I believe that Pancake Day is for sweet treats but Pho's savoury pancake with a twist might change my mind

While I’m a sucker for a sweet pancake, I absolutely adore Asian food. So, when I heard that Pho was offering the chance to celebrate Pancake Day with a Vietnamese twist, I was obviously going to spend my lunch break trying their food.

Usually available as a starter or side on Pho’s dinner menu, the Bánh xèo - a crispy, stuffed rice pancake - is available all-day throughout Pancake Day at Pho’s many branches - including Newcastle’s Grainger Street site - and can be ordered with fillings of prawns, chicken, tofu or vegan chicken.

We opted for the two meat-free options and were blown away, with the vegan chicken tasting very realistic and the tofu being perfectly cooked - no soggy or slimy tofu here. It is recommended that you cut up the pancake and place inside rice paper - along with a perilla leaf before dipping into a tasty chilli sauce.

Given nothing but a knife and chopsticks, it was a pretty messy affair but that made the experience all the more fun - is it really Pancake Day if you don’t make a mess?

Before trying the pancakes, we truly had no idea what they would taste like. But, they were genuinely so delicious that I could possibly be convinced that savoury is as tasty as sweet - though I’m still making myself a syrup-covered crepe for my tea tonight.