Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant

Fresh off of a trip from Vietnam, this northern phở hole in the wall in central is perfect!

What I Ate: Fresh spring roll, raw beef noodle soup (phở), red bean coconut juice
Price I Paid: Shared cost of less than 70 HKD
Décor: Old school Cantonese restaurant, basic and bare
Service: Average, the waitress misunderstood two of our orders (guess that’s what you get for ordering in English)
Verdict: Will not be back
Still on my search for decent Vietnamese in Hong Kong… and unfortunately this restaurant is going to be added to my growing list of less than average Vietnamese places in Hong Kong.
The fresh spring rolls were actually okay (had a nice fresh crunch to it) and it started off promising until I got delivered the phở. Disappointing, flavourless and watered down soup stock. Where were the bean sprouts, fresh herbs, chilli and lime? Noodles were fresh and there was a winter melon in my soup (what???) and which made me think that this place is more influenced by Cantonese than Vietnamese. Did I just order the wrong dishes? How does this restaurant even get a high rating? Am I just spoilt that I’ve had amazing Vietnamese restaurants up to the point I moved to Hong Kong. Gah! I really wanted to like this.

This is probably one of the last standing, affordable Vietnamese restaurants in Central. Although a little bit hidden down an alley way, it’s worth the trek if you’re looking to fill your phở craving.
I’ve had this place twice now, once for phở and once for curry beef brisket. I really enjoyed both. Although the phở wasn’t anything spectacular or wow-​ing, it was definitely enough to settle my craving for warm, beefy phở. The beef brisket in the curry was tender and soft, and curry itself was creamy.
If you’re looking for a quick, dirty, and affordable Vietnamese spot in Central, this is the place to go.

This is my spot!
Phở here is delicious, not to mention really inexpensive — around $ 40 for a bowl. The fresh spring rolls are some of the best I’ve ever had in my life. The waitresses are so really nice, which is rare for Hong Kong.
One thing to note is that it is a little more of a «local» joint, so it is on the uncleanlier side of the spectrum. But who wants to eat phở in a prestine restaurant anyways? Also, they have an English menu, but the staff don’t speak English well. Prepare to do some charades if you’re not able to speak Chinese.
It gets extremely packed during the lunch hour, so plan accordingly if you’re planning on making a visit.