Pho Bar Adds a Bite of Vietnam to SCBD’s Fairgrounds

Pho Bar’s chandeliers contribute to its vintage ambiance. (JG Photo/Katrin Figge)

Jakarta. The Fairgrounds, conveniently located in the midst of SCBD, surrounded by office buildings and only a short walk from Pacific Place mall, has recently developed into a hip and trendy meeting point for the capital’s urbanites.

Housing several restaurants and cafes, including the Goods Diner, Potato Head Garage and Blumchen Coffee, as well as the popular Lucy in the Sky, one of Fairgrounds’ latest additions is Pho Bar, a Vietnamese restaurant offering hearty cuisine from our Southeast Asian neighbor.

In line with the overall theme of Fairgrounds, Pho Bar’s interior is pleasant and evokes images of a French bistro, complete with a vintage touch; its most eye-catching features are several stunning chandeliers swinging high above the bar.

The dining area is divided into smoking and non-smoking sections; large tables can host families and groups of friends, while smaller tables offer a more intimate setting.

The menu is quite extensive and features not only Vietnamese food, but also some Western favorites, such as onion rings, french fries and chicken wings.

A dish at Pho Bar. (JG Photo/Katrin Figge)

The more popular items however, are obviously the classic Vietnamese dishes.

Starting off dinner with a selection of spring rolls seemed to be a no-brainer. The fresh spring rolls, or goi cuon , filled with chicken — other options include shrimp and vegetarian — are wrapped in rice paper and served with peanut sauce and chili. They are a staple of Vietnamese cuisine and tasty enough, but at Pho Bar it’s the crab spring rolls that surprisingly steal the show. Stuffed with vegetables and juicy crab meat, they are extremely crisp and a worthy appetizer.

The beef noodle soup pho, the namesake for the restaurant and often referred to as national dish of Vietnam, turned out to be rather disappointing; its broth was too watery, lacking the rich and fresh taste that has delighted so many culinary connoisseurs all over the world.

The inability of a Vietnamese restaurant to successfully serve up the country’s signature dish acted as a surprising red flag, but luckily, the menu offered several additional main courses to choose from. A good alternative to the pho was “Bun Cha Hanoi,” vermicelli with grilled beef. The adventurous-sounding Shaking Beef Tomato Rice or “Bo Luc Lac” was another highlight of the evening; the cubed tender beef, served with tomato rice, was unique, savory and satisfying.

The bar’s dessert options were limited, especially since the caramelized banana — a popular Vietnamese dessert — was not available. The flan cake in Vietnamese coffee syrup, however, made for a enjoyable stand-in; the mix of sweet and bitter was somewhat unusual, but will appeal to coffee lovers.

While service was prompt and friendly, Pho Bar couldn’t quite meet the expectations of delivering Vietnamese comfort food — perhaps another few months of service may remedy this.

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