First published on 3 Feb 2012. Updated on 10 Feb 2012.
Excellent pho and more at this hidden new Vietnamese joint
An empty restaurant located in the back hallway of a mall doesn’t inspire confidence. So the brilliant pho at the new Fu Tai, a noodle dish which confounds most chefs outside of Vietnam, is a pleasant surprise (there are six types from 42-52RMB).
The MSG-free broth, which has been stewed for 12 hours using beef bones and oxtail, is light and clear but redolent with beefy aroma. The noodles are slippery soft but not melt-away over-cooked. And the trappings are on point: Thai basil, lime, de-headed beansprouts, fiery chili slivers, and minced Chinese celery which adds a subtle crunch to each sip of broth.
The quality of the food and decor are thanks to the owner, the Hong Kong restauranteur behind high-end brands Tiandi Yijia inside Bund 6 and Abalone Hotpot where the bill can average 750RMB/ person. Despite Fu Tai’s awkward hallway location in the ritzy, echoing-ly empty Hong Kong Plaza, its interior is calmly inviting in a palette of white, celadon green and bamboo beige with wicker basket hanging lamps. Details such as bamboo plates and glass sauce jars are thoughtfully selected.
The chef may be Shanghainese but he cooks some of the best Vietnamese fish cakes in town. Unlike the rubbery pucks on many menus, these are yielding fresh-tasting rounds strongly suffused with lemongrass. Order the sample plate (58RMB) and you’ll also get crisply fried wafer-skinned spring rolls of tender pork as well as fresh rice-paper spring rolls, immaculately wrapped so a cross-section reveals a precise mosaic of carrot, cucumber, shitake and vermicelli.
Although it’s a limited menu and few people have yet discovered Fu Tai, the owner has confidence in his most casual and affordable brand to date. He plans to expand Fu Tai quickly to four or five branches, starting with an opening in Plaza 66 later this month.
Crystyl Mo