sing me a love sông

In the past few months I’ve eaten my way around most of London’s Vietnamese restaurants, and time and time again I find myself pining away for that single bowlful of steaming hot goodness from one particular establishment…

Phở bò, at Sông Quê on Kingsland Road. I don’t think there’s anything quite as addicting as phở, and while every self-respecting Vietnamese joint will make some form of it, what separates the losers from the real kings of this noodle soup is the quality of the broth. Some are criminally weak – watery broths that fill you up but by no measure satisfy; some suffer from oversalting, resulting in the subtle notes of this complex soup being lost as your tastebuds are numbed by sodium.

Some, like Sông Quê’s, are pretty much near perfect: that is to say, deep and savoury with a hint of sweetness, with aromatic notes of cinnamon, star anise and ginger wafting up into your eager nostrils as your tastebuds relish the clean, meaty flavours that result from hour upon hour of simmering beef bones – they’ve certainly got their master stock down. All in all, the end product is a broth that can satisfy on its own; the addition of tender, rare beef (so many other places get it wrong with tough, overdone beef that resemble slices of roast beef left uncovered in the back of the fridge – you know the sort), fresh verdant herbs (they certainly don’t skimp on them, here) and slippery, al dente rice noodles are mere bonuses. Perfection in a bowl, basically. We even spotted a customer grabbing the bowl with both hands and downing the rest of the soup as soon as she’d finished everything else.

We’ve never been disappointed with their other offerings, either – spicy squid was faultless both times we ordered it, months apart. Crisp batter, fresh squid and an amazingly moreish garlic and chilli topping which we picked away at like uncivilised cavemen.

Another favourite of mine is bò lá lốt – minced beef wrapped in betel leaves, which are then grilled. Again, Sông Quê have got this down pat – generous portions of juicy beef in fragrant charred betel leaves, served with plenty of Asian basil and purple perilla leaves, crunchy lettuce, vermicelli noodles and carrot and radish pickles. Dunked into sweet nuoc cham, I’m in heaven. Points for the green pepper ‘bowl’ for the pickles!

Sông Quê
134 Kingsland Road
Shoreditch, E2 8DY
020 7613 3222