REVIEW: Pho & Bun, Chinatown

From the iconic Viet Eat in Holborn comes the lovely Pho & Bun. Opened in October 2015 I have been keen to visit Pho & Bun for a while. I mean, it's got 'pho' and 'bun' in the title - why wouldn't you want to visit! The restaurant brings Vietnamese street food to London in a relaxed yet fun environment. Located next-door to Chinatown, Pho & Bun is the perfect place to dine on a Friday/Saturday night whether or not you're hitting the drinks later.

Where
Pho & Bun, Shaftesbury Avenue
When
Friday night, from 8pm-10pm
What we ate

• Starters: Vegetarian spring rolls; prawn crackers; mustard greens; chilli squid
• Mains: Crispy prawn bao burger with sweet potato fries; Lemongrass tofu vermicelli noodle bowl

Highlights

• The big bowl of mustard greens that I kicked off with were drowned in plenty of sauce and were super garlicky which I very much enjoyed. The slippery greens were well cooked and vibrantly green.
• The vegetarian spring rolls were light but had a meaty flavour which was very welcome for Alex considering they were veggie. Each roll was absolutely crammed with vegetables and plenty of flavour. The pickles that were served alongside the spring rolls were delicious too. 
• Alex's starter of chilli squid was very well seasoned, which is great as this dish can often be too salty, and perfectly crispy. 

• Alex's sweet potato fries were lovely and crisp. We read reviews online that these fries were often too soft but this isn't something we experienced.
• His prawn bao burger was also fantastic. There was a great mix of textures from the ultra soft milky bun and the crisp breaded prawn. The prawns were minced into a pattie which still had texture of the prawn, so not like a fish cake. Finally, the wasabi mayo within the burger was strong but not overpowering which contrasted with the sweetness of the bun. 
• My gorgeous and absolutely massive bun bowl was well cooked, fresh and exciting to eat. The vermicelli noodles were well cooked and slippery in the soy based sauce, while the fresh mint and shredded carrot brought freshness to the bowl. This was was much needed as the lemongrass tofu was very rich and at times a bit intense.

Lowlights
Weirdly enough, the biggest let down was the prawn crackers. They were really dry and were not served with a dipping sauce. We drizzled ours with hoisin and sriracha - straight from the bottle! 

Overall
Overall I enjoyed my time at Pho & Bun and, because the prices are so reasonable, I will definitely be going back. As I said at the top of my review, Pho & Bun is a great stop in if you're in the area. The top section of the restaurant is tiny and there is a real communal feel. The food is fresh and exciting and definitely worth visiting for.

Thank you to Pho & Bun for hosting this visit. All opinions are my own. 

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