Thursday, 4 April 2013

Hanoi Bike Shop

There is a dearth of Vietnamese restaurants in Scotland. So far the only one I know of is the Pho cafe in Edinburgh, so this is a long overdue addition to the eating scene in Scotland,let alone Glasgow. It is found on the site of the old Stravaigin 2, a place I found devoid of character especially compared to its elder sister and somewhat redundant in its purpose. The clever folk at Stravaigin have reinvented it into a very nifty looking place with cycling accoutrement all over the place. The food is meant to be good here, the main criticism being the small portion size which is passed off as a small plate sharing kinda place. Our favourite Vietnamese in London is Cay Tre and the cuisine suits 3 years olds well being rich in flavour without relying heavily on the chilies. This was a good test 3 adults and two 3 year olds. What could go wrong?
As it turns out not very much. The good was very very tasty. Each dish had its own
distinct flavour there was no shortage of fresh herbs and chili, we ordered a lot so
We weren't aware of the portions being small
FIVE SPICE CHILLI PRAWNS
with Bike Shop coriander, lime & soy salad cream 6.95
PORK MEATBALLS & CHARGRILLED PORK BELLY
with vermicelli noodles & mixed herbs 6.25
GREEN TEA SMOKED CHICKEN
with mango, wombok cabbage, shallot & mint salad 6.95
These three dishes in particular were very good, fresh and light
COCONUT BRAISED PORK SHOULDER
with soft boiled egg, fresh cucumber & lime 8

CA KHO TO
CARAMEL HAKE
in sweet galangal, chilli & garlic sauce 8

Whilst good pieces of pork and hake and good flavour verging on the slightly too sweet?
SAVOURY CARAMEL CHILLI & GINGER CHICKEN
with peanut, mint & hot basil 8
Very good
Not being an aficionado I don't know how good this was but large portion with pieces of meat and the requisite garnish
THE CLASSIC BEEF PHO
Fillet & flank in marrow bone broth 9

Pulled pork bahn mi special crusty fresh baguette plenty of meat and fresh herbs and fried onion
All in all a very tasty meal with a very attentive waitress who put up with two 3.5 year olds.
I would definitely go again. Meal for 5 with food left over and drinks came to £70

















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