Vietnamese Pho, dessert & shopping

Once upon a time.......actually nearly 7 years ago when we landed on the British shores, we met up with fellow Kiwi contingent fairly regularly. As we were the only ones with a child, it was easier to navigate through the convoluted schedules that everyone had. And then kids happened. There was a sudden baby boom (have you ever noticed that when one friend gets pregnant, pretty much the entire group race to get their bun in the oven???) and then life became even more complicated. Before we realized, nearly 15 months had flashed past before we even spoke to each other.

We had a chance to catch up in the Cutty Sark area. Rather than rushing about in the cold, we decided to nip into the small Vietnamese joint - Mama Pho in Deptford. It's the kind of eatery that I love. Unpretentious, authentic and affordable mom and pop restaurant. It belongs to the same family who runs the popular Cafe East near Canada Water (or Surrey Quays) tube station. Everything on the menu is priced at well under £9.

I'm not sure whether they thought I was some kind of important food critic or blogger but.....as I started taking photos of my dessert drink, one of their staff dashed over and grabbed the two glasses stating that they "didn't finish making it". I could be wrong but all they did was dumped more ice and water which made the drink tasted rather bland. Crunching through globs of half melted ice cubes wasn't all that pleasant either.

The thin and crispy fried spring roll was lip smacking delicious. Heck, anything fried tastes incredible these days. My beef pho was good. Not exactly.... I-have-to-eat-this-again-or-I-will-die good but their dishes are pretty darned scrummy for those who're craving Vietnamese fare in London.

Our friends recommended Jamie's Italian restaurant for dessert. Both the tangy pineapple with frozen yoghurt and epic brownie were a hit with the kids. Surprise. Surprise. You never have to force your kids to eat desserts. I have had my fair share of brownies and make my own too. These ones were surprisingly tasty and not overly sweet like many that are sold in bakeries.

Outfit: Isabel Marant Lexy jacket (similar), Alexander Wang t-shirt, Hermes belt, Zara jeans, Tophop ankle boots, Johnstons of Elgin cashmere scarf, Hermes watch.

Don't you just love the wide angle lens on smartphones? They make your legs longer and skinnier than they actually are. The grainy shots wiped out all my wrinkles too. Yay! I visited Fenwick for the first time ever to catch up with another friend and client. I was tempted by the much reduced lilac Markus Lupfer sweater (hanging by the wall) but decided I'm far FAR more comfortable in Uniqlo cotton cashmere sweaters. They're remarkably soft and so affordable (£24.95!!). I prefer the slouchy look and ended up with an XL because I like the longer length. It hides the muffin top especially when I've had a dessert....or two.


Mama Pho
24a Evelyn St
London
SE8 5DG
Tube: Surrey Quays


Jamie's Italian
17-19 Nelson Rd
London
SE10 9JB
Tube: Cutty Sark (DLR)
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