Mi & Pho

You don’t have to fly halfway round the world to taste the authentic fresh flavours and healthy style of Vietnamese cuisine – you can hop on the number 43 and head over to south Manchester’s Northenden.

Mi & Pho (which translates as bread and rice noodles) is a family-run restaurant on the main drag, serving “Vietnamese dishes that we know and love from home”. Pho is the national dish of Vietnam – a soup combining linguine rice noodles, beansprouts and fresh herb garnish, and a broth made from chicken and beef bones left to simmer for at least six hours. This gives the whole thing the warming, wholesome yet delicate flavour that makes the dish so popular and, some claim, good for both body and soul. Choose from beef, chicken, duck, prawn or tofu, the latter with a veg broth. Taking care of the bread side of the restaurant’s name is a selection of Vietnamese-style sandwiches, aka banh mi. Baked daily, and available weekdays only, the baguettes are first anointed with mayonnaise and chilli oil, then stuffed with the likes of char siu roast pork, grilled chicken or avocado. Also on the menu, other typical traditional Vietnamese dishes include fragrant bo ko beef stew, served with steamed jasmine rice, banh xeo crispy pancakes, served with fresh salad, cha nem spring rolls, goi cuon summer rolls, and various salt and pepper dishes.

There’s nothing in the way of desserts, although one of the goi du du papaya salads will cleanse the palate and a drink of Foco coconut water flavoured with lychee, mango or guava might do the trick. If you fancy pairing alcohol, there’s a BYOB policy and a small corkage charge.