A new flagship version of Vietnamese restaurant House of Ho has opened on the former site of Caprice Holdings’ Bam-Bou. The original, which opened in Soho’s Old Compton Street nearly two years ago, has been relaunched as simply ‘Ho’.
Its celebrity chef founder, Bobby Chinn, has since left the business and a new owner, Jeff Lim, has appointed chef director, Ian Pengelley, at the kitchen helm.
The original House of Ho (now Ho) made quite a splash when it arrived in the heart of sleazy Soho with our reporters praising its “creative” and “tasty” fare, with the proviso that it can suffer from “a lack of atmosphere”.
The new flagship is set within the five storey “French colonial-style” Fitzrovia townhouse on Percy Street previously occupied by the Bam-Bou – a French/Vietnamese fusion spot from Richard Caring’s Caprice restaurant group famous for its “out-of-this-world” cocktails.
The House of Ho will be open for lunch, dinner and drinks, seven days a week. On the menu: ‘Pho Bo’ (a hot and cold Pho) – Pho bo jelly, warm clear stock, waygu short rib carved at the table and Asian herbs; Minced pork grilled on lemongrass skewers served with a caramel sauce and crab salad; lemongrass free range chicken with chicken scratchings and a sweet caramel glaze; fresh giant prawns, cooked in a flaming hot pot and served with Vietnamese greens and rice noodles; Hanoi grilled red snapper served with rice noodles, cha ca ma noi and fresh herbs; and Lapsang souchon smoked rainbow trout with starfruit, jack fruit, green mango and a lime and chilli salad.
The first two floors will house the restaurant, a wine room is hidden off the first floor landing and the venue has three private dining rooms; Hanoi, Mirror Room and Ho Chi Minh. Ho Lounge Bar is situated on the third floor. On the cocktail list: Rumgroni – a blend of Bacardi heritage, Aperol, M.Rosso / Gran Lusso and orange zest, East & West – Patron Reposado, Kamm & Sons, sake and a drop of mezcal and Pho Mary – a blend of Belvedere, wasabi, pho flavor sauce, tomato juice and matcha tea to serve.
