Coolinairy

Hidden away in the vibrant Van Wesenbekestraat (also referred to as ‘China Town’ by Antwerp residents), you will find this hidden gem of a restaurant. Don’t worry, you won’t have to go through a creepy alley to get there, it’s just that the outside of the restaurant is pretty… ordinary. Even if I’ve been to this place on numerous occasions, I’m always wary to not accidentally walk by. I’m counting on the name of the restaurant written in big letters, to remind myself which door to walk in.

Once you enter the restaurant, the design trend is pretty much the same. You will enter an elongated space with a brick wall as the only decor that is standing out. The chairs and tables are also unremarkable and on the other side of the space, behind the cash register, you will see people being busy preparing food in the kitchen. Let this very simplistic style actually be the thing that encouraged me to take a seat in the first place. Based on my experience, this could only be a sign that the food was going to be the bomb. As usual, you will be greeted by a friendly face from the staff to take a seat.

Pictured below, you will find our standard order for the starters. If we mention that we’re going to Pho Viet, this order is on the tip of our tongues. These are their honey ribs and their fried spring rolls with pork and shrimp. For no other reason but habit, we attack the spring rolls first and rightfully so: that satisfying initial crisp feels like a welcome home to the beautiful meaty filling, the perfectly cooked vermicelli and the hearty mushroom that plays through the flavors like a smooth bass in a groovy song. Nothing better to seal this ensemble than with their sauce that doesn’t shy away from fish sauce. After devouring the springrolls, we strategically attack the ribs next: the pork is so succulent that i feel like a monk hiding under the tablecloth just to make sure God doesn’t see what kind of gluttony i’m partaking in. Under that exact tablecloth I tell the server that I’d gladly pay any price if they would ever sell these ribs in a bucket. You probably don’t know what it’s like to eat ribs that are as juicy as a south east asian mango and I kindly invite you to try it.

After having such a royal starter, we kindly wash everything down with a glass of their homemade iced tea which I definitely recommend. If you don’t have a sweet tooth like I do, you might find it on the sweet side. I personally don’t take into consideration calories coming from cane sugar because it tastes that good. Their iced tea tastes like what bottled iced tea should actually taste like. At this point in our dining experience I carefully gauge how much I have left in my glass to make sure I order my next glass on time. I obviously sip some from my boyfriend to slow down my own process. I say it’s a sip, my boyfriend says it’s half of the glass but that’s his predicament. I think the glass is half full anyways.

And now, the pièce de résistance if you will, the namesake of the restaurant: the Pho. Every protein that they have on the menu: I had it and they never disappointed me. From the pork to the chicken to the beef, the meat has always been incredibly tender to the point that you can just rip it apart from your chopsticks. The one that is pictured below is my boyfriend’s chicken Pho. They have done a remarkable job on the chicken Pho. It’s very easy to make chicken unremarkable, but my boyfriend and I know that the chicken is very tender and that this one has the best broth in this restaurant.

Pictured below is the Pho with sliced pork chop (my favorite). You will have plenty of bean sprouts to fulfill your fiber needs, free to add yourself. I’m actually so glad to find a restaurant that isn’t stingy with the noodles. This bowl will FILL.YOU.UP. On top of that, they just have a marvelous bite. The broth is salty enough without being overly salty and it brightens up so beautifully with a squeeze of lime. I don’t have much more to say about this Pho because it actually, just like the name of the restaurant, speaks for itself. Somewhere through this bowl I also order my second iced tea.

This restaurant offers dessert, but I think it’s clear to you that we never get to that point. After this amount of food, I am pretty much ready to walk, or should I say roll, back home. Always with a smile on my face though.

The service has consistently been great. I don’t really ask much for service, just a friendly face is more than enough and the staff of Pho Viet does this without fail.

I think it’s important to say that the toilet has always been clean. Might be weird to say it, I however find it worth a mention. At the end, it’s also a place were you welcome customers and I just don’t like when a cat litter would’ve been cleaner than a toilet. So a bonus point for that (+0,5 in Place & Setting)!

For spring rolls, ribs, 3 iced teas and 2 Pho we paid around 50 euros for the both of us, which I think is a fair price for the quality that you’re getting!

Food and flavor 8/10
Place & Setting 3,5/5
Service 4,5/5
Price/Quality Ratio 4/5

Total score: 20/25 => 16/20

Pho Viet will not disappoint you if you’re looking for a casual bite. You will definitely leave with a full belly and a happy face 🙂

Pho Viet, Van Wesenbekestraat 43, 2060 Antwerpen

(Note: I’m not sure if Pho should be written with capital letters, but to me it’s worthy. If you notice any spelling mistakes, feel free to contact me. Sorry, English is my third language… out of four. #humbleflex)