Nha Trang Vietnamese Cuisine — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

I was looking forward to trying this place from watching a video on instagram that mentioned their authenticity. Unfortunately it wasn’t the case.

Pho Bo Vien (meatballs pho): The noodles were not cooked well. It was still a little hard and there was quite a lot of it compared to the soup. The broth was lukewarm and had no taste. There was hardly any beef flavour, but only some fake chicken or beef bouillon flavour. It wasn’t pleasant. I understand it takes time to make pho, but it is not hard. I am pretty sure in the past they had delicious pho based on the reviews. But the recipe must have changed. This was a huge disappointment. I was not even served after this and I had to get the hoisin and chilli sauce myself. I end up being told off by staff for taking the sauce. If they had the energy to do that, why couldn’t they serve me before? The restaurant does not serve Vietnamese satay (chilli oil). I question authenticity again.

Banh xeo (yellow pancake): it was extremely thin to say the least. We ended up not being able to eat it as we have found a hair inside. Thankfully, one of the young male waiters took it back and did not charge for it. I will give a 2/5 just for that.

Service: It was horrible. We felt like we were being ignored the whole time we were there. When the food was served, it felt like they were passive aggressive to us. They chucked it on our table and walked away. The energy of the whole restaurant felt tense. It wasn’t very busy when we were there, it just seemed like the waiters and waitresses were not happy to be there. When we tried (many times) to ask for help when they walked by, they would look away and ignore us. We had to get their attention many times to even get help.

I will not be returning. We had to go somewhere else to eat as we were not able to...

Ok you're in HK and somebody suggest trying this Vietnamese pho in Times Square Mall. My initial response was HK Beef Wanton Noodles is the way to go around here. Went in for lunch anyway as a local said its good. Well I'm glad to say its really good. Its such a big place with lots of seating you can choose from but the staff will set you up near other diners. Turned out that seating is based on how the staff can service you efficiently. So they tend to seat all diners together in a section which I totally understood. The Pho and Spring Rolls are really good. I could taste from the broth that they used spices to add a depth to the flavor of the beef. The rice paper wrapper is soft, clear and thin enought to hold the ingredients together. From all the Pho I ate, this one elevated it to a higher level due to the additional spices they used. You can taste complex flavors from your first sip or bite. Enjoyed the meal immensely and I never thought I'd be trying Pho in HK where Chinese Noodles reign supreme. The Stoic staff is often misunderstood as grumpy and insensitive but thats just how they work around here. A staff approached our table while cleaning a nearby table just to offer us an advice on how to use the sauce and we do appreciate it. The place is huge and clean with modern interiors and bright natural lights. We came in after lunch time so there are lots of spaces avaialble. Located on the 13th floor of the Times Square Mall. You can take the scenic route via escalator or just get it over with and take the elevator. Its a Vietnamese restaurant you seldom heard of around Causeway but those who really know their Pho will probably have this on...

Overall, the food quality is pretty good. The cold vermicelli bowl with grilled chicken (bun ga nuong) is definitely the standout dish—the chicken was grilled to perfection: charred and slightly crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, with just the right seasoning.

The fried spring rolls (cha gio) were tasty too. However, the medium-rare beef pho (pho tai) was a bit of a letdown; the broth was lukewarm when it should've been served hot. I also expected more from the pho combo, especially for $120—seeing only two small pieces of beef brisket was disappointing. For better value, I’d recommend sticking with the standard pho tai!

As for the service, I had low expectations going into a Hong Kong chain restaurant, but it was a bit frustrating. As the first customer for lunch, I found it annoying that they kept reminding me of the 70-minute time limit. A simple sign on the menu would suffice, and if someone overstays, they can politely remind them then. Overall, it’s worth a visit, but keep those...