Fresh, fast, open, healthy, tasty, convenient location
Boring menu (no pho), soulless interior, they don't give you a glass of water
The format of the place seemed similar to my dear Sabai, so comparing the two establishments seems logical to me. I go to both places, but Joly Woo is more likely to be close at hand (there are still several locations operating). I repeat once again, I like how freshness, speed, taste, price and benefit are harmonized in this format. However, both places are too casual, there is no reason to linger here.
This feeling is partly due to the interior - a very faceless environment, the most standardized layout, one seat is no better than the other, nowhere does one feel a concentration of strength and comfort. On Zagorodny (first 4 photos) the halls seemed a little more comfortable to me than on Vosstaniya.
Prices are about the same as Sabai. There are discounts for students, bonuses at Plazius, a sixth free soup and affordable lunches. The menu seems very boring to me. That is, it’s worth coming here if you want specific things, but a long, dreamy swim through the menu definitely won’t happen. I didn’t like the organization of service - if in Sabai food is carefully served, then you need to rely on the number in the electronic queue, and you’ll even have to take the cutlery yourself separately.
You can also use soy sauce, rice vinegar or hot oil.
A plan immediately emerged to evaluate the menu as fully as possible. There was no impression that I missed anything. Ramen Tom Yam with seafood is an interesting solution.
From Ramen it contains half an egg and noodles. Everything else is from Tom Yam. I liked the broth very much, the meaty shrimp were good, the mushrooms seemed a little bland. There’s a lot of onion (I wouldn’t put it here at all), but the dish is organized in such a way that each component has its own locus, so it was convenient to get the unpleasant element. The noodles, contrary to expectations, turned out to be tasteless. But there was a pleasant aftertaste thanks to the broth. I won't say it's very spicy, but it's piquant. I wanted to try Pho Ga, but they don’t make it. Only Pho-Bo and something else vegan on this topic (these are also included in lunch). I didn’t decide what was more disgusting to me - tofu or beef, which is why I didn’t try it. But in general he is praised here.
The fresh vegetable roll is really huge. The vegetables are crispy and fresh, there are no tears. As sauces - very intrusive peanut and very salty rice vinegar. It tastes better without sauces.
The portion of WOK seemed smaller than in Sabai. But the taste is amazingly good. I took funchoza curry from the seasonal menu. Very successful aromatic sauce, crispy soy sprouts, refreshing peppers and carrots, good pieces of chicken thigh.
Actually, I don’t want to highlight anything else from the menu. Fresh rolls, mutes, the above-mentioned soups, simple sweet rolls, rather faceless woks, sad smoothies (after the masterpieces of Auroville they do not induce appetite) and super popular Vietnamese coffee. At Zagorodny they prepare three types of bao (with chicken, beef and tofu) - you can’t think of a more basic one.
The service is inexpressive, even the girls at both points seem to be doubles. This is a place where you can sit and think about where you will go for lunch tomorrow, but not about how you will return here.
Affordable in price, you can quickly and conveniently take a full meal, quite healthy from the point of view of healthy eating, large portions
Not very convenient layout (cafe on Vosstaniya)
My classmates and I decided to commemorate the end of the test week of last year 2017 with a trip to Joly Woo. I’ll say right away that I was familiar with the cuisine of Southeast Asia only through Thai cuisine; in practice, Vietnam appeared before me for the first time.
The first thing that catches your eye when you cross the threshold is that the cafe is quite spacious, but the seating is not arranged in the best way. For example, with a half-empty establishment, my company and I were unable to choose a seat, since large tables with seats were not provided, there were only long counters a la counters. However, all this can be explained by the street food format and the desire to optimize space. Fast delivery, the use of a digital order readiness display, environmentally friendly design - everything is quite modern.
As for the cuisine itself: friends, if you go to an exotic cuisine establishment, you need to take into account that there may be dishes there that do not suit your taste preferences, and this is normal. Exoticism should remain exotic and strictly a matter of taste. For me personally, Pho Bo soup seemed perfectly balanced: you have the opportunity to choose which of the ingredients you find unnecessary in your bowl. A classmate complimented the marbled beef; it was really incredibly tender and had good consistency and other parameters. And don’t overdo it with ginger, because the taste of the broth itself is worthy of being felt, and not the hot spice of the above-mentioned ingredient.
The size of Pho Bo will allow you to order some appetizers with it and stay full. I had chuka with nut sauce, which, however, was nothing special to remember. Friends took various nems (Nems? Rolls?..). Disclaimer and warning! The author of this review found the “Nyk Mom” fish sauce to be the most worthy in the establishment’s catalogue. However, again, keep in mind that if your taste tends to something more restrained, go for something softer - nutty or sweet-spicy is left to your discretion.
And once again a word about portions! The wok here is really more than decent in size, more so only in authentic Chinese restaurants. As a supporter of a healthy diet, I was pleased with the relatively low fat content of the noodles, excellent meat and overall mix of flavor combinations.
Be sure to try Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. It has quite a few fans; from neighboring tables one could hear “Almost the same as in Nha Trang.” I don’t know what it is like there yet, but the taste here will make me come here again to try the desserts.
I visited Joly Woo back in August, but then I didn’t have a camera with me and I couldn’t take more or less good shots. This time, I made sure I had my camera with me and we went for Vietnamese pho (phở) soup. I hope you like soups? ^_^
Pho is a traditional street food in Vietnam that is a hearty soup with beef, rice noodles and spices/herbs/vegetables. Lest you think that pho is just some kind of Vietnamese soup, know that pho soup proudly took 28th position in the list of the most delicious dishes in the world ( ! ), compiled by CNN in 2011.
When I became interested in this soup and its history, I was sure that this was a very ancient dish. But, as it turned out, the history of its origin begins in the 19th century. It is believed that the first Europeans to try pho were the French, since Vietnam was a French colony for 67 years, and pho only gained international fame after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
Initially, pho soup was made in beef broth with the addition of thin pieces of beef; later a variation of pho appeared in chicken broth, but also with pieces of beef. In the post-war period in Vietnam, pho soup was generally cooked in a cube and served with bread or cold rice, since there was no question of any meat. In memory of that difficult time, many people still dip bread in pho soup.
Today, pho soup can be tasted in almost every corner of the world; surprisingly, this soup is most popular in the United States. It is loved by many because of its clean, but very rich and satisfying broth, which is boiled for about 7 hours, thinly sliced meat and, of course, spices. Pho soup is served with numerous additives, usually: green or white onions, lime or lemon, red pepper, cilantro, bean sprouts, Thai basil, and sauces are also added to the soup to taste: chili sauce, fish sauce or hoisin sauce.
It is a great joy for me that now pho is also available in St. Petersburg, very close to the metro station. Vosstaniya Square, on the street. Vosstaniya 12 (at the intersection with Zhukovsky Street).
In fact, Joly Woo has a fairly extensive menu, but it seems to me that if you come here for the first time, you should definitely start with the pho soup. Joly Woo has an open kitchen so you can easily watch your order being prepared. The order number is printed on the receipt and displayed on the digital display next to the cash register so you can go to the counter and pick up your order on a tray.
Spoons/forks/knives (metal), chopsticks, napkins, straws and spoons can be taken in the required quantity at the counter in the center of the hall. Oddly enough, Joly Woo does not provide traditional soup spoons made of plastic or ceramic.
Joly Woo always has Asian non-alcoholic drinks and ingredients for making Asian dishes yourself.
When you buy pho soup, you are given a card, which is marked every time you buy soup, the fifth portion of pho will be a gift for you))) I already have two marks - yoohoo!))
On my first visit to Joly Woo, I took the classic pho soup, as well as spring rolls and nem. I didn’t really understand the difference between nem and spring rolls, just that nem is fried in oil, but a classic spring roll is not. Although, I remember well that on trips to Southeast Asia we ate deep-fried spring rolls, which did not change their name because of this. In any case, I didn’t really like the spring rolls, but the nem with chicken impressed me, so we decided to repeat it this time.
Pho soup will be served to you in a large black bowl, covered with a black plate, on which there will be thinly sliced ginger, hot red pepper, a slice of lemon, and last time they also put bean sprouts, but for some reason they were not there this time. The main thing is not to eat raw ingredients from the plate separately without adding them to the soup.
I can’t describe the taste of this soup in words, but the main thing in it is the broth. One spoon of broth and you understand that you love Asia, and if you don’t love it yet, then with every spoon you begin to fall in love.
In Vietnam, as I read, pho soup is eaten at any time of the day or night, in any weather. We, St. Petersburg residents, are lucky to have four seasons, three of which are clearly cooler than the average Vietnamese day. Therefore, on cold days, this soup is simply a must-eat, warms the body and soul, puts you in the right, meditative, Asian mood. If anyone is worried about tough meat in the soup, don’t worry, it’s excellent meat and chews well. I won’t praise the soup any more, the main thing is to try it and you’ll understand what I mean.
If you have any stomach problems, such as gastritis and ulcers, I do not recommend adding red pepper, but add ginger, but do not eat it.
I haven’t been to Vietnam and I don’t know how to eat this soup correctly, but in Southeast Asia all soups are eaten simultaneously with a spoon and chopsticks, i.e. They drink the broth with a spoon, and eat meat and noodles with chopsticks, smacking it all with relish (in St. Petersburg this is not necessary). That’s why I also took a spoon and chopsticks for the soup, the broth is so delicious that I really want to drink it just from the plate over the edge))) but this does not match the behavior of a person from the cultural capital.
Next on the program is nem - traditional Vietnamese rice paper pancakes. The most important thing for me is that there is no feeling of grease or oil at all; on the contrary, there is a crispy crust and a pleasant filling. The dish contains: rice paper, chicken fillet, cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, crystal noodles. Served, as you can see from the photo, with two sauces, the dark one is definitely nutty (traditionally it should be peanut, I think that’s what they serve), the second should be Nước chấm - a mixture of lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce, water and sugar, but Joly Woo It simply says “salted fish sauce.” I prefer nutty. Very tasty and filling!
This is not water, this is lychee juice, I really wanted it. Asia, I miss you ^_^
I took Vietnamese coffee to try. In fact, I don’t drink coffee at all, I don’t like it and don’t understand it, but... I really wanted to try what Vietnamese coffee is - I took the plunge. It is served in this unusual (for me) way: a layer of condensed milk is poured into an Ikea glass cup ( God, how I love condensed milk), and freshly brewed coffee flows from the upper metal cup of the press filter. You know, I really liked the coffee, it’s light and very different from the standard European/Italian coffee that we’re used to. Tasty!
Joly Woo has two rooms: one overlooking Vosstaniya Street, and the second overlooking the courtyard. The second room has a spotlessly clean toilet, with hand soap, paper towels and parallel opening doors (! great idea).
A little about the main thing - prices: Of course, you can’t expect Vietnamese street prices in St. Petersburg, but what can you do:
- pho soup - 250 rubles;
- nem with chicken - 70 rubles;
- lychee juice 120 rub.;
- Vietnamese coffee - 140 rubles.
Useful information about the street food cafe of Vietnamese cuisine Joly Woo:
Address: Vosstaniya street 12, on the corner of Zhukovsky street
Opening hours: from 11:00 to 23:00
