Vnam

After travelling around Vietnam last summer I recently had a craving for some Vietnamese cuisine.
This place is a little off the beaten track but easy enough to find and certainly sorted out my cravings.
I opted for the Lemongrass Pork to start and the Spicy Beef & Pork Phở for main. Both dishes were outstanding and the taste and smells took me back to my travels. I would recommend this place to anyone.
Close enough to the real deal.

After popping into The Mustard Tree nearby, I found myself in serious need of lunch in an area of the city I’m pretty unfamiliar with — Ancoats.
Having eaten at Saigon Lotus (
) late last year, I decided to try Vnam as it came recommended and I wanted to compare.
There were no other customers inside when I arrived, but it didn’t take too long until a few came in for their Meal Deal for something from their set menu and a drink (£6.95 or £7.95 depending on what dish you order).
I decided on their Beef Phở Bo (noodle soup), which arrived not too long after I ordered in a huge bowl, complete with a small plate of coriander, bean sprouts and chillies.
To be honest I preferred Saigon Lotus’ phở, but it was still tasty, filling and great value for money. You do feel healthy and satisfied after Vietnamese food.
Service was friendly and efficient so if you’re in the area for lunchtime, it’d be a decent choice.

I can trace my first experience of Vietnamese food back to living in Vancouver, being taken to a nondescript part of town late at night to sit in a brightly lit canteen surrounded by Vietnamese ex-​pats and Vancouverite hipsters, having Phở ordered for me and immediately loving the delicate broth, the slippery noodles and the mysterious mixture of fresh crunchy vegetables and sauces. It was love at first slurp and I’ve not looked back since.
Moving back to Manchester I never imagined I’d be able to recreate that first night, destined never to taste the wonderful cuisine of Vietnam without a pricey flight and possibly some travel jabs.
How lucky I now find myself that there’s a ‘little Vietnam’ springing up in our fair city, just on the outskirts of the City Centre up near the massive Wing Yip supermarket are a few restaurants, cafes and shops where I can satisfy my craving for Phở, summer rolls and more (big ups I Am Phở and Viet Shack in town too — much love there!)
Vnam has been on my radar to visit for a year or so, as it’s just that little bit out of town I’ve never been able to convince fellow diners that a walk out of the city centre up Oldham Rd would be worthwhile. On a crappy August Bank Holiday Monday the opportunity arose to do just that and we visited around 2pm (it shuts at 3.30pm, reopening in the evening).
As seems to be the way with most of my favourite eateries, Vnam isn’t the most spectacular place to look at, more of a clean, tidy café than a restaurant. Simple décor, maybe seating for ³⁰⁄₄₀ and just the one member of staff visible upstairs.
The waitress was an absolute hero, as a few groups turned up and phone calls came in she dutifully dealt with everyone, dashing from table to table, downstairs to collect orders and back, providing us with information on the menu and generally being ace.
For just under £30 2 of us shared 2 starters, a couple of filling mains and a couple of drinks, I went for a Vietnamese coffee, served in a glass with a filter and condensed milk in the bottom, making for a very sweet, smooth cuppa, I like these from time to time — like a dessert brew. All in all it was very good value.
The summer rolls and barbecue chicken wings we shared were demolished within seconds, meaning we forgot to take photos, but rest assured they were great.
The summer rolls aren’t the best I’ve had (that accolade would probably go to I Am Phở), but were everything you like in a summer roll; fresh, light and fragrant — like a wrapped salad.
The barbecue chicken wings had the most delicious taste, a real umami unctuous flavour which was astounding. I could have eaten them all day. If it wasn’t for the fact I’d ordered a main and had to go home at some point.
For main I had a barbecue stir fried pork and spring rolls, with rice noodles and salad — I’ve never had spring rolls in a stir fry before and really liked that extra bit of carby fried crispy chewiness, sprinkled with the accompanying fish sauce made for a really satisfying lunch.
Light, fresh, delicate, crunchy and moreish, all the things that make Vietnamese food so good.
My wife’s choice of beef brisket stew was outstanding too, loads of depth to it and nicely spiced. If it wasn’t for the fact that I HAVE to try the Phở next time (I avoided it on purpose to make sure I come back), that stew would be top of my list to eat.
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese food before, Vnam is a great place to try for your first go, the quality is excellent and it’s really not that far out of the city centre, you just have to be less lazy than me. It’s definitely quicker and cheaper than a flight to Vancouver or Vietnam too!

Second visit and photos to follow … A beautiful iced peach tea while perusing my menu …
A delightful light summer roll with peanut and chilli sauce was like today’s early spring’roll’ appearance … Very welcome and fresh .
Then spicy beef salad. A meal in itself !
Flavours of fennel mint and oh my goodness … How do they make salad taste so rich and tasty. This is salad to change the eating habits of a nation Jamie !! ;-)
Barbecue pork fillet with rice and beef and pork noodle soup for the main event .
You can eat tons of Vietnamese food and still feel light because the flavours are so fresh.
Lime, coriander, spring onion, and fish garlic and chilli sauce as accompanying flavours meant our chopsticks were flying like a deranged knitting pattern granny the night before Christmas Eve :-)
All Thai or Chinese food fans should try Vnam. In fact … NO … everyone should.

I’m so glad that Unilocal is getting more and more popular in England these days.
I was born and raised In Manchester and now live in the states. Where Vietnamese food is a abundant.
It’s always really hard to find a good phở wherever u go.(meaning authentic broth)
I must say that vnam definitely hit the spot. The phở wasn’t to fake ie: MSG
Didn’t feel any side effects at all, which is a great sign in my opinion.
If u know your food, and especially Vietnamese food, this is your best bet.
TamPOOPOO is not even on the Radar!

Despite living only 5 minutes away, it’s taken me this long to visit.
Oldham Road is becoming something of a Little Vietnam, with this place, another Viet restaurant, and two Vietnamese shops, all on the same row.
We were here mid-​afternoon for a (very filling) lunch. We started with the little rice cakes and the huge pancake. Both were full of flavour, although maybe slightly greasy, and a touch too much soy.
For mains we had two of the noodle soups; the Phở Bo, and a spicy variation. We got a condiments platter — lime, thai basil, mint, coriander, chillies, … everything you might need.
The soups were decent enough, but by no means the best of their kind. For Manchester they stand up pretty strongly, but they don’t compare to, say, San Francisco.
Prices are good and the guy serving us was pleasant and efficient.

Since returning from a holiday in Vietnam last summer. I have had a hankering for some good Phở Bo and Tom Ruang Moi. Vietnamese food is really underrated which is a shame because it is the tastiest food iIve ever eaten. Anyway the food at this place did exactly what I expected it to do, take me back to Vietnam.
The Phở Bo was simply delicious served with a fresh selection of herbs and vegetables you can add as much or as little as you like. The Tom Ruang Moi, prawns for those of you who don’t know, were again first class. The batter had the right amount of crunch whilst the prawn remained tender and flavoursome inside its batter cocoon.
The best of all was finishing of the meal with a sweet café sua. All round an excellent dining experience which i am going to repeat in the not to distant future. If you have never tried Vietnamese food I strongly recommend Vnam.

Try the BBQ lamb chops to start — seriously the nicest thing on the menu. The beef phở is also pretty beautiful — warm, deeply savoury and full of star anise and cinnamon flavours; served with fresh herbs and chillis and limbs so you can change the dish to suit your tastes. Summer rolls are fresh and zesty — in fact most of the stuff on the menu is amazing and super fresh.
The place itself looks like a run down café and has no license, but give it a go — the food is brilliant and the staff are super friendly. Best Vietnamese in Manchester.

It’s always nice to pop over to Unilocal Leed’s sister city Manchester, and even better when you discover a delightful place to grab a bite. On the hunt for something delicious, my friend and I decided to choose the ‘laid back’ Vietnamese place over the ‘glitzy’ one, and so stopped in here to gorge ourselves on the various dishes they serve.
For starters, to my delight, we ordered Vietnamese coffee-​which was just excellent. It was strong, creamy, sweet and hit the spot so well we even ordered a second one to take out at the end of the meal. One day I shall master this beverage for myself, but until then it seems like I’ll have to come here to fulfill the cravings.
Amongst other things, most notably, I enjoyed the soft shell crab and the salt and pepper squid. Although I’m a bit of a funny one, and always find it difficult to eat soft shell crab with the whole creature in tact looking at me, taste overcame squeamishness and it was divine. Salty, spicy, flavoursome and very moreish. (The legs that were left did get hidden under some lettuce, though.) The squid was also incredibly well cooked, and not in the least bit rubbery, as it can be!
All in all, despite ordering such a feast that we couldn’t finish it right then and there, everything was delicious, freshly cooked, full of awesome flavours, and I really have to come back. Unless I can somehow implant the idea in them to branch out to Leeds. Yes, let’s do that. Vnam –be in Leeds somehow. That would make my year!

This is a very welcoming café with great authentic Vietnamese food (I lived in Saigon for 3 years). The staff are very friendly and attentive and everything we ordered was freshly prepared and delicious. The only minor negative was lack of a booze licence. I didn’t check if you could bring your own, but I will definitely be going back. Excellent food at a very reasonable price.

WHAT A REINTRODUCTION TO MANCHESTER. So I’m all, ‘I love Phở, I want Phở, there’s naff all Vietnamese in this here Cottonopolis,’ when I come back to Manchester after my West Coast trip (more reviews to come, yeeeeah). Especially after a hot date with a steaming bowl of Phở in Downtown LA, a place called Blossom (review on its way). Well priced? Yesh. Tasty? Om. Could I find an equivalent at home?
Well, it turns out I’m going to be living right around the corner from this place in a few weeks. Opposite Wing Yip (also awesome — review coming), I was intrigued. Could Manchester offer up tasty Vietnamese cuisine? And considering it’s pretty much the only place apart from Tampopo and a place way out in Northenden that does, what to expect?
Brilliance, is what. Refreshing cold rice dough-​wrapped summer rolls with a chilli and peanut dipping sauce, packed full of prawns, pork and mince. There’s a tofu option for veggies. In fact, pretty much anything on the menu can be made veggie, so don’t let what’s online put you off. Barbecued pork so crispy sweet and caramelised that I kept making naughty noises. Everything is crunchy, tender, flavoursome — exactly what it’s supposed to be. The salt and pepper tofu Aislinn F had was divine, the rice was cooked to perfection and Chris’s Phở played a blinder. Man, those chillies were strong — I put a mere two or three slices into his soup and the whole thing took on a different flavour. Wondrous stuff.
It’s a little place so you’ll want to book ahead just in case, but they’re so friendly. The littleness also means that you should choose wisely when to nip to the bathroom, as there’s just one. But wow, they’ve made great use of the space. I went away without trying the Vietnamese iced coffee as I didn’t want to be up all night (#old). ROOKIE MISTAKE! I shall rectify this next time.

Deffo best Vietnamese food in Manchester. Better than Tampopo. And CHEAP.

great little place best vietnamese food iv had in manchester. will be back oh and the vietnamese ice coffee was really good Opening Times
Mon– Closed
Tues– Sun 11am-​10pm