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Food and Drinks
LifestyleFood & Drink

Review | Restaurant review: noodle soup and great drip coffee for under US$12 at Pho Mot Vietnamese Restaurant in Sheung Wan

  • The subtle, flavourful broth with fresh herbs was spoiled by not being hot enough to cook the beef
  • The sliced chuck beef was the best meat, and the Vietnamese -style coffee was creamy smooth and rich

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Hot Vietnamese coffee at Pho Mot. Photo: Holly Chik
Holly Chik

On a cool Hong Kong afternoon, we visited Pho Mot Vietnamese Restaurant, about a minute away from the MTR station in Sheung Wan. It’s easy to spot the small restaurant because of its bright lime green exterior.

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As soon as we were seated at the shared table with backless stools, a waiter brought a small plate of fresh herbs – basil, culantro, lime and red chilli – to flavour the broth.
Those who sit at the bar counter also get to see the open kitchen where cooks assemble noodle soup and prepare ingredients.

The menu of this semi-self service restaurant features six combinations of pho, along with three raw beef upgrades if you add HK$5 to HK$20 (US$0.64 to 2.58). We ordered pho with raw tenderloin (HK$73), another with raw chuck, well-done beef and beef meatball (HK$96) and a third bowl with chicken and Vietnamese sausage (HK$68).

Exterior of Pho Mot Vietnamese Restaurant. Photo: Holly Chik
Exterior of Pho Mot Vietnamese Restaurant. Photo: Holly Chik
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In less than five minutes, the three bowls of pho, with plenty of onion, fresh coriander and bean sprouts, were brought to our table. But to our disappointment, the broth was not boiling hot, which meant the meat slices remained quite raw after being poached. The Vietnamese sausage lost its bouncy texture because it was sliced too thinly.

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