An awesome pho pop-up is coming to town this weekend

It’s a common refrain that while pho in Hong Kong ain’t bad, it’s not as good as the stuff down in Vietnam. Hopefully getting us a little closer to the real deal is Nhau Nhau, which is popping up at Sake Central this weekend.

For anyone not familiar with the Saigon food scene, here’s some background. Nhau Nhau, the equivalent of a Vietnamese izakaya, was founded earlier this year by Peter Cuong Franklin, the Vietnamese American chef behind Central’s much-missed Viet Kitchen and a US$100 banh mi that can be ordered off-menu at Franklin’s other Saigon establishment, Anan (the fact that people were actually ordering the banh mi caused heads to explode over at Vice).

For his temporary return to Hong Kong, Franklin is bringing with him a small menu of staples from Nhau Nhau. There are four dishes to try: wagyu beef tartare ($148, wagyu, black truffle and sesame cracker); foie gras imperial roll ($148, pork, black truffle and nuoc cham sauce); katsu banh mi ($148, baguette, beef rib, wagyu, pâté); and the star, pho dac biet ($198, 24-hour cooked beef rib, wagyu, marrow, black truffle, herbs and noodles). If like us, you want to try it all, you can order the tasting platter for $448. And, to top it all off, there’s a complimentary tasting portion of sake being thrown in.

The pop-up is only here this Friday and Saturday, and portions are limited, so reservations are definitely recommended. Email reservations@sake-central.com or call 2656 6552 to save your spot.


The katsu bahn mi