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Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at Pho Cafe

December 18, 2010 by jason 2 Comments

pho_ restaurant

gluten-free_dairy-free_pho_rice_paper_prawn_rolls

gluten-free_dairy-free_pho_pork_lemongrass_meatballs

pho_hot_spicy_prawn_pho

I went to Pho in Wardour Street this week and had a delicious lunch. Pho is pronounced “fuh” and is Vietnam’s national dish. Often referred to as the “soul of the nation”, it’s a noodle soup dish that is made with rice noodles and various ingredients such as steak, meatballs, chicken, prawns, tofu or veggies and then served with lime, coriander, beansprouts and chillies that you add yourself. Apparently Pho originated in Hanoi and, as it travelled south through Vietnam, it developed subtle traits distinctive to the various regions, becoming influenced by the Chinese flavours in the North and then taking on more herbs, greens and chillies in the South.

I shared the Goi Cuon Tom (Prawn Rice Paper Rolls) with Peanut Sauce and Nem Nuong (Pork & Lemongrass Meatballs) with Nuoc Cham as a starter. I like Rice Paper Rolls to have more herbs in them but they were lovely and the meatballs were great – with lots of lemongrass flavour. Then I had the Bun Tom Hue (Hot & Spicy Prawn Pho) and it was utterly delicious. Fiery and fresh with great flavours. Pho prides itself on their fresh ingredients and deservedly so – the coriander leaves and beansprouts, which can all too often look and taste limp, were wonderfully fresh. And I had a deliciously fresh Pineapple, Apple & Mint juice with it all.

There’s a great range to chose from and everything bar the Bun Noodles, Pho Xao and Banana Fritters is all gluten-free (and you can request gluten-free Bun Noodles and Pho Xao) but you do need to make sure you avoid extra hoi sin, ginger soy or soy sauce. And, of course, it’s all dairy-free. The staff are lovely – and the place is great. You can also order Pho to Go. The Pho Noodle Soup comes in 3 separate containers so that it’s at its freshest when you eat it. You add the noodles to the stock cup, then add the onion, beansprouts and topping and then the toppings – the spring onion, herbs, chilli and lime. Excellent!

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Filed Under: Restaurant Review Tagged With: apple and mint juice, hot and spicy prawn pho, nuoc cham, pho cafe, pho noodle soup, pho to go, pineapple, pork and lemongrass meatballs, prawn rice paper rolls, rice noodles

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura B

    February 22, 2012 at 11:04 am

    I have always loved Pho Cafe and I’ve gone there many times and had a great experience. Unfortunately, I went to the Pho in Soho and the waitress was tired by dessert of hearing me ask if there was gluten and told me no wheat flour was used in the restaurant. The banana fritters were certainly not gluten free and I’m paying for it today. Enjoy Pho, but it’s good to read this post about what to avoid before you go!

    Reply
    • gracecheetham

      February 27, 2012 at 11:16 am

      Hi Laura,
      So sorry to hear that you accidentally had gluten – and very much hope that your symptoms don’t last long. The impression that I got was that the Chiefs at Pho care very much about looking after people who are coeliac or who have allergies/intolerances, so I think they’d be very sorry if they heard about this. Years ago it was very hard to get any waiter or waitress to help you choose dishes at a restaurant but things have changed so much now – and, in truth, that waitress shouldn’t have got “tired of hearing” you ask. Take care, Gracex

      Reply

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Passionate about good food and allergy-free living, I've set up this blog in order to help people who, like me, found themselves stuck in a situation where they didn't know what to do, or how to cope. I've also written cookbooks which have been published in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, as well as in Finland and Brazil.

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