Phamish

There we were, staring at a whole bunch of people eating at Phamish, so we thought this got to be good! Indeed it was an interesting location (like...in the middle of nowhere?) among some other restaurants, and its red colour stood out from the crowd.



They were more like Takeaway style, in which the menu was written up on the board near the counter.

We sat directly across the kitchen, and it looked pretty busy! While we were waiting, we went to get a random drink from the little fridge.

Duck and prawn pancakes, filled with roast duck, prawns and fresh Vietnamese herb (2pc $14.00, 3pc $21.00, 4pc $28.00, 5pc $35.00)

This dish was the reason we came here, so obviously we were so excited when it arrived our table! Yes, it was a lot bigger than what we imagined, and the filling felt like it was going to burst out. I thought the combination of duck and prawn was quite unique, so I tried a full bite for the ultimate satisfaction. I LOVED IT! Despite of how strong the herb tasted, it actually complimented the meat quite well. I loved how there were so much textures in there...you can taste the juicy duck, the fresh prawn, the bits of crunchy bean sprout, the sweet chilli dipping sauce, along with the carefully wrapped paper roll. We were actually already 3/4 full after we finished this, so we felt it certainly worth the price.


Bo Luc Lac Beef, Sauteed in Soy and Onion and served on a bed of mixed salad, lime or Cumquat, Salt and Pepper dipping sauce $20.50

Bun ordered this for our main dish, we thought it was quite ordinary at the start but the taste won our hearts in the end. We loved how well the beef was cooked, as they were tender and juicy. The green salad was a bonus, in which refreshed our mouths for more meats. We actually forgot to dip into Salt and Pepper, but I guess we didn't really need it as they had perfect amount of flavours already.

Rice $3.00

We also ordered rice to go with the beef, ahhhhh that was GOOOOOOD!


Overall we had a nice experience there, and the only thing I can probably point out was the heat inside the restaurant. If you come in winter, I'd highly recommend you sit exactly where we sat (with the heat waves from kitchen and burning sensation from the light bulbs). But please, go outside if it's summer, it will be 10 times better than indoor!!! (We sweat zillion times in there!) Oh, and did I also mention they had really funny chairs? :P



Address:
248 Palmer St
Darlinghurst NSW

Phone number:
02 9357 2688

Opening time:

Lunch:
Thu and Fri   Noon until 2.30pm
Dinner:
Tue to Sat  6pm to 9.30pm
Sun 5.30pm to 9.30pm


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Pho Tau Bay

We have heard so many people compared Pho Tau Bay with Pho An, so we got curious. On this particular evening, we went to check out Pho Tau Bay, another popular venue for Pho-lovers.

The interior was alot smaller than we imagined, and it certainly wasn't as crowded as Pho An. Honestly we thought we would see a line outside the door, but the restaurant was actually half empty. Possibly because we arrived near the closing time?

They had different sizes for serving, and I just had to pick LARGE (at $12.50 with rare beef and beef briskets). Oh jesus, how wrong was I? Their large size was seriously LARGE. It was like almost double the size of Pho An's bowl, the noodles seemed endless, and the meats inside just never stopped appearing!


For those who could never have enough of Pho, I definitely recommend a large bowl at Pho Tau Bay. The portion would satisfy your craving, and left you with total happiness.

We like to add a lot of chilli sauce and fresh chilli into our Pho, which meant I ended up with watery eyes, runny nose, and sweat everywhere. Who was it that said the intense burn releases endorphin in the brain and leaves you craving more? Yeah this was definitely the case, we were too addicted! Fortunately these spicy sensations were not like the Chinese chilli oil or the Korean chilli rice cakes, as they only burn your mouth for 10 seconds and slowly fades away.


If you asked me to compare Pho Tau Bay and Pho An, I'd say...I liked the taste at Pho An better, but I definitely loved the portion at Pho Tau Bay. So it depends, on the days when you feel like eating more, Pho Tau Bay would definitely come into the mind!



Address:
12/117 John Street, Cabramatta NSW

Phone number:
02 9726 4583

Opening time:
Mon and Wed to Fri  7.30am - 6.30pm
Tue CLOSED
Sat and Sun  7.30am - 7.30pm


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Tan Viet Noodle House

Famous for its Crispy Chicken, it seems Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta never ceased to have long waiting lines outside. When we got there just a little earlier than lunch time, the line was relatively shorter. It was a very hot day, but the people waiting there had such enthusiastic faces!



The interior was simple with blue walls, and the space was a bit bigger than I imagined. This place was full of people when we got in, although it wasn't too crammed due to its relatively bigger space (2 levels).

3 colours sweet $4.00

I ordered this drink just as I have always done in all other Vietnamese restaurants, simply because I can't get over the layers of different textures. It was icy and absolutely refreshing on such a hot day.



Crispy chicken served with Tomato rice $12.00

Here it comes! Both me and Bun ordered the legendary crispy chicken with tomato rice! We don't think we have ever tasted any chicken skin as this crispy before, every crunch made that delightful sound that's almost like the sound of swinging wind chime after a soft breeze. The meat was moist, extremely tender, and the portion was fair. We found the tomato rice was quite nice too, as it soaked evenly into the light tomato flavour and served at the perfect temperature.

We were both very full at 3/4 way of the dish, but the temptation to keep eating was too strong. So...it ended up with Bun having a very satisfied face just like in that picture. You can eat the crispy chicken with noodles too, it seemed just as delicious...too bad we were bloated, maybe next time.

Honestly, this place should really open after 7pm as well, I'm sure alot of the local people would love a quick supper there!


Address:
100 John St, Cabramatta NSW

Phone number:
02 9727 6853

Opening time:
Daily 9am - 7pm


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Pho An

I would recommend this as one of the best Pho place in Sydney to you, so pho sooooo gooood indeed.


Just check out the crowd here! Those people were eating, sniffling, and enjoying the warm soup and its chilliness.

Che ba mau $5.00

It has always been my favourite drink to go with the Pho, just because it's so refreshing. Each layer has different textures and tastes, mixed along with the sweetness of coconut flavour. Some are chewy and slippery, while the others are soggy. The 3 layers of colours form a pleasant visual presentation.


Here's the typical bean sprout plate, time to grab a handful and put into the Pho!





















Chin $12.00(medium), or $13.00(large)

oh this is how we started...
1: The plain pho with floating vegetables and clear soup, and the meat hiding underneath waiting to be found.

2. A sprinkle of fresh chilli instantly added colours to the bowl, now it's starting to look like flower and leaves.

3. The ultimate weapon of chilli sauce, we added a little bit to start off (thank god it was only a little bit) and this is when the excitement begins.

4. Then we added all the bean sprouts and mix mix MIX! We digged hard and let all the beef flip out, and this would be the time to start drooling, alot.


Any thoughts afterward? I think it was totally mouthwatering!



Address:
27 Greenfield Parade
Bankstown NSW

Phone number:
(02) 9796 7826

Opening time:
7 Days 7am - 9pm


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Red Lantern on Crown

The first thing you will notice are the elegant red lanterns hanging down from the ceiling, waiting for its customers to immerse into the special mood.

We were greeted by the waiter and got allocated an outdoor table, and funny how the red lighting made my heart beat a little faster as the passionate atmosphere built up. One other thing we realised was that there were a couple sitting downstairs away from the heaters, and it was freezing! Almost instantly, the waiter brought them some warm blanket. How thoughtful!? It was these types of services that make you definitely want to remember the restaurant.















Muc Rang Muoi $23.00
Lightly battered chilli salted squid with fresh lemon and white pepper dipping sauce

The bite-size squid were coated in fabulous golden crust, along with the dip of the sauce that leaves your tongue tangy. We felt it was served in a generous portion, and it was good enough to keep us chewing for quite awhile.














Bo Kho $35.00
Pasture fed Wagyu beef braised with Vietnamese spices, tomato paste and chilli

We thought we made a mistake to order the beef and the duck together, why? Because they both had a thick base and left you the feeling that you have consumed too much fats. Nevertheless, the beef chunks were very tender, just that it made me very full just after about 3 pieces!!































Cari Vit $36.00

Burrawong duck cooked in a fragrant coconut milk and red curry sauce with banana blossom

Served Vietnamese style, on the bone

Now here is the duck, each piece was half sunken into the mushy curry. As we imagined, the curry actually went perfectly with the rice, you soak the rice in them and this then intensifies the taste of the curry.



















 Dessert platter for two $22.00

Finally it was dessert time! After all the oily dishes, we were desperate for something to take the greasy flavour away.















Com Nep La Chuoi
Red sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf and char grilled
Served with jackfruit and coconut ice cream

The ice cream was melting pretty fast, thus we had to dig our spoons into this in lightning speed. I believe you will enjoy this, it had a subtle coconut taste and a contrast of the temperatures.

Banh Cam Mang Cau
Sesame and rice flour dumplings filled with sour sop and served with black sesame ice cream

This dish reminded me of what I ate when I was a kid, the sesame ball inevitably will become your favourite if you prefer less sweet desserts. I love the way that the crust was formed with sesames sticking on firmly.




Kem Flan
Coconut Crème Caramel made with free range eggs and coconut milk

 

I still remember the waiter advised us to eat the crème last, luckily we followed the advice. This dessert was unbelievably sweet, so we'd probably be drunk with sugar if we started off with this dessert.

 

 

It was a pleasant experience to dine at Red Lantern, and we probably would like to return there one day to try out the tasting menu. Oh, just becareful with parking around the area, we definitely saw some tickets gluing onto the cars infront of our table!! 

 

 

 

Address:

545 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW

 

Phone number:

(02) 9698 4355

 

Opening hours:

Lunch:

Tuesday to Friday 12pm - 3pm

Dinner:

Monday to Sunday 6pm - 10pm

 



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