Pho Nottingham – Review

Nottingham is a city where you can taste different cuisines from all over the world, right here in the heart of England.

Pho is the latest restaurant to join Nottingham’s culinary scene and puts Vietnamese food front and centre with its strong and varied offering of fresh authentic food.

The Visit Nottinghamshire Team visited Pho on it’s opening day last week and have pulled together this handy review to help you on your visit!

Our comms and PR guy Jack had the following to say about the food:

“Before coming to Pho, I’d never had Vietnamese food before! I love East Asian food generally but wasn’t sure quite what to expect before visiting.

First impressions were good and Pho didn’t disappoint, they have a friendly team on hand to make you feel welcome! When you’re opening a new restaurant in Nottingham you have to stand out and Pho gets it spot-on from the off.

For starters I had the baby salt and pepper chilli squid. I love squid and have tried it and dozens of restaurants, but none have been as nice as this. Big shout out to the secret hero of this plate, the lime and chilli dressing, it goes brilliantly with the dish!

For my main I had beef brisket pho. Again, the dish was amazing, with loads of vegetables packed into this delicious bowl of rice noodles and broth! The biggest stand out from the dish is the freshness of the ingredients. They pack massive flavour and make all the difference.

For dessert I indulged with a chocolate truffle slice. Light and almost mousse like, it was the perfect way to round off the meal.

Whilst choosing where to go for lunch or dinner can be a difficult choice in Nottingham due to the variety on offer, make Pho the next place you go!

10/10!”

Lydia our Partnerships Executive, adds:

“Nottingham seems to be going through a foodie renaissance at the moment, with edgy new bars and restaurants popping up across the city centre in recent months, all bringing enticing cuisines and authentic tastes of Asia with them.

Pho’s menu promises healthy Vietnamese street food that is great value and freshly cooked, and of course includes its most famous national dish, Pho (pronounced fuh). Now we’re quite a novice gang when it comes to this classic dish, I’ve only had Pho once so I’m no expert by any means! But the waiting staff were great with us and explained how to eat it with its side plate of extra herbs and sauces, which you use to tear up and tailor the Pho to your own personal tastes. While the others plumped for Beef and Tofu, I went with the chicken, which was delicious and tender when thrown in with the other veggies and the restaurant’s distinctive savoury broth!

The starters are also a praise-worthy, the Veggie Spring Rolls had just enough of a spicy kick and are served with lettuce & herbs to wrap them up with a dip in a delicious peanut sauce – the best mix of sweet and savoury! I made my way through a few of the healthy juices on the menu, namely the kale, apple, pineapple & lime fruit juice which was so good I ordered it twice. If you’re a fan of spectacle, order yourself one of the flower teas at the end of your meal, which comes in its own little glass mug so you can watch the tea ball open up into a flower.”

Laura, one of our Marketing interns at Visit Notts said:

“Today more and more restaurants offer gluten free dishes and substitutes, however, my choice as a Coeliac is still restricted with many places offering a limited number of gluten free choices, however Pho’s menu offers a wide selection with almost every item on the menu gluten free - I was spoilt for choice.

Starting off, I chose the baby squid which was light, slight crispy and tasty with a dipping sauce which you make yourself by squeezing a lime into a ramekin with salt and pepper before adding the number of chillies you would like, allowing you to make your sauce as hot and spicy as you want (try not to eat a chilli on its own!).

Throughout our meal, the service was on point, with friendly checks between each course as well as an explanation on arrival on how each Vietnamese dish worked, as well as tips on how to create your own unique flavours. 

The beef combo pho accompanied with a side dish of beansprouts, chillies, limes as well as herbs including coriander and parsley allowed you to experiment with different flavours. The pho dishes come with rice noodles which are completely gluten free friendly. As an added bonus all gluten free dishes are accredited by Coeliac UK.

Lastly I ordered mango sorbet which was refreshing, tasty and finished off our Vietnamese experience perfectly.”

Katrina, also one of our Marketing Interns also enjoyed the visit commenting:

“Being a vegetarian and having never tried Vietnamese street food, I was initially a bit daunted by how many options I would have when trying Vietnamese food. Well, I can say now I have been truly converted by Pho! Immediately looking at the menu there was an array of vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and child-friendly dishes to satisfy different taste buds.

Pho is unique in the fact that each of their dishes is cooked fresh daily with healthy, high-quality ingredients – and you can really taste the difference. All the dishes we ordered were packed with mouth-watering authentic flavours and textures. On top of the incredible food, the staff were warm, welcoming, and attentive to any dietary requirements we had. So, if you’re looking for a taste of a new cuisine that promises fresh, healthy, flavoursome food, look no further than Pho!”

This blog was jointly written by Jack, Lydia, Laura and Katrina.