“This was something my dad had always wanted. He envisioned a pho bar for Song Que for a long time,” says Sharlene Pham, co-owner of Kingsland Road’s Song Que and now its spin-off, Song Que Pho Bar. “Since my dad passed four years ago, we’ve really come together as a family, even more so.”
Pham’s parents have owned Song Que since 2002. Before that, they ran an entertainment shop on Kingsland Road in Dalston, selling CDs, laser discs and karaoke videos. It was well-loved within the Vietnamese community, but Pham’s father had always dreamed of opening a restaurant. Pham grew up around Song Que, and over the years she’s slowly taken the reins, introducing more southern Vietnamese sharing dishes such as banh khot (savoury prawn cupcake fritters), grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf, prawn and green papaya salad, and chargrilled quail.
At the start of January, Pham realised her father’s vision and opened Song Que Pho Bar in the former Pearly Queen site in Spitalfields. The 80-seater has a more focused menu than the original, built around bestsellers like pho, spring rolls, and grilled pork with vermicelli noodles and spring rolls. Unlike the Kingsland Road restaurant, there is less focus on wok-cooking, big sharing plates and stir-frying; its menu of quick, comforting bowls of noodles is designed with solo diners and lunchtime crowds in mind. “There are ramen bars and wonton noodle bars, but why can’t we have a pho noodle bar?” Pham asks. “Why can’t people appreciate Vietnamese food in the same way?”
Upstairs, a central noodle bar anchors the room, while downstairs is more intimate, with two dining nooks for larger groups. The walls are lined with old family photographs charting Song Que’s history.
“Song Que is like your home, but Song Que Pho Bar is like your holiday home away from home,” Pham says. “We’re not changing much. The core and essence of Song Que will still be there. And don’t worry, it’ll still be green.”
Another difference, beyond the pared-back menu, is the drinks. There will be cocktails, including a Vietnamese Coffee Old Fashioned, alongside a wider range of Vietnamese coffees like condensed milk iced coffee and egg coffee, as well as calamansi iced tea.
Family remains at the heart of Song Que. Pham’s brother James and sister Joanne move between the kitchen and front of house, while her mother, Anh, is still involved in every part of the process. She is the backbone of the restaurant, has the final say on recipes and makes the spring rolls every day. Pham’s partner, Jeff Chenh, mainly runs Song Que Pho Bar, while Pham stays at the original site. On the woks, meanwhile, are the same uncles who have been with Song Que for decades. It’s a sizeable team, trained over time, now split between the two sites.
“We’re family. We all chip in. It’s all hands on and done out of love,” Pham says. “I feel anxious and overwhelmed about the opening, but also excited that we’re able to do this. I think being anxious is a good thing. It pushes you to get things right, and I hope we are.”
Song Que Pho Bar
44 Commercial Street, E1 6LT
Hours:
Mon to Sun 11.30am–9.30pm
