Nguyen’s Pho House serves Vietnamese food, one of the best cuisines in the world. While traveling through Vietnam, I ate everything the local street food stalls and restaurants had to offer. To test a kitchen, one should usually start with the signature dish. In the case of Nguyen’s Pho House, that would be pho. But I wasn’t in the mood for soup, despite the blustery, cool summer evening.
As soon as I entered the restaurant, I was enveloped in strong kitchen aromas. This came as no surprise, given the open concept and the constant cooking. Nguyen’s Pho House is popular with delivery services, and the kitchen remained busy throughout the evening.
entrance area @Nguyen’s Pho House
The back room was a bit quieter, but the overall atmosphere was not one which invited to linger. It reminded me more of a waiting room in a train station, and not a pleasant one.
dining area @Nguyen’s Pho House
We ordered our drinks and then moved on to the food. One of my friends chose two starters, a La Lot skewer and summer rolls with shrimp. Both looked nice enough, although personally I am not a huge fan of La Lot leaves. It is quite an acquired taste. The leaves were filled with minced meat, and there were three small meat rolls wrapped in La Lot leaves on the skewer. The dishes were good, if unremarkable.
La Lot skewer @Nguyen’s Pho House
summer rolls with shrimps @Nguyen’s Pho House
We were all curious to see how the braised tofu with shiitake would look, but it turned out to be a bit disappointing. Personally, I associate braising with something quite different. The tofu here looked as if it had been fried first, but didn’t get any color, and was then cooked together with the vegetables for another minute. All in all, it was a rather forgettable dish.
braised tofu with shiitake @Nguyen’s Pho House
My main dish, beef with eggplant and rice, was also bland and looked unappealing. I know that was partly my own fault, since color-wise you cannot expect much from this combination. But still, it could have used a touch of red from some chilies, especially since the dish was listed as spicy. Unfortunately, that was not the case. There was not even a hint of heat. I ate it, although it did not convince me.
beef with eggplant @Nguyen’s Pho House
Nguyen’s Pho House was busy the entire time we were there, and the tables around us filled up as soon as they were emptied. I am just not sure what the draw is, since neither the kitchen nor the atmosphere felt particularly inviting. Vietnamese food is usually a flavor bomb, at least that is how I came to know it. That was not the case at Nguyen’s Pho House. Yours, Pollybert
Nguyen’s Pho House
1080 Wien, Lerchenfelder Strasse 46
Tel: +43 1 9565324
Email: office@nguyensphohouse-wien.at
Wed-Mon: 11:20-22:00
https://nguyensphohouse-wien.at/
