Pho has landed in Oxford Circus. After years of success on fashionable St John’s Street in Clerkenwell, this second branch of the Vietnamese restaurant has found a plum spot on Great Titchfield Street.

The Venue
The venue has a basic layout with Wagamama-style simplicity. The space is rather small but beneath the ground floor is an area for larger parties, as well as the location for the takeaway service called Pho to Go. Blown-up photographs of Vietnamese markets hang on the clean white walls to highlight the food policy but, ultimately, this is a minimalist affair.

The Atmosphere
The restaurant’s reputation has reached Oxford Circus; the ground floor is packed out daily by one o’clock. The warm sounds of the Zero 7-style soundtrack soon disappear under the collective conversations of professionals and media workers as they consume their authentic and generous portions of this healthy cuisine.

The Food
Pho is the name of Vietnam’s national dish, an intoxicating noodle soup of which many varieties can be found on the menu. Among these options, there is Pho Tai with juicy and tender strips of fillet steak in a generally meaty broth, and the meatballs in the Pho Bo Vien are equally tasty and luscious to the point of disintegrating under the force of the chopsticks. For vegetarians, there is the fragrant Pho Chay which combines the subtle flavour of tofu with soft, full-flavoured mushrooms.

For those of you new to the experience, a member of the waiting staff will bring a side dish with your Pho, consisting of herbs, greens, a segment of lime and a small portion of chilies, inviting you to season your dish in accordance with your own wishes. The chilies have quite a kick to them so the advice is to be liberal with your sprinkling. As a starter, the summer roll options on the menu are very popular and deservedly so, being as they are a selection of fresh herbs, carrots, rice and noodles packed into the familiar pastry package with tender chicken or prawns with soy sauce as a reliable accompaniment.

The Drink
A fine selection of wines is available on the menu together with a number of beers all sourced from the home country. Saigon is a spicy beer that’s light enough to drink with any dish you care to order, and Hue is a sweet offering with apple overtones. Mention should also go to the infamous Vietnamese weasel coffee which - if you’re a connoisseur of the coffee bean you probably already know – is a heady and much stronger flavoured coffee due to the fact that this particular bean has passed through the digestive system of a weasel before its recovery. Despite this disconcerting history, weasel coffee is actually smoother and much more rewarding than your average cup of coffee and is therefore worth sampling during your visit.

The Last Word
With its dedication to preparing and serving the soul food of Vietnam the way it was intended, Pho has only increased its status with this excellent venue on Great Titchfield Street.

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