WonderPho has branched out from their small site on Thurland Street to Upper Parliament, though they will be retaining the original too. They’ve made it open but compact, modern with some little nods to Vietnam. The most offensive part of the lunch was the loud, bad pop music. I don’t want to hear Justin Bieber when I’m dining, let alone that many decibels. The menu seems to be significantly expanded in this new premises, a staggering 21 page tome was presented to me. What was a Vietnamese focus has now extended to a wider range of Asian noodles and soups.

I wanted to stick to the classics, summer rolls and a pho. For the former I went for prawn (£7.80) and the four parcels, bursting at their translucent seams, arrived in good time. The veg was fresh and crunchy, the herbs proving pops of flavour and generous enough with the seafood. With the subtle prawn flavour I felt the accompanying hoisin sauce dominated a little too much. The tangy sweet and sour Nước chấm would be a better fit, but ultimately a matter of preference.

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Rare beef Pho (£12.80) arrived whilst I was half way through my rolls. Delightfully steaming in its custom WonderPho bowl. I was impressed with the broth, more so than at the original shop. The depth and umami here was lovely and the beef some of the most tender I’ve ever had with pho. It wasn’t quite perfection though, the flat noodles were unfortunately overcooked and approaching a mushy texture.

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Despite a few quibbles the quality of the broth alone is probably enough to give WonderPho a look. Its also excellent value for a large feed. It wasn’t quite as good as the also new Shobu but a couple of pounds cheaper and a more generous portion. I’ll be back to try more of their vast menu. I’ll whisper that I still think the eponymous chain ‘Pho’ is the best Vietnamese restaurant in town.

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