Pho Manchester

As you might expect from the name, Vietnam’s national dish pho (pronounced “fuh”) is at the heart of the menu here. Just shy of 20 versions of the nutritious and aromatic noodle soup are cooked fresh daily in the Corn Exchange kitchen.

While Pho is part of a chain, it’s still a family-run business. Husband-and-wife team Stephen and Juliette Wall’s decided to quit their jobs and start a restaurant over 15 years ago. An idea that came to them while sat on high stools, slurping pho bo, in Ho Chi Minh City. If you don’t fancy bellying up to a bowl of steaming hot pho yourself, the offer also includes a spread of authentic street market dishes such as spring and summer rolls, goi salads, rice bowls, wok-fried noodles and Vietnamese curries.

This might be street food, but it’s light and healthy street food, and most of the menu is gluten-free. Cauliflower rice is a low-carb option and plenty of the dishes can be made using veggie broth rather than the traditional chicken (of which they are very proud – “slowly simmering bones for a good 12 hours” for a distinctive taste and pick-me-up properties).

Continue that body-as-a-temple vibe with a ginger, lemongrass and mint spritzer, a “green detox” juice, or heal a hungover head with a signature Phojito of white rum, mint, lime and soda. There’s also a hidden cocktail bar on the roof terrace space in the atrium beneath the Corn Exchange’s iconic glass dome where parties are catered for with light bites or private seated dining.

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