I haven’t come across a restaurant that serves Vietnamese food in the Eastern Province to date and it isn’t surprising since there aren’t many Vietnamese expatriates either. I had planned a trip to Bahrain and I took that opportunity to scout for restaurants on @googlemaps which led me to ‘Vietnamese Gate Restaurant‘ in Juffair.

South East Asian cuisine tops my list of favourites and the Vietnamese Pho finds a spot on my top 10 dishes. There aren’t going to be any surprises on what I’m going to order here. The staff is cordial and the seating is quite comfortable.

We ordered,
1. ‘Beef Pho Noodle Soup’ (Medium) – BD 7.920 (SR 79.20)
2. ‘Sizzling Tiger Prawns’ – BD 5.720 (SR 57.20)
3. ‘Deep Fried Pork’ – BD 4.290 (SR 42.90)

The ‘Pho’ is a perfect bowl of seasoned stock, rich in Umami with small cuts of beef and enough vegetables to make this feel like a healthy meal. I would have liked larger cuts of the beef though but there is no denying how delightful this noodle soup really was. You can choose to add soy and Vietnamese hot sauce to enhance the flavour, but be careful not to overdo it. It is pricey but considering this is not easy to find, I don’t have a problem with the price.

The ‘Sizzling Tiger Prawns’ was outstanding. It’s fresh, packs the right amount of heat and it’s cooked just right with the sizzler pan giving the prawns the perfect char. This goes great with the plain rice that they offer. This is something you must try if you like seafood.

They have pork on the menu and I wanted to try their ‘Deep Fried Belly Pork’. Served with a side of sauce that tasted a bit like fermented shrimp paste but with chillis and a hint of sweetness, the extra crunchy belly pork works well with it. The portion is a bit too tiny for my liking but was delicious nevertheless.

I enjoyed the food at ‘Vietnamese Gate Restaurant’ and if the price doesn’t bother you, then dining here should be on your ‘Things to do this Weekend’ list.

Menu: https://pho-vietnamesegaterestaurant.com/

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/zVjTNX3GpF4eRyBR6