A few years ago, the mention of a vegan option on a menu would’ve been enough to add at least a star to my mental restaurant rating. It’s 2019, though. Giving your diners the option of vegan pho isn’t enough. It has to actually taste decent. Come on, Pho Real. Revamp your recipe and make my lazy, part-time vegan heart happy.

We tried the spring rolls. They’re greasy. We tried some crackers with a diced vegetable salad. They’re crunchy but not moreish.

And we tried the vegan pho. Well. It’s a (to be fair) generous bowl of noodles in a (to be fair) not-awful broth. To be even fairer, I went to Hanoi a few weeks ago; the pho there, vegan or otherwise, is a very hard act to follow. This, though, was blander than water. It comes topped with some discs and balls of unidentifiable and flavourless mush. There’s some coriander on there too, and it comes with a plate of garnishes that you’ll need to add if you want your tongue to actually realize you’re eating something.

For the above, with a diet coke and a side order of disappointment, we paid 156rmb.

Pho Real exists, and will probably continue to exist, and that’s about the most exciting thing you can say about it. It’s great that they offer a vegan pho, but it’s a shame that the vegan pho isn’t great. It’s fine for a quick lunch if your only criteria is an English/picture menu, but it isn’t worth making a detour for.

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