Good for: quiet meals, take out

Craving for pho one evening, I made a quick search on my phone and found this place. The place had great reviews, but I wasn’t too sure about it because of its generic name. I was surprised to find that the outside of the store looked a lot like the Vietnamese food joints you would find in places like the U.S. Located on the side of the street with big glass doors, tiled walls, and a bottle of sriracha sauce on every table, this was it.

Walking inside, the place didn’t have many tables but it wasn’t too full on a Wednesday evening either. The crowd here are mostly foreigners, and the waitress here speak English and Chinese. The décor wasn’t great, but somehow the place had a bit of a cozy and homey feeling to it.

I ordered the beef special on the menu, which is their all in one pho with slice beef, brisket, tendon, and tripe (58 yuan), along with an avocado smoothie (36 yuan). Throw in 10 more yuan and you can get an extra-large bowl. All in all the pho wasn’t bad but it missed a touch of authenticity in taste. I blame it on the noodles. The broth was delicious though and so was the smoothie.

Service was fast as well since there wasn’t that many people and there was always one waitress standing by.

Would come back again for a quick bite after work!

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When I visited on a Sunday evening, the place was slightly too quiet. Combined with the tiled surfaces and overly bright lighting, this made the atmosphere a little clinical. There's definitely a dimmer switch, though, because the manager turned the lights down right before we left. Pre-learn the Mandarin for "this room has the mood-killing lustre of an office bathroom" if you're going for a date.

Despite the lack of ambience, we were won over by the food - it's definitely worth a visit if you're around Jing'an. Everything is fresh, authentic and well-priced. We ordered a vermicelli noodle bowl with lemongrass chicken, pho with brisket and beef balls, a shockingly purple dragonfruit and banana juice, and a ginger lemon tea. The noodle bowl was the standout dish; the clean, light flavours were exactly what I needed after a heavy Shanghai weekend. Coriander and crunchy vegetables offset the savoury, spiced chicken well. The pho was also good, with its rich, slowly-simmered broth as a flavour base. There are a few different options available, including some with tripe, if that's what you're into.

In total, we spent just under 150rmb. Not as cheap as the local noodle stands, perhaps, but it's a good deal for quality Vietnamese food, and it's definitely healthier than a lot of the other options in the vicinity. Service is perfectly efficient and friendly, and the relaxed seating means that it's as good for large groups as it is for couples or solo diners.

It's worth noting that there aren't many vegetarian options here. If you're looking for standout veggie or vegan noodles, there are a few better options around West Beijing Road. Even if you don't eat meat, though, it's worth stopping by to try some of the drinks on offer. There's a whole range of Vietnamese options, as well as some satisfyingly lurid juices and the ubiquitous canned beers. I plan to go back one morning to try the Vietnamese coffee, made with sweetened condensed milk.

This area isn't exactly lacking in coffee shops, granted, but Pho Store provides another variation if you're tired of your normal flat white / ristretto / salted cream cheese iced latté. I’m not sure if Pho Store is quite worth the full four stars I’ve given it here, but it definitely deserves more than three. It’s a great lunch option, the service was quietly competent, and the healthy flavours were exactly what I was looking for.

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