Que Viet on the Pho Mile

I’m still puzzled why it’s taken me so long to enter the doors of Que Viet, I mean I must have walked past it a thousand times and for some reason I have never entered.

Song Que - A Revisit

A quick spot of lunch today at Song Que was welcome after a pretty crap few days at work.

I was only in the area because the Algerian Coffee Shop in Soho have been out of Vietnamese Coffee for a good few weeks now and are not expecting another shipment for a couple more weeks.

Pho @ Cu Tu

Standing on the site of the old Hung Viet Restaurant is the new Cu Tu Restaurant. I’d never eaten in Hung Viet, so I cannot say if this is a new incarnation to avoid some taxes or is a totally new gaff in its own right, but it certainly has a lived in feel about it already.

Sunday afternoon Pho @ Loong Kee

We always seem to stick to the same few restaurants along the Pho Mile that I thought it was time we tried the rest and first off was Loong Kee.

Viet Grill - A Revisit

Shamelessly it had been quite a while since the last visit to Viet Grill, a long bloody time.

This has come about that we are trying, but failing to eat at a few regular places and then at some old favourites once in a while.

Sadly the old fave’s are being missed big time due to this new practice, but until that £100,000 job comes along then this is how it has to be. But we’re slowly doing the rounds again.

Tay Do on the Pho Mile

Another visit to the Pho Mile brought us to Tay Do. For some reason this large restaurant had been missed on our regular walks down the Pho Mile.

As I said it has a large, but bland dining room. The highlight is a street sign from Albert Square hanging on a wall. The hotel like dining room is very beige.

As per normal we ordered the same dishes. We really need to be more adventurous with our ordering sometimes, but I am a creature of habit, and I go to Vietnamese restaurants for 2 things and two things only. Summer Rolls and Pho. Love them to death, and I’m a happy boy when they are good, and a pissed off son of a bitch when they are not.

Thankfully Tay Do delivered and delivered pretty damn well, which was surprising for such a beige dining room. Did I mention the dull dining room?

The service was nice, friendly and patient as it took an age for us to make our minds up on which Pho we wanted, well apart from the Bun Bo Hue, which is a mainstay. Tay Do also does a Special Pho, which could not be missed.

Even though my Bun Bo Hue was pretty damn special, I kinda wished I’d gone for the Bun Cha, but I go into Pho mode every time I walk down that street. Damn those hypnotic sessions. One day I will be free of them.

I did however find a small shop that I’d never seen before that sells ducks tongues. Awesome find, am pretty excited about this, as been meaning to return to Bar Shan for some of those little tasty treats one day soon. Now no need. God help anyone coming round to my place for supper in the future.

The Pho’s both had a good earthy base to them, which is all I want in a good Pho. To be honest, neither really needed a lot of extra seasoning as they were pretty damn good from the off.

The summer rolls were jam packed with lovely prawns and herbs. The prawns were moist and still had some give in them. Phew. The mixture of herbs and salad added a perfect addition. They were wrapped tightly, so after my first bite everything still held together.

I’m gonna return here and have that Bun Cha, but boy I wish they would spruce up that dire dining room. It really is so bland.