Chôm Chôm

Great vibe, loud music, excellent attentive staff. Not much choices on the menu but foods are great

I was craving Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue noodles, but a last minute change in location from TST to Central brought me and my friend to Chom Chom.
«There won’t be any BBH at Chom Chom,» my friend warns me.
«It’s alright, we’ll save it for next time,» I reply.
I had previously heard great things about Chom Chom, but also that it was overrated. My taste buds were going to the be the judge that evening.
I wasn’t sure if they took reservations, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to call in advance, even if it was a Tuesday night. As I slowly made my way up Peel Street from Hollywood Rd, I gave them a ring and was told that there was a table for two available at the moment, but it wouldn’t be held for long. I rushed up the steep ascent of Peel, but upon arriving in an unfortunate sweaty mess, I was told my friend had to be present in order to be seated.
As I squeezed between the tables and the bar seating towards the bathroom in the back, I couldn’t help but notice how small the place was. What do you expect in Soho??? BUT the cool thing though, is that they have outdoor «seating» — aka a tall stack of plastic blue stools — and large cooler of alcoholic beverages to satisfy and curb your thirst before heading inside.
We ordered the following:
Drinks: Phở-​Jito and Saigon Sour
The second I saw this punny drink, I knew I had to get it. I couldn’t resist, phở real.
And shared these dishes:
1. Eggplant and Crab «Salad» — Refreshing, but surprisingly quite spicy! Must be the jalapeños! But. the chicharon was not crunchy at all, possibly stale.
2. Shaking Beef with Rice — the beef tenderloin was very very tender!
A few cons…
1. They didn’t pour any water for us until we asked for it… Thought it was customary for restaurants in HK to serve water along with dinner? Or I could be confusing it with the US…
2. The music volume just kept going up and up as we ate and chatted our way through dinner. Towards the end, I felt like I WAS TALKING LIKE THIS. I CAN’T HEAR YOU, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
What is this, Chom Chom? A restaurant or a club?
3. Price point — Soho/​Central prices; for one appetizer, one main, and two drinks, the total came up to be shy of HK$ 600.
After paying the bill, my friend and I left Chom Chom with a sigh of relief, and decided to go to a quieter place across the street for some beers.

There’s always a queue and for a very good reason. Flavoursome fresh food in a friendly environment. It’s worth waiting for

Lovely little place in Soho with amazing Vietnamese. Everything I’ve tried so far has been delicious. I prefer to go here with a couple of friends and share different dishes.
Always a que but goes fast and you can enjoy a nice drink outside while waiting. Even this contributes to the whole atmosphere in a nice way.
A must try is the salt and pepper squid and of course the papaya beef salad. Also love the complimentary shots «for the road» when you get the check.

The service was quick. I went for the VFC and they were perfect. Crispy, zesty and juicy. I also had a cocktail with Sriracha — very interesting mix. I came around 7pm and table were still avail. The place was packed by 7:30pm. Would I return? Yes.

To be honest I don’t get the hype. Yes it’s a cool place, the vibe is good, it’s in the middle of soho and an abundance of good looking people like to frequent the establishment, whether to eat or hang outside and have drinks.
However that’s not how I judge a restaurant. Food, taste and value are my main factors. Service comes into play a little but again, depends on how much my bill was right?
So chom chom, the Vietnamese food was not authentic, which I expected as it was too cool to be truly authentic, but I didn’t expect it to be so salty and oily. The phở rolls which everyone seems to love was tasty, but also super oily. This made sense when I saw one of the chefs pull these rolls out of pans of oil. We then ordered the main dishes — fish, beef and ginger chicken. The ginger chicken came later as we were still not full with one starter and 2 larger plates between 2 girls, well, we can be big eaters, but their potion size is not huge let’s just say. The fish was done well, good flavours on top of a bed of vermicelli noodles which had also been seasoned. The beef and chicken however were more reminiscent of Chinese/​Japanese cooking than Vietnamese. I swear I ate a pepper beef and a teriyaki chicken with rice, way too salty (and don’t get me wrong I have a high tolerance for salt), and again, too oily.
The bill well, 2 alcoholic beverages, 2 lime sodas, 1 tiny starter and 3 larger plates was $ 1000. Was it good value for dinner? Not really considering what I ate and drank. Maybe a cool date location, or if you want to people watch, would probably not return unless someone really want me to go with them again to try it out.

Delicious modernized Viet Namese fusion food in a hip (but rather loud and crowded) environment. Everything I had was tasty, but the beef in betel leaf was extra scrumptious.

love their food! for take away its perfect! to dine in as a single person, they just throw you off to the bar I hated the service when I dined in… since then I have taken out twice

I ventured down the street and decided on this place after reading several reviews about how good the Vietnamese food is here.
But to me this place is a but of an enigma.
Did it have a traditional menu? Not quite.
Did it taste good? Yes but not great.
Did it taste authentic? Not quite
Did it bring back memories of my mum’s cooking? No. Definitely not.
Was I satisfied at the end of the meal? Yes… Sort of.
So the dishes on offer to me felt like modern take on Vietnamese dishes and the presentation was good generally.
So I ordered salt and pepper squid, the beef in betel leaf, and bun cha pork skewers.
The squid was fried until golden verging in brown. Was coated with a thicker coating than expected and had some black charred bits which I think is due to dirty oil.
The beef betel leaves was nice. Flavours were there but I would have appreciated some pickled carrots and radish.
The bun cha pork skewer was good. The fresh crispy vegetables was great, the vermicelli was well cooked and not soft. But the cha (pork meatballs) didn’t have the traditional flavour I was expecting as it tasted like a bit of bacon was included.
In saying that the meal was good… But I’m not a fan of making Vietnamese food more modern. Maybe I just had high expectations after reading all the great reviews.
Maybe I should try some of the other dishes on the menu and reassess my opinion… But at the moment BEP which is not far from Chom Chom is my pick for Vietnamese food… And it is cheaper.

The Unilocal Community is really the best. Not only does it steer you in the right direction, it tells you what to consider purchasing while there. Such was the case again with Chom Chom. We had a great meal and will absolutley be back.
A great vibe at this restaurant/​bar. If I was a day drinker and this place was open during the day (only open at night), I would consider claiming this spot as my church. Creative, mixologist inspired cocktails and welcoming little bar.
We went with suggestions on food via Unilocal of VFC (Vietnamese Fried Chicken wing bucket), Phở Roll, Salt & Pepper Squid, Cha Ca Hanoi (sole fillet). In order of our top picks…#1) Phở Roll, #2) Cha Ca Hanoi #3) Salt & Pepper Squid #4) VFC (not sure I get the allure of this item. The chicken wing itself is indeed a good wing, but the spice or garlic or seasoning did nothing for me. I think the world just likes the concept of wings and if you fall under this category, maybe this is going to be spectactular to you and your #1 item from this bar.
We thought the vibe of this spot was cool, staff was cool and efficient and we will be back. Despite my comments about cool, no pretension in this place and I liked that. Like many places, it is small, so although we went early and did not wait in line, either make a reservation or buy a beer from the guy out front and be prepared for a little bit of a wait.

Been there several times but never disappointed. Like the crowd who really enjoy special Vietnamese food. No matter how long red to wait. A must stop!

Honestly the food is decently yummy but over priced (must be that expensive rent they’re paying) but the service was rude. This restaurant has a really inflated ego. Came here early evening on a weekday and looked inside — there was only one table seated. Despite an empty restaurant, because the last person in our group of 3 was 10 mins late, the door lady made us stand outside uncomfortably on their little ledge thing instead of seating us. I understand if it was full and there was a line, but there was many empty tables and no one came in for about 45 mins after that. Wouldn’t want to take anyone here after that.

I came here tonight for a Monday dinner. I called ahead of time to make a reservation, but they don’t take reservations. Took the chance anyway as there were many second and third choices nearby… I arrived at around 7:30 and was able to be seated at the bar right away.
Décor and ambience was nice, dim, much like many other places in soho. I don’t quite recall any cool music though.
We first ordered three plates between the two of us to test the portions, but were only half full after it and ordered two more.
What was eaten: Shrimp Rice Paper Roll, Mango & Papaya Beef Salad, Bun Cha Pork Skewer, Salt & Pepper Squid, Shaking Beef.
The paper roll was super yummy, with mango and avocado, it just melts in your mouth. The dipping sauce it came with was the perfect balance of tang and saltiness, it was good with anything that night. Beef salad came with the same dressing, the beef was very tender and marinated full of flavour. The papaya (for those who aren’t familiar) is the green type of papaya, so it’s actually a bit crunchy and unsweet. Goes really well with the onions, carrots, and cucumber — perfect cold dish for this sweltering season!
The pork skewer is to die for!!! Pork belly perfectly toasted and slightly crunchy on the outside bites into a soft, juicy and fatty inside. Melts right in between your teeth… made me think how fatty this all is, but I didn’t care! The meatball that came with the dish was also quite good, a very flavourful Asian take on a typically western meatball.
Salt and pepper squid! Personally I thought the breading as a bit much and made the bites too dry to taste the squid. But the peppery crunchiness was so good dipped in that Mayo!
Lastly, the shaking beef was the sauciest of all. It came with a dark thick sauce (like an Chinese BBQ), a ping of tang or kick of spice, I can’t tell, but it was definitely a twist to something familiar that my mum makes. Must be the basil or viet herbs. The meat was so so tender, and the jasmine rice it came with was definitely a good call because the dish is otherwise too salty by itself. This shaking beef combined with the pepper squid make me super thirsty. (Probably the chefs secret for us to order more drinks!)
Overall, very impressed with the food. The meat is very well marinated and prepared. But hundred dollars for a an appetiser, two hundred for a main dish… The bill came to $ 800 for two people. We didn’t even have drinks, but a bottle of still to share. I definitely did a double take when the bill came out. I was full but definitely could’ve had more.
I would probably go back, for drinks and snack (must try those VFCs), but I won’t count on having a full meal/​have a belly full :(

This place was great, and the pork ribs are probably the best thing I’ve eaten this year.
Absolutely will go back and recommend it to anyone who likes to eat!
Vietnamese small plates, reasonable prices, hip atmosphere and a friendly wait staff, this place is a real winner!

The chain Blacksheep always try to preserve authentity for their cusine. Bep is young. Chom
perfect for happy hour, late dinner, anger release, promotion celebration. it is for all.
the first visit i only got the black cod which is a refined dish. Came back for the VFC. Not bad as buffelo but still ready to get your hands dirty. It is juicy with strong lime dressing. Being asian, i do prefer lime to mayo for fried chicken.
The favoriate dish goes to salt and pepper squid. Typical south east asian deep fried seafood. Thin frying flower that the squid got all the crisp credit. Lightly seasoned, just a pinch each.
Waiting time can be a nightmare. This uprising gem in central Soho. I am excited to get some beer next time!

Modern Vietnamese in a chic Soho location? Well sign me right up!
My dining companion and I grabbed two seats at the bar on a recent Tuesday evening. He warned that the popular little eatery doesn’t take reservations, but we were prepared to take our chances (always have a nearby backup selected, right?). We could have taken a table but the bar was calling our name — and front row beverage service is never a bad thing. Within 2.5 minutes, I had a glass of perfectly-​chilled Sauv Blanc in my hand!
We looked over the menu and it was quite difficult making a decision between all the fetching choices — everything from salt & pepper squid and sriracha-​grilled corn to caramel black cod and smoked eggplant with crab salad. Ultimately, we knew we absolutely had to have the famous VFC (the Vietnamese fried chicken wings), the phở rolls, and the mango and papaya beef salad. Under normal circumstances I would’ve also sprung for the sriracha-​roasted corn, but a severe case of jet lag had greatly diminished my appetite.
But then, said absent appetite was back! Once the food arrived — with its heady aromas and well-​plated presentation — I was ready to eat. The VFC is definitely a can’t-miss with its crispy exterior, zesty spice rub, and sauce consisting of garlic, coriander, and a touch of mint. Be prepared to use your hands because mere chopsticks won’t support these meaty wings! I also adored the phở rolls — so unique. Imagine a wonton bursting with grilled beef, fresh rice noodles, pickled daikon and purple basil and you’ll only have a small window into the greatness that is this dish. The mango and papaya beef salad didn’t quite measure up to the two other dishes, but it was still quite good… and very refreshing.
Prices are what you’d expect to pay at a trendy eatery in this area, but not outrageous considering the quality. You simply can’t go wrong at Chôm Chôm — go!

Excellent food, excellent drinks, excellent experience. Fresh takes on familiar vietnamese food. Even waiting in line is a fun experience as you can order drinks outdoors while you wait. If you want a fun new experience but want some idea what the food you’re ordering will taste like, this is a great option.

Beef phở roll was sooo good! Loved it. It reminded me the usual chinese rice roll but cripsy and good flavors.
The cod fish is a little salty but not bad mixed with rice. The service is very friendly and nice.
Music was too loud for my preference. Hard to have a conversation at a table.

Great food, friendly staff and fast service. The VFC is a must order. You know an establishment is serious about its fried chicken when there is an abundance of moist towelettes conveniently available at each table.

Cute little Vietnamese eatery in Soho. There were four of us and we ordered a bunch of plates to share. We had the Bun Cha Pork Skewer, Caramel Black Cod, Salt & Pepper Squid, Mango & Papaya Beef Salad, Beef in Betel Leaf, and a couple other things. All were very good, especially the papaya salad. This place also has some pretty good craft cocktails.
We got a table on a Friday night at 7pm-​ish with very little wait. We were lucky, I think, because when we left, there were a lot of people waiting. I would recommend this place for a fun meal.

While phở might be good for those cold winter nights, other equally-​satisfying Vietnamese munchies fare well during the hot and humid summer. At Chôm Chôm, the menu is divided into categories of small bites, rolls, salads, vegetables, dessert — you get the picture. The menu is really extensive — it’s basically impossible to find something that you would not like. Chôm Chôm is one of those restaurants that take street food and turn it into a full-​fledged dining experience, with little to no variations in preparing the beloved street food.
We started with the Vietnamese fried chicken aka VFC, topped with coriander and sprinkled with lime, which goes with a crunchy, tangy taste after every bite. It goes so well together that I can’t blame you if you order seconds, even thirds. I love how it isn’t thoroughly greasy like most hyped fried chicken in the city. The rolls, however, were disappointing. We already tried 4 different rolls and didn’t find them exciting.
One of the reasons I go to a restaurant is to eat something I cannot cook myself, and these tasted like something I could have done better. Better to save your dough in this regard. It’s a good thing the kaffir lime chicken cabbage salad saved our palate, with its taste reminiscent of calamondin-​based dishes of the Philippines.
If you like to skip to the mains, there are six items to choose from with one beef dish, one chicken, one pork, and two fish dishes. I had fish the other day so I decided to skip the fish mains and have also tried a chicken dish (VFC) and didn’t want pork so I went for the shaking beef, beautifully served with aromatic and chewy jasmine rice while the tender and succulent beef was entangled with watercress and peppery rocket. Not much a fan of rocket but it truly complements the beef here.
My colleague washed it down with Sapporo beer and his night was as good as gold. I preferred a no-​alcohol approach and ordered the calamondin (calamansi) soda. It was a satisfying full meal worth a second trip.

Chom Chom opened up on Peel Street only last summer, but in my books, the VFC (the Vietnamese Fried Chicken) is something of a classic now. I don’t know what’s in that fryer, but the skin comes out delectably crispy and super-​seasoned, and the fresh lime doused on top just makes it sing. If you go to Chom Chom, this is an absolute MUST-​HAVE!
Other items are worthy of praise too. It’s hard to narrow it down, as I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten the whole menu but, if we must: the grilled beef wrapped in pungent betel leaves are deliciously smoky; the Phở Rolls have a nice zing of mint and I have been known to eat a whole plate of these while waiting for other diners; and the ‘Shaking’ Beef, which are simply tenderloin bites shaken (not stirred) in a wok with loads of whole garlic bulbs, served with jasmine rice, is probably one of the better large plates.
For salads, I’d go for the Smoked Eggplant with Crab, but that might just be because I’m partial to anything with aubergines and runny yolks. Another star is the Kaffir Lime Chicken Cabbage Salad which hits you with very strong flavours of red onion and mint.
The drinks are generally quite sweet, but I don’t mind that at all. Go for the Phở-​jito, which is a clever take on the classic mojito, using Thai basil and lemongrass instead. The Far East Smash is even sweeter, with sugar cane infused vodka. If you’re not big on cocktails, they’ve got Vietnamese brews like Saigon and Hanoi beer.
Great place to go for after-​work drinks and snacks.