The eatery has also launched a £5 Pink Wednesday menu for the summer
Laura Nightingale tried pink sriracha at Pho in Guildford(Image: Laura Nightingale)
I don’t have the strongest tolerance to spicy food, however, I am willing to give it a go, especially if it’s bright Barbie pink.
Last week, Pho, the healthy Vietnamese street food restaurant in Guildford launched the ‘world’s first’ pink sriracha, and I was invited to give it a try.
Instead of being traditionally fiery red in colour, the popular chilli sauce people seem to be obsessed with dipping and drizzling over chicken wings burgers and eggs, has been transformed with an illuminous hot pink hue.
Made from white Thai chillies grown exclusively in northern Thailand, it gets its vibrant colour from the hibiscus flower, which also gives the sauce an initial fruity note before finishing with a deliciously spicy heat.
Partnering with SABZU, the Thai condiment brand by Bamboomart London Limited, the new pink sauce is available exclusively in all Pho restaurants until the end of August.
Also, in celebration of the sizzling temperatures England is experiencing right now, Pho is handing out a £5 menu on Wednesdays for any customer who turns up to the restaurant wearing pink this month.
The Pink Wednesdays menu features a spicy pink margarita to drink, plus crispy spring rolls, summer rolls, chicken wings, ice cream and sorbet.
I trotted along to the town centre restaurant located in the Tunsgate Quarter with my toddler for an early tea.
While there was no way on earth I was going to allow my two and a half year old dip her fingers into the new flaming sauce, I was looking forward to trying it.
If you’ve not visited the courtyard next to the Tunsgate Quarter food and retail outlet this summer, do it.
It’s absolutely wonderful at this time of year. Located just off the cobbled high street, the passageway is buzzing with happy alfresco diners as restaurants spill their tables outside to allow customers to soak up the sun.
My little sidekick and I walked through the quaint side street before reaching the casual and incredibly authentic Vietnamese eatery.
Prawn summer rolls at Pho with pink sriracha(Image: Laura Nightingale)
I ordered beef noodles for my main, which were utterly divine.
The heap of wok-fried flat rice noodles had a fragrant kick thanks to a good helping of lemongrass and chilli, and the Asian greens added a welcome bite, as did the generous chunks of beef.
But I didn’t try the new sauce with my noodles. Instead, I dunked my starter – prawn summer rolls – into a pot of the pink stuff instead.
I had to get my head around the garish colour first before I dived straight in, the texture too, as I found it quite gloopy.
However, once I meekly dunked my fresh seafood bites into the sauce it complemented and brought out the subtle flavours in my dish.
It was very hot so you don’t need a lot, and it was much sweeter than I expected, but in a good way.
I thought it was a quirky, delicious and fun addition to my dinner.
Libby Andrews, marketing director at Pho, said: “Not only does the new SABZU Pink Sriracha look amazing, it is delicious and so fun for summer. We are really excited to be the only place in the UK to serve it for the month of August.”
Dan Pathomvanich, CEO of Bamboomart, added: “We are committed to bringing the authentic taste of Thailand to consumers around the world.
“Our partnership with Pho marks an exciting milestone for SABZU as we introduce the world’s first-ever Pink Sriracha sauce exclusively across the UK.
“We believe Pink Sriracha perfectly captures today’s appetite for bold, playful flavours while staying true to authentic Thai ingredients, and we are proud to bring this exclusive collaboration to life with one of the UK’s most loved Vietnamese restaurant brands.”
How to book a table at Pho
Address: Tunsgate, Quarter, Guildford, GU1 3HE.Parking: Castle Car Park is two minutes walk away, or 5-10 minutes with a toddler.Opening times: Sunday to Thursday 12pm-9pm and Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm.Reservations: Visit phocafe.co.uk.
