Vietnamese – ohdenny

Mama’s Buoi

July 7, 2017 Posted in Chadstone, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Mama’s Buoi opened in Chadstone Shopping Centre’s new wing. Mama’s Buoi also has stores in Melbourne’s GPO and in Sydney. They offer a diverse selection of Vietnamese dishes, ranging from the traditional Pho to a Vietnamese Coffee Crémé Brûlée, and they also offer a ‘Feed Me’ banquet menu if you can’t decide on what to order.

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Their Special Crab Fried Rice, is actually quite nice with the fragrance and taste of crab, served with a lime dressing on the side. The fried rice itself was a little bit too mushy but overall it was a tasty fried rice, especially with the sunny side up egg.

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The Pork had a lovely charred flavour, it was tender and comes with a fresh Vietnamese salad. The salad here is slightly different to the one served with the Lamb, where I believe this one had more of a subtle chilli seasoning to it.

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The Twice Cooked Marinated Lamb Rack’s were delicious, it’s served with a fresh Vietnamese apple kimchi salad. The lamb was tender and has a nice roasted flavour to it. The salad had that perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty.

Last words

While the food at Mama’s Buoi is pretty good, price-wise I find it leaning towards the pricier side of things. Especially their Pho which comes to $18 a bowl.

Mama’s Buoi
Chadstone Shopping Centre
1341 Dandenong Road
Chadstone VIC 3148

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Miss Saigon

March 3, 2017 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Miss Saigon, a recent entry to the Box Hill food scene, adds to the growing list of Vietnamese eateries in this renowned Chinese food hub. Miss Saigon predominantly offers a wide selection of Pho options, where you can opt for a beef soup option with various beef toppings, and the same with the chicken soup base and chicken toppings but of course there’s always an option for a mix of beef and chicken. They also have Grilled Pork and Grilled Chicken with Pho for something a bit different.

While they only really do offer Pho for a main dish, they do also offer spring rolls (as you do) and rice paper rolls, and quite an extensive list of drink options such as my personal favourite Three Colours dessert/drink, as well as Vietnamese Coffee, Fresh Sugar Cane and Mango Smoothies.

Their Pho is served hot, unlike Indochine which is served very lukewarm. The beef and chicken soup bases aren’t particularly memorable but it has enough flavour to it.

I did quite like the Grilled Pork Pho, but it adds quite a bit of oil to the soup which makes it less appetising. The grilled pork though, had nice flavour.

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The Three Colours drink is basically cendol (green jelly), red bean (bigger variety) and mung bean with ice and coconut milk. Refreshing and not too sweet.

Last words
While, Miss Saigon probably won’t win any awards for authenticity, the Pho is decent enough to be a satisfactory meal.

Miss Saigon
Shop 68B, 1 Main Street
Box Hill Central
Box Hill VIC 3128

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Ba’get

October 7, 2016 Posted in Food Reviews, Melbourne, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Authenticity is Ba’get’s motto, mission and lifeblood. Ba’get is providing authentic Vietnamese food, made from recipes that have been handed down through the generations. Ba’get not only have a wide variety of their signature Vietnamese Rolls (Banh Mi) but they also offer Vermicelli Rice Bowls where you can choose your preferred meat or vegetarian option. Ba’get have recently introduced Vietnamese Broken Rice to their menu, and you can also choose your choice of meat/veg and a sauce to go with it.

Meal vouchers kindly provided by Ba’get

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If you’ve never come to Ba’get, you wouldn’t pass the opportunity to try their Banh Mi. I ordered the Grilled Pork version but you get this with Grilled Meatballs, Grilled Chicken, Pulled Chicken, Tofu, Tomato Meatballs, Salad, Ham & Cheese, Salami and Cheese, Classic Meat, or even as a Breakfast Ba’get. Their Grilled Pork option has great flavour to the meat, a tad too dry for my liking but still tasty nonetheless.

Ba’get’s Grilled Chicken Broken Rice with Fish Sauce (Com tam) has all the components of a great Vietnamese Broken Rice. The grilled chicken has a lovely grilled flavour to it, but I find it a bit dry. The fish sauce with the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers does help bring it all together. You can also the Broken Rice with Grilled Pork or Tofu with your choice of Fish or Soy Sauce.

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The Grilled Chicken Vermicelli Bowl (Bún thit nuong) is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes, and especially so in the spring or summer months when a bowl of steaming hot Pho is out of the question. While Ba’get’s offering doesn’t have the same sweet and sour notes that I’m used to for the sauce, the fish sauce that you can order with this works well together. It’s still quite a refreshing meal!

You can order this with Grilled Pork, Tomato Meatballs, Pulled Chicken, Crisp Salad, Classic Meat, Grilled Meatballs, or Tofu with your choice of Soy, Hoisin or Fish Sauce.

Ba’get also offer Rice Paper Rolls, Pork & Taro Spring Rolls, Vietnamese Puffs, Sesame Donuts and of course Vietnamese Ice Coffee to go with your meal so there’s something for everyone.

Last words

While Ba’get may not match the highs that you may find in Vietnamese hubs like Richmond or Springvale, it does provide a decent option for Vietnamese food in Melbourne CBD, Watergardens and Werribee.

Ba’get
132 Russell Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Ba’get – Elizabeth St
369 Elizabeth Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

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Indochine

September 23, 2016 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Indochine on Carrington Road is a popular eatery in Box Hill serving an array of authentic Vietnamese dishes. You might be surprised to know that there are quite a number of Vietnamese restaurants in Box Hill such as the recently renovated Pho Huong Viet, Tien Dat, Pho 888, Tan Tan and the new kid on the block, Miss Saigon. Having tried a majority of these, nothing seems to compare to what you may come across in the Vietnamese hubs like Springvale, Richmond or Footscray.

The pho at Indochine is a mixed bag, while the broth is one of the better ones in Box Hill, it’s served at such a lukewarm temperature that you’d rather have a slightly poorer tasting Pho than order this again.

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Having been disappointed in the tomato rice dishes in Richmond, I finally found a great one. It’s on par with what I ordered in Springvale. The tomato rice is fried nicely, not too wet and not too dry and cooked with scrambled egg. The crispy chicken at Indochine is also pretty tasty, crispy skin and maybe just slightly over cooked chicken. Served with a slice of lemon and extra salt, which I find you won’t really need anyway.

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Last words
Come to Indochine for their tasty Vietnamese food but maybe not for their pho.

Indochine

51 Carrington Road
Box Hill VIC 3128

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Binh Minh

July 24, 2015 Posted in Food Reviews, Malaysian, Restaurant Reviews, Richmond, VietnameseLeave a comment

I’ve been to Binh Minh a couple times now, but I have trouble understanding the sheer popularity of it all. Located just by North Richmond Station on Victoria Street, they serve Vietnamese & Malaysian cuisine.

They offer your standard Vietnamese dishes like Pho, and Diced Beef & Tomato Rice and in addition they offer Laksa (!) on their menu too. I’ve tried their Salmon with vegetables, and their Tomato Rice but in both occasions I found it to be quite oily, and although flavour isn’t lacking, it isn’t anything great that can set it apart from the rest.

Impressions

For cheap lunchtime meals, Binh Minh might be a good place to go but I wouldn’t go there thinking it’s one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Richmond.

Binh Minh
40 Victoria Street
Richmond VIC 3121

Pho Huong Viet

May 1, 2015 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Pho Huong Viet is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in the heart of Box Hill and while it may not stand tall against the top Vietnamese restaurants in Springvale or Richmond, for a decent Vietnamese meal around the Eastern Suburbs it’s one of the tastier options.

Their Pho soup base isn’t as strong as I would have liked, milder but I’d definitely prefer this as compared with Indochine, where I can’t understand it’s popularity. It’s not as clean tasting as some other Pho’s I’ve had either overall I’d say it’s above average.

Their Bun Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork over Vermicelli Noodles), is quite fresh and tasty with the sauce poured all over it. I loved the tender pork and the crispy spring rolls that come with it. It isn’t a cold dish as you might think, as the vermicelli here has been just cooked along with the pork and spring rolls, so you get this mix of cold ingredients such as the sauce and fresh vegetables with the hot ingredients. I’d probably go back for this one actually.

Impressions

While Pho Huong Viet doesn’t reach the highs of other Vietnamese restaurants in Melbourne, it’s also a bit difficult to find a great one around these parts of town. Though, I would say Pho 888 is the one to beat in Box Hill.

Tan Tan

June 13, 2014 Posted in Box Hill, VietnameseLeave a comment

In the Box Hill hub, there are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants on Carrington Street. Indochine is probably the largest and most popular one,. I’ve tried Indochine, and couldn’t understand the appeal, so off to the next one on the street. Tan Tan is just a few doors down from Indochine and now being so far away from Springvale, I’ve still yet to find a great Crispy Chicken with Tomato Rice dish, so for every new Vietnamese restaurant I try, I always seek out this dish which has yet to be topped.

Tan Tan’s Crispy Chicken with Tomato Rice lacks the highs of a great dish, the tomato rice is devoid of tomato flavour, and seems overly soft. I prefer a bit of bite to my rice when it is fried, and a great Tomato rice in my eyes also adds egg. The chicken also lacks flavour, just salt and unfortunately, too dry. The sweet and sour sauce is much needed to bring flavour to this dish that is dry and lacking in taste. A real shame

The Lemongrass Chicken and Stir Fry with Rice, is an especially fragrant dish with the lemongrass but again, nothing really stood out. The chicken cooked well, and the capsicum adds depth of flavour, apart from that it could be a little forgettable.

Beef and Chicken Combination Pho is a staple at every Vietnamese restaurant, however the soup here isn’t too flash. Lacking in flavour as compared with the popular and local favourite Pho places such as I Love Pho 264 in Richmond, and Pho Hung Vuong in Springvale. The soup is the star of a Pho dish so it’s disappointing that it is very average here.

Impressions

I can’t say that I found Tan Tan to be memorable for its dishes which I really did hope it would be. One of the pluses was that the staff were very friendly, and the dishes weren’t too expensive but I’m not too sure that would be enough to get me to go back there again for sometime.

Tan Tan
9 Carrington Rd
Box Hill VIC 3128

T’relek

March 21, 2014 Posted in Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Richmond, Vietnamese2 Comments

T’relek is another great Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond. T’relek offers a great variety of dishes and delicious nonetheless. What makes T’relek different from the many other Vietnamese restaurants around these parts is cleanliness and service. I find service here to be a step above, friendly and attentive.

The dish pictured above is their Crispy Noodles Seafood Combination. The noodles are indeed crispy and crunchy, and with the generous offering of vegetables, seafood, chicken and beef it all works well together. The sauce is similar to an egg gravy you may find in a Malaysian Char Hor Fun, and whilst not as flavourful it still has a pleasant aroma and flavour to it. Not too salty, and enough sauce to go round.

T’relek’s Grilled Pork Chop and Egg is another decent dish, with well cooked pork and a runny sunny side up egg, freshly cut vegetables as garnish and shredded pork.. It’s basically a Broken Rice dish but without the commonly added pâté. What this dish needs is a dressing sauce, sweet chilli sauce does complement this dish well actually.

The Tomato Rice with Diced Beef and Stir Fried Vegetables is another generous dish, with plentiful capsicum, onions and beef. Unfortunately, the stir fry here is a tad over salted. I find the tomato rice needs egg mixed through and a tad more tomato flavour but it’s tasty but not exceptional.

Impressions

Although T’relek’s dishes aren’t the tastiest Vietnamese in Richmond, it does provide a fulfilling meal and with friendly service, you’d be hard to be displeased.

T’relek
116 Victoria St
Richmond VIC 3121

Pho 888 Box Hill

November 1, 2013 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

Pho 888 Box Hill on Station Street, is one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in Box Hill. Primarily serving Pho, it does have a small selection of rice dishes and entrees as well. The restaurant is one of your typical Pho joints that you may find on Victoria Street, Richmond or Springvale, how does it compare? Lets see

I ordered the Beef sausage Pho just to try something a bit different (a bit unusual), the soup base lacks a bit of flavour and I also noticed they do not add coriander as a garnish to their soup. That’s not to say the soup was bland, it definitely has a nice flavour to it but compared with the greats in Melbourne, it is just a bit lacking.

The plentiful of onions they add are very strong in taste, probably too much onions for my liking but some might be preferential to their generosity. The beef sausage falls apart very easily, I’m not sure how it’s made because it’s almost like eating mince meat with a bit of pepper balls as seasoning. Not the best sausage I must admit, I think the beef and chicken would actually taste better together.

Finding good Vietnamese food in Box Hill is a challenge, so my opinion on Pho 888 is that it’s sufficient but if you miss great Vietnamese food from places in Richmond and Springvale, or maybe even Footscray, you may be a bit disappointed.

Pho 888 Box Hill

552 Station Street
Box Hill VIC 3128

Thanh Phong

September 13, 2013 Posted in Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, Richmond, VietnameseLeave a comment

Thanh Phong on Victoria Street is one of the many Vietnamese restaurants in Richmond. It’s one of the more cleaner venues around these parts. They must have renovated maybe in the past couple of years or so. During lunchtime weekdays, I wouldn’t call this place busy but it has a decent following. I wouldn’t say the food here sets it apart from the other Vietnamese eateries in anyway. It serves mostly the same cuisine you’d find elsewhere.

Pictured above, is their Cambodian Dry Noodle Soup (Alt: Hu Tieu Nam Vang), it comes with this crispy pastry which I believe is filled with some sort of vegetable, along with warm seasoned noodles with bean shoots, chicken, celery and fried and spring onions and coriander as their garnishes. It is served with soup with seafood and spring onions and coriander on top. Let’s start with the soup, it’s your very typical Vietnamese soup. Seasoned well, so it is certainly bursting with flavour and the prawn, fish ball and calamari. The seafood is a pleasant surprise and although tough calamari isn’t usually my thing, it complements the noodles well.

The pastry is nice and crunchy, but with enough bite to it (it has some chewiness to it). I really did enjoy the dressing or seasoning they add to the noodles but I can’t really put my finger on what they add to it. Probably a bit of soy, and it’s has a tongue tingling spiciness to it. It’s a very crunchy dish overall because of the celery, pastry and bean sprouts. Quite a lovely, tasty and fresh dish.

Impressions

Their Broken Rice with Egg and Pate, is a tad disappointing though. Clumpy wet rice isn’t at all appetising. Although Thanh Phong’s Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is both spicy and delicious. Similar to Pho, but a red tinged colour and wonderfully beefy in taste.

Thanh Phong, probably isn’t for everyone. There are a few dishes you could probably find better places to order like Pho (I Love Pho) but their Cambodian noodles are the best I’ve had on Victoria Street. It is just sifting through their menu to find the gems, like you may do with many other restaurants.

Not my first place I think of when I want Vietnamese but not so far down on my list. I’d say give it a go.

Thanh Phong

240 Victoria St
Richmond VIC 3121