Bite - Riz d'Or

In Ghent I discover Riz d’Or, a restaurant that is very close to the city centre but tucked away just enough to keep it a local secret. The rather outdated façade and interior also help with that. The same couple have been at the helm here for the past 21 years, with the wife in the kitchen and her smiley husband running the floor.

My partner and I promptly order two bowls of pho for starters. They arrive in no time, steaming hot and filled to the brim with a clear stock, flat white noodles, thin strips of still-pink beef, bean sprouts and some spring onion as garnish. While neither of us is able to evaluate any pho for authenticity, we do know one thing: this tastes absolutely divine.

The broth looks deceptively plain and yet it is bursting with complex aromas, including cinnamon, star anise and cloves. It’s meaty and salty, making me want to slurp as much as I can with every swoop of my chopsticks. The beef, by now fully cooked through in the hot broth, is delicate and tender. The thick al dente rice noodles are pleasantly chewy, while the bean sprouts offer a nice bit of crunch.

I strongly consider ordering another bowl of pho instead of a main course but eventually give in to duck with mushrooms and bamboo shoots. My partner takes ribs (per usual), and they are excellent – thick and juicy, with a crispy glazing and some bits of fried onion on top. They come with a pile of lettuce and shredded red and white cabbage.

My dish is also accompanied by a surprising amount of vegetables: fat, fragrant Chinese mushrooms, crunchy white onion and subtle, earthy bamboo shoots. They’re smothered in a lovely, savoury sauce along with the incredibly soft chunks of duck meat, skin and fat – left on for extra flavour. Normally in an Asian restaurant, I ask for a doggy bag, and there is plenty of food on the table, but these dishes are too good for there to be leftovers. We scrape our plates clean, as well as the bowl of sticky white rice, and wash it all down with glasses of rosé.

The bill comes to just €40, leading me to believe the décor’s not the only thing that hasn’t changed in more than 20 years.

Sint-Michielsstraat 10, Ghent; 09.233.26.43

12.00-14.00 & 18.00-22.00 Sun-Tue & Thurs-Fri;

12.00-14.00 Wed; 18.00-22.00 Sat

Mains: €10-€15

Simple Vietnamese restaurant and one of the best places in Flanders to satiate a craving for pho