NOTES:
~ Pho is a chain restaurant started by a husband-and-wife team who were inspired by authentic pho while on holiday in Vietnam
~ Delivery available on Deliveroo
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Atmosphere:
Really great place with plenty of seating but it can feel a bit cramped. I've been here twice and both times it's been very full! If with a larger group of 4+, definite requirement to book ahead on their website.
Customer Service:
Decent. The food comes out promptly and the servers are also trained to give recommendations for how to eat the food for those new to Vietnamese cuisine so they don't feel overwhelmed!
Food (STARTERS):
~ Canh Ga (Crispy Chicken Wings) DEFINITELY do not sleep on these! I highly recommend them as a starter. Perfect salt and pepper chicken wings with crispy skin, very juicy, and packed full of flavour.
~ Nem Nuong (Pork & Lemongrass Meatballs) Comes with lettuce wraps and sauce to dip. Good flavour on these, though slightly dry but still not bad. I would order again!
~ Nem Hai San (Spring roll of tiger prawn, crab, and pork) Comes with dipping sauce. I would skip these to be honest. They were tasty, but the flavour balance wasn't there. I couldn't really taste the crab at all.
Food (NOODLE SOUP):
For those new to pho - it is mainly a nice big bowl of rice-based noodles, meat, and delicious herby broth. It usually should also come with many accompaniments depending on what you like such as spice, additional herbs such as mint, beansprouts to add in, and some other sauces if you want to add more flavour.
However, a really good pho broth should be delicious before adding anything in. The pho broth here is decent, but nothing special. I definitely had to add a lot of additional extras myself to fit my palate. My high rating is skewed due to it being the only viable option to get pho in Wales and it does definitely scratch the itch. However, if you're used to pho outside of the UK in areas with a higher number of Vietnamese people (such as myself) this would be pretty average pho that is 3-stars ish.
I recommend getting the Pho Bo Combo which comes with steak, brisket, and meatballs. The meatballs they use for the pho are great! Not super dense so they absorb a lot of the soup and are really juicy. For spice-lovers, I recommend the Bun Bo Hue which is a hot & spicy beef noodle soup.
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Overall, I do like Pho - otherwise I wouldn't have been twice. It is a very important addition to the diversity of Cardiff. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't had Vietnamese food before! (However, disclaimer for those who have tried and loved Vietnamese food - there is no comparison) read more