Discovering the new House of Ho
After gaining a cult following at its Soho location, the team at House of Ho have advanced North with a new location in London’s Fitzrovia. Since it opened in December 2015, the new Percy Street location has taken on flagship status while the older sister restaurant has lost its prefix to become simply “Ho”.
The cuisine
Contemporary Vietnamese courtesy of new Chef director and pan-asian master, Ian Pengelley. With this menu Pengelley has attempted to move away from the “street food” persona of Viet cuisine and place it firmly in the fine dining arena. Diners can choose from small plates, dumplings, rolls, salads and larger signature dishes.
The vibe
The establishment stretches over four floors, with the clubby vibes of its predecessor confined to the top. Meanwhile the intimate first floor dining room gleams in classy gold, green and marble. The crowd is an oddly mixed bag; upstairs a younger crowd gravitate to the house music and cocktails, downstairs diners includes gaggling fashion types and a footballer with his “I don’t usually eat in places like this” girlfriend.
The food
Look up “restrained” or “subtle” in the dictionary and you will not find pictures of these dishes. A handful of crispy soft shell crab perches atop a mammoth bowl of dried chillies and cinnamon sticks that dwarfs our table. Meanwhile the pho comes in a vat large enough to feed 3. Unfortunately the giant Wagyu short rib bathing within was too fatty to work with the delicate broth. A better hit was the Chilean sea bass fillet, wrapped in a banana leaf and “undressed” upon arrival at the table. With a fermented plum glaze to cut through the unrelenting sweetness, it felt like black miso cod’s more buxom cousin.
Big wins here came from the small plates – the jasmine smoked ribs, whilst not reaching the levels of Yauatcha’s version, are sweet and fragrant. My “must-eat” plate has to be the crispy duck salad; combing hunks of watermelon, salty cashews and fresh mint. It’s the contrast of freshness lightness and salty punch that makes Viet food so special.
The drinks
The cocktails were a highlight of the evening with the bar priding itself on curation of craft spirits from small distilleries. Their take on a whisky sour, using Hakushu whiskey, tart yuzushu and a dash of bitter matcha is everything an “Asian inspired” cocktail should be. Other lesser establishments should take note. My highlight here was the Lotus Collins uses the most amazing violet liqueur I’ve ever tasted, just excuse the day-glow blue…
The damage
Nibbles don’t break a fiver, small plates are comfortably all under £10 and signature dishes range from £12 to £45.
Conclusion
It may not be entirely authentic Vietnamese and the plating may be theatrical but the food and drink definitely stays the right side of pantomime.
Best for
Weekday cocktails. Weekend Cocktails. Everyday Cocktails. And casual dinner catch-ups.
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