I spotted this Vietnamese place in St Nicholas Market recently on my venture out from the office searching for lunch. The venue used to be Source which was a food hall and café that I had never been into whilst it was still there. The menu looked pretty authentic and as a good comparison (and also because it is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes) I ordered the Bun thit nuong (grilled pork with noodles that comes with a Nuoc cham, Vietnamese dipping sauce) and a side of Cha gio (spring rolls) as I didn’t realise the Bun thit nuong came with spring rolls but it was a Friday so nevermind!
I find Nuoc cham that goes with Bun is usually a good tell tale of flavours for a restaurant as every family has their own recipe.
Whilst waiting for my takeaway, I found out they opened during the pandemic in April 2021 and after riding through the pandemic storm, the place seemed pretty popular for working lunches as the customers kept coming in asking for tables. Some even ordered ahead. It’s a big space with seating and a counter to order your takeaway but where it is situated at the main entrance it does look a bit confusing as to whether you’re waiting to collect your food or waiting to order. There was an empty deli shelf opposite the counter and I understand their plan when they opened was to launch this to cater for more takeaway food.
I must say that the food coming out of the kitchen for diners whilst I sat there waiting for my order looked very appetising with good portion sizes. The Pho bowls and dine in Buns looked delectable so I was expecting my takeaway to be of a similar standard.
After quite a long wait before finally getting my order, I trundled back to the office with much anticipation. Unfortunately when I opened the boxes I was a bit underwhelmed especially given what I had seen the dining in dishes look like. The takeaway portions seemed a lot smaller and given the cost was the same dining in and takeaway, I was a bit disappointed. The taste was fine as far as Bun thit nuong and Cha gio goes. The Nuoc cham was on the sweet side which I like but I can’t say that I was bowled over with my takeaway order completely. It was a bit disappointing as I had been looking forward to a good Vietnamese in Bristol city centre as they are a bit few and far between.
I think I’ll return and try dining in next time.
FoodieVietnam – St Nicholas Market, 1-3 Exchange Avenue BS1 1JW
@foodievietnambristol
🤤🤤🤤/5