Vietnamese Cuisine?

One thing I miss like mad in Maryland was the multitude of Vietnamese Pho (noodle soup) restaurants we had.  I have been unable to find any place here that has Pho.  I went to a place in Shoreham, but it was mainly Chinese dishes.  
England has a lot of variety, but seems to be lacking in Vietnamese cuisine.  Anyone have any ideas?  
I really can't complain, though, the curry here is incredible!  

i've only seen one place in london that has pho. a vietnamese restaurant just outside of chinatown, heading west (sorry, can never remember the name of the road!) always mean to try it but always get sidetracked by something else. i miss the spring rolls and noodle salads, too.

there used to be a place in watford that had a mix of chinese,japanese, thai and vietnamese foods, too bad they closed down within a year. sigh.

like you, i try not to complain...i love indian food and more often than not when we grab a quick bite or a 'take-away' i go for a kebab over burgers or chicken

let us know if you find a place!

Sorry to reopen an old thread, but I was about to ask the same question.  Haven't found any decent Vietnamese food around (I'm also spoiled by living in Washington DC area which is one of the best Vietnamese food places in the US).

FWIW, I bought a big pack of 'pho cubes' at an Asian grocery in the state that, when mixed with some rice noodles, is really really close to the Pho you are used to back in VA-DC-MD.  The cubes were cheap, and you can get rice noodles at any asian grocery.  I'll look around and see if I find any cubes in London.  Really has that taste you miss.

I think I know the restaurant thats just outside of Chinatown and its called "Vietnamese Restaurant"  I've been there a few times and while it isn't the best Vietnamese food I've tasted.....it satisfies my pho cravings. It's reasonably priced too.

I don't know if Tampopo is a chain, or if it's just in Leeds, but they have Pho on the menu. It's pretty good.
I'm from a town pretty close to Nashville, which has a big Vietnamese population and some of the best Vietnamese food in the country. I forget what they're called, but I used to get these big, thin pancakes with chargrilled shrimp and pork and onions served with lots of mint and cilantro and some kind of clear sauce with chilis floating in it... if I could find anything like that in England I would be a happy girl.

Vietnamese Restaurant in Chinatown is really not so good.  I recommend trying one of the many Vietnamese restaurants clustered on Kingsland Road E2, and Mare Street E2.  Kingsland Road is a 5 minute bus ride, or a 20 minute walk, from Liverpool Street station.  My personal favourite is Song Que on Kingsland Road.

I don't know about the cubes, but as it happens, I made my own Pho at home over the Easter weekend, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.  I got 6 lbs of beef bones from my local butcher (although I am lucky to have one) and par-boiled them for a few minutes, then simmered for 3 hours in 4 quarts of water with star anise, cinnamon stick, salt, fish sauce, cloves, and onions and ginger which I roasted in the oven for a while first.  I also simmered 1 lb of beef brisket in the pot, but removed it after 90 mins.  I cooled it overnight and skimmed the fat, and have frozen it in 2 cup blocks.  Not the quickest recipe, but I now have instant pho whenever I want it, to which I add spring onions, rice stick noodles, cilantro/coriander, slices of the cooked brisket, and even some bits of the gelatinous tendon which I stripped from the beef bones before discarding them.

Call me Vietnamese!

i second the ones on kingsland road. Much MUCH more authentic than what you get in chinatown

we went to hanoi cafe with a deal from top table but it is so cheap you can't go wrong

they had my blessed BUN which i LOVE!

http://www.hanoicafe.co.uk/

OMG!!!

My last guy of 10 years was Vietnamese and boy do I miss the food.  In Portland, heck west coast USA you could get it everywhere.

Bah humbug.. any news of a restaurant up here in the Midlands??

Have the same homemade recipe as that above for pho but haven't done it yet... makes promise to self to do it this week....