q1

第一郡 Q1 is originally from Sham Shui Po. It's been here for quite a long time and they serve fairly decent Vietnamese banh mi and their well known tomato crab vermicelli all for a low price. The only thing is the menu is in Chinese only and written on the wall so you can't even use Google translate properly. But the food was decent enough to warrant a return visit.

Recently, 第一郡 Q1 has a new branch on Hong Kong Island. In Tin Hau, right next door to another Vietnamese restaurant that was a long standing staple in Tin Hau but recently moved to this new location as well. With the new branch there are some notable differences. First the restaurant size was larger. Less cramped. Cleaner. Another change was the menu. It's now no longer written on the wall but on one laminated piece of paper. It was also in English and Chinese. There is still no 10% service charge. They have also increased their prices a bit than the Sham Shui Po branch.

They still have their banh mi choices and various noodles.

Though they don't have lunch or tea sets (like the one next door), they do have a discount when ordering a drink except for special drinks.

Rice Vermicelli in Crab and Tomato Soup ($50). This is one of their specialties and there really aren't that many places in Hong Kong that serve this. The soup wasn't rich in tomato. It was more like a light tomato broth. There was chunks of this crab and pork meat and pork blood cubes. It was hot and comforting. Though not very rich in flavor. I felt the one in Sham Shui Po had a lot more flavor.

Banh Mi with Special House Mix ($40). The banh mi fared better though the bread was a bit denser and not as airy as Vietnamese bread should be. But the filling was good with a decent balance of meat, pate and pickled vegetables.

Avocado Smoothie ($30). Boyfriend ordered this and a favorite of his whenever he was at the Sham Shui Po branch. This one was better as it was cold! The one in Sham Shui Po was always a bit lukewarm. It was also thick and creamy. Packed with avocado flavor.