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2014-03-06
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Hong Kong and Vietnamese food isn't really synonymous. I've tried the big names supposedly doing Vietnamese food, like Rice Paper, Nga Trang, Locomotive, Lo Chiu etc. Most of them miss the mark and in fact quite wide off the mark too. The reasons vary, perhaps they can't source the ingredients (mainly herbs) but this is HK, most things are available if you can find them, or authentic Vietnamese (albeit north or south) doesn't work as there is a fair amount of fish sauce (nuoc mam), or the hot an
Back to Pho Tai, this is a small chain of restaurants serving basic cheap Vietnamese food. I come here regularly because it is close to where I live and work and having missed lunch this on particular Saturday I really felt like a Vietnamese fix.
The decor of this place is simple and clean, they have just replaced their upholstry on their fixed seating and feels comfy. I order my usual, the Pho Tai (raw beef noodle soup), a serving of their deep fried spring roll and a coke.
First, the soup is typical of those found in HK. There's never enough beef flavour, traditional Pho beef stock is made from boiling a big chunk of beef brisket and oxtail. Not sure I can taste this in any soup stock in HK. The soup stock is bland with only a small hint of beef flavour, by adding the fresh basil and chilli provided it improves the taste, however negligible. At least they got something right, the soup is nice and hot and enough to cook the raw slices of beef to at least medium to medium rare.
The spring rolls are interesting. Depending on which country you eat them, like in France they all use rice paper (that's because they are brought frozen from the one supplier), and in places like Australia and USA, they tend to use the chinese spring roll wrapper. In this case they use the rice paper and they work well, only it's too small and every spring roll has a puncture which makes them extra burnt when deep fried. Flavour is pretty standard (after all it's deep fried), the filling is a combination of vermicelli, carrots, black fungus and a little mince pork. What I like though is the chewiness of the rice paper, then dipped into the fish sauce. Unfortunately, the fish sauce isn't as sour as it should but I presume that is to cater for local palette.
To put this into perspective, all this costs around $38 for high tea include a coke. Can't complain about the value however still craving for that authentic Vietnamese.I would rate this an ok place however it's also relative with other Vietnamese restaurants in HK, it isn't any better, but surely not any worse. Can't complain though, as it's really good value.
NB. Just a side note, there is a write up about this restaurant from SCMP from a while back and the author says this is the real deal, claiming it is authentic Pho. This is one reason not to believe everything you read. It certainly ISN'T the real deal, but then again, neither are other Vietnamese eateries in HK.
张贴
