ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Address: 73, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600086
Time: 12 Noon to 11:30 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 700
Cuisines: Asian
Facilities: Valet Parking Available
Va Pho – Asian Canteen, Gopalapuram, Chennai: DECOR
For the record, Pho (pronounced as Fa) in Vietnamese is a noodle soup and Va in Tamil, means come. When strung together, the words create a warm fusion, meaning let’s eat together. But first, walk into their colorful little foyer, take the lift up, or climb all the way, building up an appetite. Choose your seat at any of the many tables. Each table has a different view of Va Pho. The decor, while being colorful, is quite quirky.In keeping with trends today, there’s an auto-rickshaw you cannot miss.
Va Pho – Asian Canteen, Gopalapuram, Chennai: FOOD
In the beginning, Pho must be had. Chicken Saigon Pho is the national soup of Vietnam. A complete meal, perfect as that light working lunch. Slightly spicy from the presence of sriracha sauce and all those added spices (black pepper, black cardamom, coriander seeds, etc) it has the moist crunch of sprouts, while Thai basil leaves add their soothing flavour. The cuisine they serve is ‘Asian Kitchen’. So, dimsums must be had. Unlike my last visit, when these morsels of veggie-filled dough were perfect, I found that the white dough skin at the bottom of my Zucchini Corn and Cream Cheese Dimsum had gone soggy. The filling, though, had all the elements and textures doing their best to camouflage a faulty skin. Vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the Lhoti Massaman will have potatoes. And it is incomplete without the Malabar Parotta. Again, the thick gravy is what makes (or breaks) it. Va Pho has the traditional flavors just right. Peanut, coconut, onion and lemongrass blend with cardamom, cinnamon and star anise. Yes, lemongrass does its bit to stand out. Quite obviously, the Baked Coconut Delight has made a name for itself. It is coconut all the way, with egg and maida binding the sweetened coconut. Eating it by itself is fun, but a dab of ice cream could add a milky chill.
Va Pho – Asian Canteen, Gopalapuram, Chennai: PLUS AND MINUS
Peppy decor with all the colors of the rainbow instantly lift one’s spirits. The food, while not flawless, has elements that work well together.A little more attention to detail is needed.
