Pho is, without doubt, one of my favourite places to eat in Sheffield – I love the fresh, Vietnamese flavours and the fact that the vast majority of the menu is gluten free, with accreditation from Coeliac UK. I’ve already reviewed it, of course, but I’m unashamedly writing again because I was invited for a complimentary meal recently. I normally review places as a paying customer. That way, it’s an authentic experience to write about, and if somewhere’s not great, I just don’t post at all. But I wasn’t about to turn down a very rare offer of a complimentary meal and a reason to remind all you Sheffield gluten free folk to go there, so off we went!

I started off with a spicy lychee margarita, which certainly had a chilli kick to it, and we enjoyed some crunchy prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce. Then we picked some starters to share. There’s so much to chose from on the menu, with only the spring rolls off limits. We went with very flavoursome pork and lemongrass meatballs with peanut sauce, and prawn summer rolls with the classic sweet, sour and salty nuoc cham dipping sauce.

I could actually have picked an entire meal just from the starters as there are so many lovely options. I’m a fan of the Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes and the beef wrapped in betel leaves, and if the boys had been with us, they’d have picked chicken wings.

For my main course, I had wok fried noodles with chicken and prawns. This is the kind of stir fry I aspire to cook but never quite manage to achieve the depth of flavour: lemongrass and chilli with an umami base, plenty of peanuts, and a bit of nuoc cham dipping sauce as well. And a few greens alongside the chicken and prawns for good measure. Absolutely lovely.

My husband chose the beef combo pho. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup, served in a massive bowl with a side (or rather top, as it comes on a board on top of the bowl) of beansprouts , chilli, lime and fresh herbs to add yourself. This one included three types of beef, steak, brisket and meatballs. You can see from the picture that the servings are huge!

The pho broth is cooked in a massive vat in the dining room of the restaurant, so the aroma fills the room, which is marvellous. It manages to accomplish the feat of feeling like a big treat at the same time as being nourishing and healthy. It’s just really lovely food.

I don’t think we’re blessed with that many places in the city centre that are brilliant for gluten free, so this place is a real gem!

Pho
6 Leopold Square, Leopold Street, Sheffield S1 2JG