Pho

This is literally the third Phở we’ve been to in the UK. Seriously, we are like moths to the flame. But I wasn’t expecting to see one in Leeds, in the lovely Trinity Kitchen food court! I think it’s the only one outside of London, so lucky us!
There was a very long queue at Saturday lunchtime, but they moved through it very quickly. I ordered the Phở Ga (chicken breast in chicken stock), which for only £5.95 is truly a bargain. The prices seem cheaper than in London, but I think the portions are the same size! We waited about 10 minutes, same as you would in a proper restaurant, then our little electronic buzzer went off and we picked up our food. The phở comes in a wide disposable bowl, they have hot sauces at the counter that you can use to spice up your meal, and they give you a little paper bowl of herbs/​chillis/​bean sprouts as always. After doctoring our soups to the proper temperature, we dug in — and they were lovely. Just as they always are at a Phở restaurant, the broth was lovely. I know it’s not the classic phở, but I think the chicken broth is almost better than the beef! It’s more soothing in a way, like Asian chicken noodle soup. It was hot (temperature-​wise, also spicy after I dumped in some hot sauce), and truly hit the spot on a day when it was pouring rain. The chicken was juicy and the noodles were abundant.
Such bang for your buck (or, pound) here. Trinity Kitchen has loads of delicious looking places to eat, but you absolutely cannot go wrong with Phở.

So, and so, and so. I’ve been back! And, as I’d promised to myself, I had to try the actual phở. In some ways this was a minor regret, especially getting FOMO and Food Envy all over the shop at my dining companion’s dishes, but I had determined to try the phở, and that’s what I got.
The experience really is fast food, but this would be one of the few instances where I don’t see it as a bad thing. For the fast food experience, you get to eat within about 5 – 10 minutes of ordering (naturally) and the prices are much lower. Does that mean quality is skimped on? Not here, apparently.
After having tried the squid at the Unilocal event, I had to have another round. And, piglet as I am, I had a whole tray to myself. It was as delectable and delicious as the first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Alongside this I had the garlic beef phở (I’ve already forgotten the proper name) and a Vietnamese coffee to accompany. The bowl is rather huge, given it’s only six quid, and pretty much packed with flat noodles.
It’s very aromatic, and you get a tray of herbs and bean sprouts to add in yourself (did I mention the other day I like interactive food?!) which is a lovely touch. My only two slight niggles would be that there wasn’t a huge amount of beef in the dish, and it was perhaps a touch over cooked for my liking. But then, beef in a broth is a tricky mouth pleaser if you like things a certain way. It was just a little chewy for me, although tasted very nice.
The coffee, I thought, was going to be disappointing. For a start, it was half a small cup, which was very little for over two quid. I stirred in the condensed milk anyhow, and dived in for a sip. Nectar. It was absolutely delicious. I don’t know what coffee, or what brand of condensed milk they use, but this was the stuff — an amazing way to round off a good meal, especially as it’s basically dessert and coffee in one. (Sweet as anything, but the perfect digestif.) So, I’ll certainly pay for that again.
All in all, I’m a real fan. You can eat for just six quid, which I understand is *just* over what you might spend in a McDonalds and the like, but get nothing but healthy, tasty, fresh, authentic food. The phở will be a fantastic warmer come the colder months, especially when you’re feeling a little cold-​y, and the noodles are very much next on my hit list. Definitely come here and give it a go — if for nothing else, but that it’s Leeds’ only Vietnamese place!

I’m impressed, we’ll start there. My first visit to Trinity Kitchen, and the place as a whole has an excellent atmosphere, which I’m sure helps the taste of the food.
I was initially a little worried by the long queue at Phở, however I was at the front mere seconds after I’d finally made my mind up on what I wanted. I went for Steak and Meatball Phở, which seemed a good choice, and went well with the Coconut, Pineapple and Apple juice. You get given a buzzer which you’ll accidentally try and use as a phone at least twice during your t

Phở has a string of successful Vietnamese restaurants in London. However, this is its first venture outside the capital and its location as one of the permanent new restaurants which makes up the Trinity Kitchen street food court seems a sensible move, particularly given it is located right next to the entrance. Food at Phở is dominated unsurpisingly enough by phở which is the national dish of Vietnam consisting of a bowl of broth containing noodles, meat and a range of other herbs and sauces. The phở served by Phở is customizable first by your choice of meat/​vegetable and second, by a range of garnishes which are served alongside the phở itself. This is great as it means you can add extra chilli and coriander if that is your inclination or not, if it is not!
I must admit that I was not massively taken with Phở’s phở. While the meat was lovely (I opted for a flash fried steak with garlic) the broth as a whole was lacking in flavour. Given this forms the majority of the dish, this is a bit disappointing. Still, Phở is pretty new and improving the broth is surely not the hardest thing in the word. I also tried the phở xao (a wok fried flat noodle dish). This reminded me of Pad Thai and comes with a range of toppings to chose from — beef, prawn and chicken or tofu and mushroom. My beef was very tender and I felt the dish as a whole worked better than the phở although this may be because I prefer fried noodles to noodles in broth.
Service is very much a do-​it-​yourself affair which felt in keeping with the atmosphere of Trinity Kitchen as a whole. You place your order at the counter and are given in return a buzzer which vibrates when your food is ready to collect from a second counter. It all felt pretty slick and seemed to be working very well for a new outift. Hopefully the food can improve a notch further. If so, Phở will quickly become a go to destination for a slice of South East Asian cooking in Leeds.