Restuarant Review - The House of Ho

Wandering through Soho in London last week we came upon The House of Ho, in Old Compton Street. The Bloke, having lived in the Far East with work for 5 years, was delighted to try what looked to be good Vietnamese food and I was more than happy to give it a go, as was our friend accompanying us.

On first entering the restaurant we noticed the place was small and fairly busy, but were pleased that although we hadn't booked, the three of us were given a table immediately. It has a good setting for romance. Candlelit and cosy with dark wood, I liked the look immediately. 

First ordered were drinks. Our friend had a beer and The Bloke and I opted for Jasmine tea for two and were promptly given two cute cast iron pots on a wooden block with little cups. Adorable. I poured immediately and grimaced, suggesting to my partner to not drink it. We tend to drink jasmine tea at home and it is meant to be light and refreshing - a pinch of leaves is plenty. They had heaped in what looked like about two or more tablespoons. It was so strong you could nearly stand a spoon up in it. We asked for more water to thin it down which they happily did, but my concerns were already twitching - if they can't make the basic tea - what would the food be like?

The waiter suggested we picked about three 'tapas style' dishes each so we picked ten to be sure (I was particularly hungry that night). Peering at the menu in the dark was quite difficult but eventually for starters, we decided on the rolls and chose one each - although we planned to share our food. I was looking forward to trying their Pho but they only serve that at lunchtimes. I went straight to the 'steamed' section of the menu and only found three things. Jasmine Rice, Lobster or Sous Vide Egg. I moved on to the rest of the menu.

I chose the Hot Crispy Rolls with pork and mushroom which I couldn't fault, very nice. The Bloke chose Pickled Vegetable summer rolls, which were quite nice, bit bland but okay and our friend chose the Mushroom & Herb Rolls. Again very nice and one of them came with the best peanut sauce I have EVER tasted. Sadly, that was the best part of the meal.

The (half) chicken wings were cooked well, in a sauce and were just okay. The Crispy Squid everyone agreed tasted exactly like the crisps you can get in England (Nik Naks). I guess if you like them - you'd like the squid. I wasn't a fan but the others loved them.

The Duck Breast was well cooked and came with a lovely black rice in a cabbage leaf, however, the 'sweet and sour' sauce was up with one of the worse flavours I have ever tasted. I could smell something immediately I didn't like on the table and when I tasted the sauce I knew that was what it was. We all looked at each other... "what IS that? It tastes.. almost dusty.. like.. an old dusty cupboard". It was the only description that seemed to fit as we all nodded in agreement. At least that comment made us laugh for the rest of the evening.

The Morning Glory (like a sea spinach and a favourite of mine) was lovely and served with crispy shallots. The Vegetable Curry was bland, although the okra was perfectly cooked. The Heavenly Flowers (grilled little flower bulbs) were interesting, crunchy and nice.. but left an strange, empty taste in your mouth. Everything was served very sporadically and we had to wait for something to go with rapidly cooling vegetables, or eat them alone. The rest of the dishes we picked at and left on the table when we departed, which is surprising as the servings are quite small. And I pretty much eat anything when I am hungry.

The words I said as I left were that my stomach "was left feeling sad". Which is a shame as Vietnamese food cooked properly is a delight! The bill came to about £100 (with one beer and tea as drinks).

On the website they quote "Our food is served ‘Banquet Style’ meaning it is served as and when it is ready". One gets the feeling that it is more for their convenience than anything else. That being said, the waiting staff were polite and we felt we were treated well. Its just a shame that the food, although presented beautifully, is just... well.. just okay.

Lamb fillet with Broad Beans & Peas

I find it a real struggle to find a lean piece of reasonably priced lamb. They are out there but they seem to be rare. I have never liked fat on my meat - I know it can be a personal thing but I am one of those people who cuts off every single piece, if possible.

There are some who say that the flavour is in the fat, but that was the very reason I started playing with flavours and finding ways of putting huge flavours into meat without using any of the fat. In the case of lamb, I usually end up with lamb leg steaks, but occasionally, very occasionally I come across lamb fillet strips. I think it may have been from Ocado, but the butcher is probably the best place to go to. Its a serious treat.

If you do find lean lamb - this dish is just so perfect. You don't need the big, punchy flavours. The lamb speaks for itself in this lovely simple Lamb Fillet with Broad Beans & Peas.

Ingredients:

225g lamb fillet strips
4-5 strips streaky bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup white wine.
3/4 cup vegetable stock
400g tinned broad beans, drained
200g frozen peas

Method:

Season the lamb strips and pan fry whole for 7-8 minutes until cooked. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain and rest.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in the oil with the onion and garlic until crisp and tender. Add the wine and cook on a high heat until reduced by half. Then add the stock and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the peas and drained broad beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Slice the lamb into generous strips.

Serve the bacon & broad beans,  with some of the liquid, into a wide bowl and top with the tender lamb pieces. Lovely with boiled new potatoes or some crusty bread. And maybe a glass of wine if you wish.