Q1 restaurant review: No frills Vietnamese pho and other traditional cuisine in Tin Hau for an unbeatable price

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Ginny Wong |
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The noodles are tasty and filling at a good price.

Q1 
Shop B, G/F, 6 Whitfield Road, Tin Hau
Tel: 3997 3782

Grub: Vietnamese traditional cuisine

Vibe: Basic, but functional – think your average cha chaan teng. There’s not a lot to look at here, unless you’re interested in watching the chefs at work near the front of the premises, but with prices as low as they are, we’re not about to complain about a lack of decor.

Who to take: A group of your besties – but preferably no more than four or five, max. The restaurant is in a fairly small space, with booths along the sides, and a row of tables down the middle of the room. If there are fewer than four of you in total, you’ll probably be expected to share, so expect to eat with strangers.

The bahn mi sandwich was less than stellar.
Photo: Sean Halloran

What’s hot: The prices are great – you can easily walk out of Q1 feeling happy and full, having spent less than HK$100. The rice vermicelli in crab and tomato soup (HK$50) had a very rich broth that we loved – but might be too overpowering for a sensitive palate – and we liked that there was more than enough of it to split between two people.

The chilled rice vermicelli with citric dressing and grilled pork (HK$50) was also very good – but between that and the Q1 home-made noodles (HK$65), we’d choose the latter, to throw in a little contrast to the rice vermicelli in crab and tomato soup. The home-made noodles were springy, and reminded us of well-made ramen noodles.

What’s not: The avocado smoothie (HK$30), whilst thick, was blander than we would have liked and lacked the butteriness we’d expect. The special house mix bahn mi (HK$40) was not bad, but it wasn’t great either. We would definitely come here for the noodle dishes more than the sandwiches.

Cost: Mains cost between HK$50-HK$65. Drinks are HK$6-HK$30. Desserts are HK$7-HK$30.

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Grab some avocado toast and home-roasted coffee at Southeast Asian fusion spot Hungry Elephant in Tin Hau [Restaurant Review]

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