Craig S.
Yelp
With the rise in popularity of the 'street food' scene in the UK and in particular London, it is perhaps unsurprising to see this influence crossing the border into Scotland. An example of this is The Hanoi Bike Shop, situated in the former Stravaigin 2 building on Ruthven Lane just off Byers Rd.
Opened in 2012 dubbed as Glasgow's first Vietnamese restaurant, the eatery has already been awarded an AA Rosette in addition to the coveted best newcomer award in The List magazine.
With Glasgow enjoying a rare but wonderful summer, I was looking for somewhere I could eat outside, that was light but tasty. Having made my first visit a few weeks prior I knew The Bike Shop would satisfy all my needs.
On approach the bike shop has instant 'kerb appeal' with patio tables outside, fantastic branding, complete with rickety bikes parked outside, really adding to the authenticity and vibe of the place. Luckily there were a few seats remaining and we quickly snapped them up. Shortly afterwards we were approached by our waitress who instantly made us feel at ease, checked if we'd been before, explained the days specials and took our drinks order.
The one thing I love about street food is the informality of it. You can user your hands, you share dishes. This makes for a more convivial dining experience. The Hanoi is a great example of this, recommending you share 3 dishes plus a few sides between 2, which is what we did. We selected the rare beef salad, pork meatballs & pork belly, green tea chicken and lemongrass & ginger chicken hotpot. The drink selection is limited but very good, we decided on a carafe of wine, which came with small tumblers, which I really like. I have heard of people tuning their noses up at this, personally I think it adds to the street food informal ambience that they're looking to achieve.
The food arrives when it's ready, meaning it comes when it's at its hottest and freshest. It has instant visual appeal, with lots of vibrant colours and equally colourful bowls. The aromas are equally as appealing with hints of lemongrass, ginger, chilli and lime.
I tried the hot pot first, the chicken was tender, the broth delicately spiced, so delicious you could eat it as a soup. Next I was the beef salad. The meat was cooked medium rare, slightly on the rarer side, which is exactly how I like it. The dressing was wonderful, just the right amount of sharp and sweet. The crunchy salad was a perfect partner to the rich meat.
The green tea chicken was another salad based dish, nice as it was with a very delicate green tea infusion of the chicken, having two salads was just a little much. Don't get me wrong, both salad dishes were nice but I recommend only getting either or.
Lastly the pork dish, another broth based dish with a mixture or meatballs and the belly of the pork. This was another favourite, I think pork works best of all meats with Vietnamese flavours, the rich sweet, slightly fatty meat is the perfect marriage for the intense Asian flavours. The broth was again delicious.
We didn't have dessert in the end, instead opting to to try the Vietnamese beer, of which they have 3 on offer. I asked our waiter for advice, he was able to describe the each beer and also give a personal recommendation, which I really liked. Based on the advice I went for the Saigon beer, it was light, refreshing but not at all bland, retaining a barley like flavour.
Food 9/10 - The clearly know Vietnamese food and how to balance flavours. Excellent.
Service 10/10 - Very knowledgable, friendly and quick.
Decor 9/10 - On both occasions I've been, I was fortunate with the weather. However, inside is in fitting with the theme but done tastefully.
Value 9/10 - Around £20-£25 a head is great value for this quality & ambience.
Overall 37/40 - One of the best restaurants I've tried in sometime. A welcome addition to Glasgow's thriving food scene.