Pho Hung Vuong Saigon

A weekend in December saw Mum, my sister and myself making a weekend trip to Melbourne for a wedding, which was absolutely beautiful! 

The morning after the wedding, we were absolutely exhausted but still, Mum was determined to visit Footscray. We were craving pho as comfort food and to soothe our headaches and a quick search on Urbanspoon told me that a popular Pho eatery was literally just a few doors down from where we were standing! We took it as a sign and visited Pho Hung Vuong Saigon.

I feel as though Adelaide doesn't really have many, if any, places open in the morning to have pho as a breakfast option. It is the norm in Vietnam where there are a plethora of soup options alone for breakfast! However, I guess pho would be a really heavy meal in the morning...

 Special beef combination rice noodle soup (small) $8.50

SO delicious! I like how the stock wasn't overly sweet and had a really rich meaty flavour. I also really liked the rice noodles themselves (scroll down 2 images to see them). They were different to the ones you'd find in Adelaide.

Grilled chicken rice noodle soup (small) $8.50

Feeling a little adventurous that morning, I ordered this. I've never seen anything like this on a menu before so I wasn't too sure what to expect. The chicken had a great flavour and tasted like it would have been perfect in a Vietnamese rice dish. However, I didn't really enjoy it sitting in the soup! Definitely an interesting menu item, but I don't think I'll order this if I visit again.

 The rice noodles

They were much thinner and softer than those I've had in Adelaide, and tasted a lot better, too!

 Fresh coconut juice $3

Definitely not fresh. And definitely overpriced. But oh so good! My tip would be to buy these at your local asian grocers - they cost less than a dollar.

 Hot soya bean milk $3

 Cold fresh lemon drink $3.50

I think this is a great place to enjoy a good bowl of pho and I'll definitely be back if I'm ever in Melbourne again! I highly recommend the beef rice noodles. 

 

While wandering around after breakfast, I stumbled across people setting up for a fair of some sort, and had a glimpse of some Melbourne food trucks! There was no way I could have eaten anymore after breakfast so unfortunately I couldn't try any of their offerings. Cute trucks, though!

Star of Saigon

Our family was out at lunch again, trying out a new Vietnamese restaurant which has very recently opened a few suburbs away from us.

I love how it has a really nice outdoor seating option!

The decor was interesting as it was a mix of modern as well as antique, with dark wooden tables and chairs as well as some really nice leather booths, which was where we sat. Above the booths, the chandeliers and floral wallpaper gave it a slight vintage feel.

 Jackfruit smoothie $5

Custard Apple smoothie $5

Che Ba Mau (in the background)

We were pretty surprised to see these drinks for $5 on the menu since most restaurants have them priced between $3.50-$4.50. This was explained when we discovered that they were served in HUGE milkshake glasses!

Pho Bo $11

The pho only comes in one size which I think was a decent sized serving. Mum really enjoyed it and rated it a 9/10, which means it must be quite good! She said that it was nowhere near as sweet as Pho Ba Ria 2, where we usually go, but had a nicer richness due to the meat stock.

 Bun Bo Hue 

Dad enjoyed this, though he isn't a very fussy eater! I noticed that all the soup dishes had only one size, but the servings are a pretty decent.

 Bun Nem Nuong

This was my sister's lunch and she also really enjoyed it. The pork meatballs tasted really great because there wasn't that artificiality to it, unlike those that you might eat from food stands at events. Also, a very generous serving that my sister struggled to finish!

 Grilled Pork Skewer wraps $16

I felt like trying something different to what I would usually order so I went with DIY wraps. This was also a huge serving! We all agreed that the pork skewer meat was delicious. It had a delicious, slightly charred flavour and texture, perfect for the wraps. There was a huge selection of fresh herbs and crunchy lettuce as well as some pickled vegetables. SO good!

We had a great lunch, and we wouldn't hesitate to come back here! The restaurant has a great modern feel yet serves delicious, authentic Vietnamese food. A bit pricier than other restaurants within the area, but I think it's definitely worth it. My only complaint would be that the food took far too long to arrive at our table. The restaurant wasn't too busy that day yet we still had to wait for quite a while. However, when it arrived, it was well-presented and tasted great!

Overall, 8.5/10.

Tan Nhu Y

My little brother was running around the house telling everyone that he wanted pho for lunch, so Mum and I took him to Tan Nhu Y! 

Disclaimer: The family of my best friend from primary school owns this restaurant, however I assure you that this will not affect any of my thoughts on the restaurant.

On the day we visited, there was a function going on so the restaurant was very busy and packed. The service was still great in that the waiters and waitresses were all very friendly and helpful, especially the owner Hang, but the food was a little slow coming out which I think was understandable. 

Small Pho $10.00

HUGE serving for a small - mum and Vinny shared it but they couldn't finish it! Both mum and I thought that it was lacking the richness in flavour compared to other places we've been to. Not the best we've ever had, but I've heard other people raving about it. Maybe it was just bad luck?

Small Combination Broken Rice $10

I wasn't in the mood for pho so I decided on the combination broken rice. There was a huge mound of rice topped with a variety of different proteins, as well as fresh and pickled vegetables. My favourite was definitely the grilled pork. My little brother loved it so much that he kept picking it off my plate, along with the roast pork and cucumber (he just enjoys stealing my food). This wasn't necessarily a bad thing because I couldn't finish it! Tan Nhu Y is definitely one of my favourite places for this dish. 

Hang caught my brother stealing the grilled pork of my plate a number of times, so she sent out a complimentary plate of just the pork. Great service or what? She's such a lovely person and is well known for her fantastic people skills!

Avocado Smoothie

My little brother ordered this for himself and dug in as soon as it arrived at the table. It was very thick, creamy and perfectly sweet, just how I like it!

Jackfruit Smoothie

I adore fresh jackfruit and this smoothie is just as great! On this occasion, it was a little thin for my liking and but still had the sweetness and delicious flavour of jackfruit.

Occasionally, my family and I also like ordering takeaway from here whenever we're having a bit of a lazy evening and want to take a break. Some of our favourites are the Sweet and Sour Pork, Salt and Pepper Squid (great to have with a beer), Szechuan Beef and Salt and Pepper flounder.

Tan Nhu Y is one of our family's preferred places for a quick lunch or takeaway for dinner, and the service here is always great. I am not biased at all when I say that I would recommend it!

Overall, 8.5/10

Vy

xo

Pho Ba Ria 2

Hi everyone,
Hope you're all well!

Today's post features Pho Ba Ria 2 on Hanson Road. This little gem has been a family favourite for phở for an extremely long time. We've been going here since I was a little girl and have witnessed management change a few times, but the phở has always been good! It's a quick and easy meal for whenever any of us can't be bothered cooking - we either dine in or order takeaway. Our Sunday lunch visit saw the restaurant packed to the brim as usual!

 Fresh bean sprouts and herbs to go with the Phở

Phở đặc biệt

Combination Beef Noodle Soup (small) $9

Extra: Bò viên

Meatballs $1.50

SO good! The broth is clear and rich in flavour. It has all the right herbs and spices in the right proportions, resulting in a delicious combination leaving us satisfied every single time. The noodles themselves are delicious and perfectly cooked, and the thinly sliced beef is spot on! 

 Bún măng vịt

Vermicelli with steamed duck and bamboo shoots $11.50

I never order this whenever I visit but my parents seem to love it. The steamed duck was very nicely cooked and tender. I think the broth requires an acquired taste, and the scent of it is something I'll never get used to! I've tasted it a few times and it's actually quite tasty once you get past the scent!

Hủ Tiếu xào Kway Teo

 Combination Kway Teow $13

This is, in no shape or form, an authentic Kway Teow but it's still tasty. A huge assortment of vegetables and proteins were tossed together in a soy based sauce and served with a {rather extreme} amount of fried egg! As I said, tasty, but definitely not authentic.

Cơm tấm đặc biệt 

Combination broken rice $9.50

This place does one of the best combination broken rice dishes in Adelaide, for sure. The fried pork ribs (top left of the dish) are cooked to absolute perfection ever single time I have it - deliciously crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. The roast pork (bottom of the plate) had a lovely crispy skin and tender meat. I believe it's sourced from a BBQ place tucked away just behind the row of shops where Ba Ria 2 is located, parallel to Hanson Rd - Hong Phat BBQ. Just quietly, this tiny little place does the BEST Asian style roast ducks, porks and chickens! Definitely pay them a visit - the man who works there is so friendly. Back to the dish, the sweetened fish sauce is the perfect accompaniment to everything else! My only complaint would be the pork and egg omelette (the square shaped piece located bottom right). My mum makes this better than anyone/anywhere I know but I promise I am not biased when I say that this is the only thing not on par with the rest of the dish. Too dense, packed full of clear vermicelli and lacking it meat - it is a disappointment every time and I always leave it behind on my plate!

 Sinh tố bơ

Avocado smoothie $3.50

 Sounds weird right? NO! Try it if you ever get the opportunity. I assure you, once you've tried one, you won't be able to go back! It's a delicious blend of avocados, condensed milk, sugar and ice. Not the most health friendly drink, but trust me, it's soooo good!

I definitely recommend visiting this place! It's very simple and minimalistic, and truly all about the food.  Service is fantastic and the food doesn't take long at all to arrive at your table. There is an extensive menu which does include food that is not Vietnamese, but I promise that everything Vietnamese is authentic or as authentic as you can get here in Adelaide! A meal is reasonably cheap and one person can be well fed for even less than $15. It's open for lunch and dinner on everyday except Wednesday, but I prefer lunch visits. Give it a go the next time you're in need of a phở fix! I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Overall, 8.5/10.

Vy

xo

Ps. Across the street is a place called 'Fruity Fruits' (I know right, funny name) which sells fresh sugar cane juice. Don't miss it!