Pho Cue

“The food speaks for itself,” says Cue Tran, owner of the Pho Cue Vietnamese kitchen, whose aim is to take the authentic street food dishes of his home country and give them a modern “Instagrammable” twist while retaining their flavour, freshness and family traditions.

The broth for the pho – that classic of Vietnamese cuisine – and spicy bun soup is brewed for 24 hours before it’s even shown the flat rice or vermicelli noodles, beansprouts, spring onions, herbs and your choice of topping, from roast duck to vegan tofu and mushrooms. The bun thit nuong spicy lemongrass pork skewers, BBQ lemongrass lamb chops, and chicken wings are cooked on an in-house barbecue for a proper charred kick. Alongside graze-friendly small bites like gluten-free (everything is MSG free) spring and summer rolls, soft shell crab and glazed pork ribs. East meets west in the banh xeo – traditional Vietnamese savoury pancakes become tacos, with pork, beef or king prawn rolled up in crisp rice wrap and Vietnam-style guacamole using Thai basil, chilli and fish sauce as seasoning.

His mum works alongside him and the head chef is his uncle, an expert in traditional Vietnamese food. Cue Tran is passionate about food and is super proud of his roots. “I want to show you guys the tradition of food in my family, the culture passed down from my grandfather to my father and then to me, and why food is everything,” he says.

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