After pointing to Joyce Hor-Chung Lau’s Review of Le Bambou, a Parisian Pho Restaurant on Globespotters (International Herald Tribune), I let her know.
She was kind enough in turn to suggest a few Pho outposts in Hong Kong.
Here they are in her own words:
"If you are ever in town and in the Central district, you can find
Vietnamese at Indochine (upscale, located in Lan Kwai Fong) and Nga
Trang (downscale, located on Wellington St)."
Earlier this month, Joyce tried Pho Lemon (also in Hong Kong), here is her take on it:
"I did finally try out Pho Lemon on Elgin Street in Soho. It was a fun
night, but the restaurant itself was a bit of a letdown. Actually, it
was typical Soho — small, a bit stylish, and overpriced. Three of us
ate, with moderate wine plus dessert, for Hong Kong $942, or U.S. $120,
which is awfully pricey for this cuisine. Yes, the beef came raw as
requested, and was sufficiently thinly sliced, but was still rubbery
and full of unchewable fat and gristle. For HK $68 for a bowl of pho,
they could choose a better cut of meat. The grilled pomfret, which was
actually deep-fried whole, was tasty, but only good if you’ve mastered
the Asian art of “eating bones.” I’m allergic to shrimp, but my friends
said the jumbo prawns were the best dish. One plus was the fact that
Pho Lemon absolutely refuse to serve decaf, and only make Vietnamese
coffee, percolated at your table into a cup with condensed milk. So the
best came at the end."
Thank you Joyce for keeping the Pho conversation cooking.
Related stories: Tuesday Morning Pho Fever and Spotted…Le Bambou, Parisian Pho Restaurant