Groans are allowed. That headline deserves it.
And, apologies to all Pho fans as this headline is rather misleading: this blog post doesn’t contain any Pho at all. It’s not even been made in a factory that uses Pho. Or had contact with Pho – it’s totally Pho-free.
We visited the Rice Room at Gulf Mall to get a flavour of Vietnamese food since we’re thinking of adding Vietnam to our travel plans next year (if you have recommendations of where and when to go please get in touch).
Although everyone and everybody seems to get excited about the joys of Pho, we’re not massive fans of soupy noodle dishes. Show us a ramen, and we’ll show you a frown – we’d much rather our chopsticks were picking up some fried noodles. However, we did manage to diverge (ever so slightly) from the norm and go for the Bun platter, which gives you a thin, clear sauce to pour over your noodles. In fact, it was this we deemed the winning plate.
What we ate
Goi Cuon
Vegetable rice paper rolls
We were very excited about these before they even hit our mouths. The colours. The simplicity. And they did live up to expectations. Packed with crunchy thinly sliced vegetables and a generous amount of fresh coriander, they were fresh and moreish and served with a perfectly balanced dipping sauce which was totally addictive. We might have to make these a weekly thing.
Pho Xao Bo
Stir fried beef with rice noodles
When I said that this blog post contained no Pho, I was wrong (yes, it does happen). This Pho went under a different guise though, the stir-fried kind that we know and love very well. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t bring the same joy to the
table. While the Bun Tom and Goi Cuon felt fresh and quick to bring a smile to your face, this felt like your great uncle Bob. Solid and dependable with a penchant for a BHS jumper. That’s not to say it was bad at all, it just didn’t wow
us with flavor, yet we perked it up with a reviving splash of chili sauce.
Bun Tom
Vermicelli noodles with shrimp
There’s so much texture and flavor going on here, from the fried chilli topping to the fresh herbs and crunchy peanuts. And it’s a little overwhelming to know how to put this deconstructed meal together. Once we saw that the sauce should be poured over the noodles it was game on, and our chopsticks were racing to ensure we got didn’t leave a thing on the platter. The prawns were fried with shitake mushrooms, the crunchy bean sprouts accompanied by fresh mint and coriander, and there was lime and chilli to bring ensure depth of flavor. I kind of fell in love with this plate, but I’d go head over heels if it came in a bowl – it would be so much easier to manage.
What we found out the hard way: The sauce that’s served with the Bun dish is very runny and called for some splashes here and there – although maybe we’re just messy eaters.
The damage: 93QR. Yes no sharp intake of breath here or loud whistle as you work out which one of you should volunteer to wash up, but it I felt it should have been cheaper.
L&M rating: 3.5 out of 5. Not too shabby at all.