I found pho in Leeds! Ever since returning to Yorkshire I've been moaning about the dearth of South-East and East Asian dining options in these parts. It's still proving a bit of a challenge. Thai Aroy Dee have come up with the goods for great Thai food but there's still no sign of Korean or Malaysian, and Vietnamese continued to prove elusive. Until last week that is.
Viet-Thai is a lovely little neighbourhood restaurant in Stanningley. When I paid a visit one lunchtime last week it was clear this is a popular place with the locals. There was a steady stream of customers, most of whom seemed to be on first name terms with Huong, who runs front of house with husband Minh in the kitchen.
I ordered beef pho, upgrading to a large portion because the normal size is listed alongside Tom Yum on the menu as a starter portion. What arrived was still in the small sized bowl rather than the huge vats pho tends to be served in, but there was a more than generous amount of beef in the dish and I was brought an extra bowl of stock to top up from if I ran dry.
So what about the all important stock? Intensely savoury, quite salty, just a hint of anise and all round good depth of flavour. That, combined with nice, bouncy noodles made me very happy. The beef wasn't the thinly sliced flank or brisket usually used for pho, rather the same stuff they'll be using in the curries and stir-fries - cut into strips and tenderised using cornflour, like Chinese takeaway beef. It was tasty enough though and I ate every last morsel.
The platter of bits and bobs to throw in to the soup included beansprouts, hot chillies, lime, mint and coriander. All standard stuff but a more generous hand with the herbs would have been a bonus.
Service was lovely and the bill was £8.40 including a large pot of jasmine tea (£1.80). I've had better pho, but I doubt a little place like this would sell enough of it to make stocking the little extras worthwhile (pho specific beef, rarer herbs, enormous bowls), and it was still very satisfying. If I lived in Stanningley I'd be a regular. Good food, small, basic, clean, friendly and you can bring your own booze.
7/10
132/134 Bradford Road
Stanningley
Leeds
LS28 6UR
www.viet-thai-cuisine.co.uk
Viet-Thai is a lovely little neighbourhood restaurant in Stanningley. When I paid a visit one lunchtime last week it was clear this is a popular place with the locals. There was a steady stream of customers, most of whom seemed to be on first name terms with Huong, who runs front of house with husband Minh in the kitchen.
I ordered beef pho, upgrading to a large portion because the normal size is listed alongside Tom Yum on the menu as a starter portion. What arrived was still in the small sized bowl rather than the huge vats pho tends to be served in, but there was a more than generous amount of beef in the dish and I was brought an extra bowl of stock to top up from if I ran dry.
So what about the all important stock? Intensely savoury, quite salty, just a hint of anise and all round good depth of flavour. That, combined with nice, bouncy noodles made me very happy. The beef wasn't the thinly sliced flank or brisket usually used for pho, rather the same stuff they'll be using in the curries and stir-fries - cut into strips and tenderised using cornflour, like Chinese takeaway beef. It was tasty enough though and I ate every last morsel.
The platter of bits and bobs to throw in to the soup included beansprouts, hot chillies, lime, mint and coriander. All standard stuff but a more generous hand with the herbs would have been a bonus.
Service was lovely and the bill was £8.40 including a large pot of jasmine tea (£1.80). I've had better pho, but I doubt a little place like this would sell enough of it to make stocking the little extras worthwhile (pho specific beef, rarer herbs, enormous bowls), and it was still very satisfying. If I lived in Stanningley I'd be a regular. Good food, small, basic, clean, friendly and you can bring your own booze.
7/10
132/134 Bradford Road
Stanningley
Leeds
LS28 6UR
www.viet-thai-cuisine.co.uk
2 comments:
Hi Dave
I've driven past this place and fancied for a while - not been yet but will now make the effort I think.
Have you been to Bistro Saigon in Ilkley? Pricey but nice.
John The Bradford Curry Blogger
Hi John,
no I've not been to Bistro Saigon. I've heard of it but your the first person to actually recommend it (no-one I know has been). Will have to pay a visit at some point....
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