Pho at Trang's

Trang's Vietnamese Restaurant, Hardgrave Rd, West End. This is the rare beef pho, with lemon, bean sprouts and mint. Perhaps this is my favourite pho in town.

Pho Hien Vuong

Stopped for lunch at Sunnybank today, whilst collecting the haul. I've always wanted to try Pho Hien Vuong, a tiny pho restaurant in the block of shops opposite Sunnybank Plaza. It's the block that contains Yuen's supermarket, Coco's, the fish place and the Chinese butcher. Obviously my favourite block of shops in the entire town.

I had the medium number 8- special beef pho. They brought me a plate of bean sprouts, Vietnamese mint, sliced fresh chili and a lemon wedge. Then the bowl of pho arrived. It was great. Light, yet very flavoursome, it contained rice noodles, rare beef slices, pieces of beef brisket, finely-sliced tripe, sausage and beef tendon in a tangy fiery broth. I added some fish sauce and chili sauce to it as well, and it was fantastic. This was my first time eating both tripe and tendon, and it wasn't too bad. Definitely, this would be the way to try it. Total cost, eight bucks. Great lunch.

It looked nothing like the picture above, however. That's a good-looking pho.

And, these guys know everything about pho- some interesting information here.

The Bowery and Pho B

Last Friday night, I was alone. Lord Porkface was off worshipping the almighty tennis god, and I had a set to see at the Valley Fiesta. Pre-set, I enjoyed a lovely Vietnamese beef salad and a pot of jasmine at Pho B, a little pho restaurant off the Valley Mall (Burlington-side, not Fat Boys-side.) And then afterwards, my book and I took ourselves off to The Bowery: recent winner of Gourmet Traveller's best bar in Australia award. Safely and sagely curled in a fat old leather couch, I contentedly read my Michael Crichton with a salty tequila cocktail by my side. Possibly one of the best nights out this year. And possibly the best cocktail, too! Well won, Bowery.