Owner Andy Le is planning to open Pho & Bun in Soho this October and a Viet Eat to-go concept in the City in 2017, with the eventual aim of rolling-out at least one restaurant a year.
Pho & Bun will be an 80-cover site on Shaftesbury Avenue serving a ‘minimised’ 20 item menu focusing on traditional Pho Noodle Soup and Steamed Milky Bun Burger – which Le claims is the first of its kind in London.
The chef has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of crowdfunding £35,000 towards new kitchen and bar equipment for the site.
Having raised £2,005 with 18 days to go, Le explained that it would not be ‘the end’ for the restaurant if the target wasn’t met.
“The Kickstarter is a good way to get people to know about our restaurant, so if we don’t reach our target it’s not going to be the end of the day for us – we can still open,” he said.
Pho-to-go
Le is also planning to roll out a new Viet Eat to-go concept in The City, targeting office workers around Liverpool Street and Cannon Street.
The menu is set to be a ‘simplified’ version of dishes at Viet Eat and Pho & Bun, with the option to eat-in or takeaway.
Le explained while he had plans to open at least one restaurant a year looking forward, further expansion of the Viet Eat and Pho & Bun brands depended on finding the right location.
“If people go to Soho they want something exciting - there are too many traditional Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese restaurants in the area at the moment,” he said.
“Pho & Bun is a good concept for Soho, but in East London Viet Eat might be a good option because the pricing is more reasonable and we don’t use as many expensive ingredients as Pho & Bun.”
To view Pho & Bun's Kickstarter page see here.