about Wok to Walk visit their website. 

Spicy Lunch at Chilli Daddy

I have a confession to make. Forgive me Father for I have sinned, I have become obsessed with something to the point it consumes all my lunchtime thoughts.  Yes readers, I have finally tried Chilli Daddy and I adore it, in the past month I have been 4 times. What started as a street food stall has quickly grown into having two central shops one just off Park Row and one on Baldwin Street.  I was a bit slow in becoming a convert to the Szechuan dishes that Chilli Daddy provides, mainly because I wasn't sure how customisable they are. One of my only real dislikes is coriander and I knew the noodles came with quite a bit, but once finding out that you can order without I headed to the Baldwin Street branch as soon as I was able. Accompanied by Mr Popple on my first visit he was able to give a little advice on the heat levels and additions you can make.

The menu at Chilli Daddy is fairly simple choose chicken, beef or tofu in either noodle salad, rice box or hotpot. The heat ranges from 1-5 with 5 being the spiciest. I decided to go for the chicken dan dan hotpot, level 3 spicy with no coriander. Tim was brave opting for the same dish but at level 4. Note that there are potato noodles for those of you looking for gluten free options. Another point to mention is it is cash only so remember to plan ahead when you go there.

chicken dan dan hotpot

chicken dan dan hotpot with added tea egg (2nd visit)

takeaway beef hotpot (3rd visit)

Oh my word. Chilli Daddy know how to do a hugely tasty and addictive lunch. Level 3 was just right for me a good spicy kick  but not over powering. I have sampled level 4 and I could eat it but whether I would want a whole bowl of it is uncertain. Although the next time I have a cold could well be the best time to try. If you haven't already tried Chilli Daddy do check them out the food is simply amazing. Prices range from £4.50-6 and the portions are huge and very filling. I am lucky to be surrounded by such temptation every day. To find out more and hear where Chilli Daddy got his inspiration from check out their website.