Hackney Pho Noodle Lunch Picker for a Winter Cold Day

A bowl of hot broth is the oldest remedy in Hackney's Vietnamese kitchens, and on a raw November weekday with a blocked nose it does more for you than another cup of tea at your desk. Around Mare Street and the roads near Hackney Central, small Vietnamese cafes serve pho at lunchtime to a quiet mix of freelancers, shop workers and older regulars. This pho noodle lunch picker is for the day you feel run down and still have work to finish: how to choose a calm room, what to order when your appetite is small, and how to get home gently.

Hackney became one of the main homes of London's Vietnamese community when families arrived as refugees in the late seventies and eighties, many after long sea journeys and years in camps. The borough housed a large share of them, and community centres, churches and temples followed, along with the cafes. For years the food was cooked mainly for people who already knew it, before the rest of east London caught on and the strip along Kingsland Road became famous.

Away from that busy strip, the cafes around Mare Street and the side roads nearby keep a calmer pace. At lunch you will see older men reading newspapers over coffee, students from the college stretching one bowl into a study session, and people working alone with a laptop closed beside them. That gentler mood is exactly what you want when you are not feeling well and need a warm, unhurried hour.

When you are run down, noise and draughts matter more than reputation. Look through the window before you go in. A room with a few people eating quietly, tables spaced apart and a seat away from the door will feel far better than a packed, clattering canteen. Walk past places with a crowd waiting outside, however good the reviews. Every time the door opens on a cold day, the whole front of the room gets a blast of air.

Choose a table toward the back, near the kitchen if possible, where the warmth from the stoves reaches you. Keep your coat on until the bowl arrives. Ask for hot water or tea as soon as you sit down, since most cafes serve jasmine or green tea in a small pot. A warm cup in your hands while you wait already does half the work.

Pho ga, the chicken version, is the classic choice for a cold. The broth is lighter and clearer than beef broth, often with a gentle note of ginger, and the shredded chicken is easy to eat. If the menu offers a small size, take it. A full bowl looks huge when you feel unwell, and leaving most of it behind wastes the kitchen's work. Ask for extra spring onion if you like a bit of bite.

If you prefer beef, order a simple bowl with well-done brisket rather than a house special loaded with tendon and tripe. The broth, slowly simmered with charred onion, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, is warming without being heavy. Skip the rich side orders such as fried spring rolls today. A pot of tea and the bowl are enough, and you will feel the difference when you stand up.

The plate of herbs that comes with the bowl is useful when your nose is blocked. Thai basil adds a strong aniseed aroma, and fresh coriander and sawtooth herb, if the cafe has it, brighten the broth. Squeeze in a wedge of lime, then add a few slices of fresh chilli and lean over the bowl to breathe in the steam for a moment before eating. The heat and sharpness often help you breathe more freely.

Go easy on the hoisin when you are unwell. The sweet sauce covers the broth and makes the bowl heavier. A little chilli sauce in a separate dish for dipping the meat gives you warmth without changing the soup. Drink the broth with the spoon in between mouthfuls of noodles, and finish it if you can, since it is the most comforting part of the meal.

There is no need to hurry a bowl of pho on a quiet weekday. The cafes around Mare Street rarely rush solo diners outside the main noon rush, and staff are used to people sitting with a pot of tea after finishing. Eat at a pace your body likes. The steam keeps the noodles warm for a long time, and the broth stays hot in a deep bowl.

If you need to work, keep it light. Read emails on your laptop with the bowl to one side rather than over it, and answer only what cannot wait. Many freelancers in the area do exactly this on cold days. When you feel your shoulders drop and your nose has cleared a little, that is your signal to pay, wrap up and head out before the warmth fades.

If you feel up to a short walk, head toward St John at Hackney churchyard, a wide green space just off Mare Street with old trees and quiet paths. The lone stone tower of St Augustine's, all that remains of the medieval parish church, stands at the edge of the gardens and is a calm landmark to pause beside. Walk slowly and keep your scarf up over your mouth if the air is sharp.

On a drier day, Hackney Downs is a short walk north, with open grass and a long view of the sky. London Fields is another gentle option to the south-west, with plane trees and a path that loops round in a few minutes. Do not push it. If the drizzle sets in, the overground from Hackney Central or a bus down Mare Street will get you home warm.

At the peak of lunchtime, some cafes fill with groups from the offices and the college, and the noise climbs. If your first choice is crowded, do not wait in the doorway. Try a room on a side street or come back in half an hour, when the first wave has gone. Most of the quieter cafes are calmest in the early afternoon, which suits a slow day anyway.

If you cannot face sitting in at all, ask for the pho to take away. Many cafes pack the broth separately from the noodles and herbs, so you can put the bowl together at home without the noodles going soggy on the bus. Reheat the broth until it is properly hot, pour it over the noodles and add the herbs at the end, as you would at the table.

Decide in the morning whether you are going out at all. If you are, pick a time after the main rush, wear a hat and a warm layer, and bring tissues and a reusable cup for tea on the way home. Mention any allergies to staff, since broths and dipping sauces often contain fish sauce and some dishes come topped with peanuts.

The Karpo APP can help you shortlist calm places without wandering in the cold. Search for pho near Mare Street or Hackney Central, save one sit-down cafe and one that is happy to pack takeaway, and choose depending on how you feel that day. A quiet bowl of broth in a warm room will not cure a cold, but it can turn a grim afternoon into a gentler one.