Topic: Has anyone visited Pho ?

[Peripatetic Phil]

Pho is a chain of Vietnamese restaurants started by a British couple, Stephen and Juliette Wall, after they visited Vietnam and fell in love with the cuisine.  A branch has now opened sufficiently close to the hotel for my wife to try their food, and she brought me back a portion of their chicken curry for me to try.  As most of you know, my wife is Vietnamese by birth, and cooks Vietnamese curries professionally for her hotel, and she felt that the Pho version lacked authenticity, being (to her palate) more like an Indian curry.  I tried my portion this evening, and for me it was nothing like an Indian curry, but being familiar with her Vietnamese curries I can also see why she feels that the Pho version lacks authenticity.  So, I would be interested to know if any CR0 member has visited any of the Pho branches, and if so, what their impressions were.  Incidentally, there was nothing wrong with the curry, and although I added some chilli pickle it would have been quite edible without — it just wasn't a Vietnamese curry, any more than it was Indian.
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** Phil.

[tempest63]

I used to stop in inn the way to work to buy congee or Bahn Mi (?) for breakfast, but since lockdown they now only open for a few hours during he lunch period and I have only had rice, veg and meat for lunch. Never tried one of their curries though.

[tempest63]

I used to stop in inn the way to work to buy congee or Bahn Mi (?) for breakfast, but since lockdown they now only open for a few hours during he lunch period and I have only had rice, veg and meat for lunch. Never tried one of their curries though.

My apologies but it was a Hop not a Pho I used to visit at Broadgate by London Liverpool Street.
It is closed down now as it sits in a building we are just about to demolish.
I went in there earlier this week as part of an inspection and couldn’t believe what had been left behind.
A couple of commercial sized rice cookers, half a dozen or so large stainless steel saucepans, unfortunately no lids, cutlery, cups, glasses serving dishes that slot into the Bain Marie. All likely going in the skip. Although I blagged myself a decent looking set of electronic kitchen scales..
Such waste.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Odd name — Hop, without diacritics, is unattested in Vietnamese, although hợp is attested but has no seemingly relevant meaning.  I wonder whether they first called themselves Pho (or perhaps Phở), and were then challenged under trademark legislation and forced to change their name ...

[tempest63]

Odd name — Hop, without diacritics, is unattested in Vietnamese, although hợp is attested but has no seemingly relevant meaning.  I wonder whether they first called themselves Pho (or perhaps Phở), and were then challenged under trademark legislation and forced to change their name ...

The one we are about to pull down when it was operating and it’s window sign with diacritics

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ah, didn't think of that — it means "box" (or boxes, plural is unmarked in Vietnamese).  But I still think that they might once have been Phở !  I'll ask if anyone in my extended Vietnamese family know anything about it.