The House of Ho, Soho

Is it just me, or does anyone else, no matter how long they’ve spent living in the city, find the streets of Soho quite mind-boggling? I try and try but still, Dean Street, Greek Street, Frith Street, I can’t help but get lost. Anyway, around the corner from all three is a little Vietnamese treasure which from now on, will certainly make the decision of where to eat a whole lot easier. The House of Ho may have a rather unfortunate name (we saw many an amused tourists posing with the sign outside), but its menu was too tempting to turn away from. And no wonder; the restaurant is run by superstar chef Bobby Chinn.

The House of Ho’s menu is broken down into parts and is filled with intriguing sounding ingredients. The idea is that you pick 4-5 dishes for two people, from the range of sections, so we went for:

• Rolls: Confit of Duck with Perilla Leaves and sliced grapes
• Raw & Salads: Seafood Ceviche, Mangosteen Coconut Jus with White Truffle Oil
• Grilled: Smokey Chili Glazed Chicken Wings
• Braised: Vegetable Curry Cellophane Noodles, Paddy Herbs & Chopped Peanuts

Not to brag, but our selection was bloody fantastic. The stand out by far had to be the ceviche; not everyone’s cup of tea, I know, but it was deliciously fresh and gorgeously presented in a coconut shell. Everything on our table was a winner. The only issue came when deciding who got the last duck roll (I had to trade for a chicken wing, but it was worth it).

That was it. We were full. There was no way, no how that we could… And then they asked if we wanted a pudding. Despite the great range, the waiter chose for us: “You’re having the Marou chocolate cake. Trust me, it’s the best.” Marou is a type of chocolate from Vietnam which made the molten-middle cake super rich. As the menu said, this was the perfect “Happy Ending”.

So definitely get yourself down to House of Ho and take your mates; a larger table means a larger selection of tasty treats. Booking is also available.