Review: Pho Gluten Free Vietanamese Food

Recently, I’ve been checking out new places to eat for an update post about being gluten free in Birmingham (here’s the link for part 1 of my gluten free Birmingham guide if you fancy a read.) I visited Pho in Grand Central over the weekend and was so blown away by their gluten and dairy free options that I decided to write a full review post instead! I’d heard that Pho Gluten Free menu had been recently approved by the Coeliac Society so I knew I’d be in for a treat, but the range of options available was really impressive- other restaurants take note! This is how you do gluten free…

When we arrived, I was surprised to note that I wasn’t offered a completely separate menu! Instead, my very helpful waiter informed that almost everything was gluten and dairy free; bar a couple of deserts. It was so nice to have so many choices and also have the opportunity to share dishes with my husband; which we never get the chance to do usually!

Let’s talk food…

First up: Starters

Starters are the things I find most limited when eating out, so I was determined to indulge. We went for the pork meatballs and prawn spring rolls.

As you can see, the spring rolls were deep-fried but I’ve never managed to find proper gluten free spring-rolls, so I was determined to indulge! They were perfection; crispy batter with juicy prawns on the inside.

My husband went for the pork meatballs- which again were really delicious (I think I’m quickly running out of adjectives with this review!)- The peanut sauce was the perfect compliment and when wrapped in the lettuce lettuce, it was the best gluten-free tortilla!

Mains

I went for a bowl of Vietnamese soup. I was excited to read the soup base was chicken bone broth; made from cooking chicken bones for 12 hours. As you probably know, bone broth is really good for the gut (and it was probably much needed after my fried starter indulgence) You can pick your filling  so I went for chicken and tofu. My favourite thing was that you got a side plate of additional things to add: lime, chilli, beansprouts. I loved this because I am a simple girl when it comes to soup and nothing bothers me more than having to pick lots of bits out (beansprouts are not my friend since they’re so high in fibre; so I always spend ages separating them from the noodles)

Desert

For desert, I was pleased to see there were several gluten/dairy free options on the menu: banana fritter and pancakes. I opted for the pancake with strawberry sorbet. The pancake wasn’t what I was expecting (it was quite savoury instead of sweet) but the sorbet went down a treat.

That just left a lovely pipping hot glass of fresh mint tea to round off the meal…

If you’re looking for somewhere with tons of Gluten Free options, I would really recommend Pho. Although you might think lots of Asian food is naturally gluten free, many restaurants  just don’t have the awareness that Pho do! (A recent visit to YoSushi with a 40 paged tatty allergy guide to leaf through springs to mind!). Whilst the food was amazing, the best thing was complete piece of mind that this food chain had everything covered when it comes to allergies- a refreshing change from fretting.

There’s locations all over the country but the new Grand Central spot is perfect for a post-work dinner. I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve tried it. Drop me a comment below!