Pho Bluewater — Restaurant in Dartford

Our second visit to Bluewater Pho on Sunday afternoon 28th September 2025. Poorly trained staff. Young man/host at the front managing the queue was helpful but the hostess/ manager (blonde lady) was very rude. The Crab noodle soup: Bún riê we ordered was hypertensively salty and so we let the host know it was too salty. He took the bowl away and kindly offered to ask the chef to remake. We initially wanted to just cancel the dish but the host was very sincere in offering a replacement and reassured us that the chef can alter the stock to make it less salty. We were hesitant because we had waited over 30 minutes for the mains to arrive by this point but didn't want to make a fuss and still had faith I would not leave hungry, so accepted his offer. Some time later, while the rest of the table ate their mains, the manager/ hostess came over. She started with, "You complained about your dish", in an accusational tone. She backtracked saying they are unable to alter the saltiness of the dish, explaining condescendingly, because the dish is made with prawn paste, which is salty. We explained that we had the same dish before at this branch a few months ago, and it did not taste like this, now no tomato flavour and super salty. It tasted really good the first time, hence why we ordered again. She completely dismissed our comment, and just repeated, "as I said..." to repeat that they can't change the dish and to offer us a replacement like spicy beef noodles. Without acknowledging the inconsistency in the food, she somehow assumed we would want spicy food (despite us not ordering any spicy options in our order). If she was sincere, she would have at least grabbed us the menu to choose something we liked instead of rushing us like we were wasting her time. We asked for the dish to just be refunded. Seeing her attitude (combined with slow service and one of the servers touching the food end of the chopsticks of my partner with his hands, and being shocked when he asked for a replacement pair -basic hygiene?), a member of our party requested the service charge to be waived. We did not hear from the hostess again though she did throw a few glances as she wiped the table next to ours. Embarrassed to have taken others there after we had told them what a positive experience we had when they first opened.

We do know that prawn paste and fish sauce are salty - we cook with these ingredients too, but that's like blaming salt for its taste when the chef has simply added too much. Crab spring rolls, beef pho and morning glory tasted fine. So quality control seemed to have gone out the window for the Crab noodle soup only.

Also if the music wasn't so loud, perhaps staff could hear customers and each other better?

Disappointing as the location is convenient within the shopping centre. Have also not experienced this at...

I recently visited The Bluewater for lunch with my friends, and unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing.

We waited a while to be seated, which was understandable, but once we were accommodated, it took a long time for anyone to take our order. The waitress who served us was not helpful — every time I asked a question about the menu, she said she hadn’t tasted the food. As it was my first visit, I was unfamiliar with the dishes and hoped for some recommendations, but none were provided.

When we finally placed our order, we were told that several dishes we wanted were unavailable. We changed our choices, but a few minutes later, the waitress returned to inform us that those dishes were also out of stock. I could understand this happening after a busy dinner service, but not during lunch.

It took about 45 minutes for our main courses to arrive, and we had to ask the manager (the lady with short blonde hair) to check on our order. When the food finally came, only two out of three mains were served. The staff member who brought the food asked my friend if he had ordered anything, and that’s when we realized his meal hadn’t even been entered into the system. They rushed to prepare it, but by then our soups were already cold.

As for the food itself, it was very disappointing. My beef brisket soup and my friend’s Pho Special tasted like plain boiled water — completely lacking in flavor. The dishes did not reflect the authentic Vietnamese taste we were expecting.

Overall, the service was slow, unorganized, and the food quality poor. Sadly, we won’t be returning to Pho, as the experience did not meet our...

We had the pleasure of dining at Pho during their opening weekend and booked ahead in anticipation - and we’re so glad we did.

We started with the summer rolls (prawn) and chicken wings, and both appetisers were generous in portion and absolutely packed with flavour. The peanut sauce served with the rolls deserves a special mention - I would genuinely buy it by the bucket if I could. The rolls themselves were vibrant with herbs and beautifully fresh. The chicken wings? Absolutely delicious - crisp, succulent, and full of depth.

For mains, we had the pho with three types of meat - the broth was everything pho should be: clear, rich, and deeply comforting. Authentic and satisfying.

The Bún with chargrilled chicken was another highlight - the chicken was from another world. Smoky, tender, perfectly seasoned. I did notice the peanuts were missing from my bowl (a small oversight), and while I tried it with the recommended fried egg on top, I’d personally skip that next time - I’ve had more Bún Bò Nam Bộ (I'm aware this dish is served typically with beef) than I can count, and it’s the only time I’ve seen it served that way. Worth a try, but for me, it didn’t quite fit.

That said, the rest of the dish was spot on - zesty, herbaceous, and so moreish. Every bite was full of flavour, and the sauce was lovely.

We’ll definitely be back. If you find places like Wagamama (no hate) a little on the plain side, Pho will be a very welcome change. Fresh, bold, generous, and full of heart - just what we...