Vinh Ha Long Returns

76 Nicholson Street
Footscray
Victoria
3011

When we moved to Footscray the original Ha Long restaurant occupied the building on the corner or Nicholson and Droop streets, which morphed into Sen a few years later. Now the former name has returned.

The fit out has been upgraded again and has resulted in a clean modern feel, with the re-assuring presence of boxes of tissues and condiments on the tables!

We kicked off with the prawn spring rolls, which came the usual dipping sauce, thai basil and lettuce. The rolls had plenty of crunch and enough flavour.

The chicken pho came along in good time but due to the public holiday there were no herbs or bean sprouts on this occasion. There was however plenty of chicken and a tasty broth!

We had to ask a second time for my chicken Char Kway Teow which meant it arrived 5 to 10 minutes after the soup. The was some of the smoky flavour expected of the dish, but not quite as strong as I'd hoped for, the ingredients were all fresh, with plenty of chicken.

On paying the bill I was initially charged for another dish, but this was soon sorted out and the final bill was $31. the food was fine but not out of the ordinary for the area, and the forgetting of one dish marred the service. I think we may give it another try, but there is a lot of competition around in the 'scray!

Thanh Vinh

152 Hopkins Street
Footscray
Vic 3011

We'd eaten at two predecessors of Thanh Vinh, Thai Tho and Phong Dinh but not the latest incarnation.

The small outdoor dining area remains, with a modern fit out inside....

 ...featuring white walls and wooden tables and chairs.

There were a generous range of condiments on each table which were labelled to avoid confusion.

I went for the Laksa, which lacked in the shrimp paste department, resulting in a  fairly bland dish.

The Seafood Char Kway Teow was great, with plenty of smokey flavours from the wok permeating the thick rice noodles along with the fruits of the sea.

Both dishes were in the $10 - $15 dollar range, and I'd happily go back for a plate of the stir fried noodles, but would leave the Laksa for Roti Road down the street.

Paperboy Kitchen

320 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

It had been a while since I'd had lunch with Brendan and we've both moved offices since we last caught up. We met at Paperboy Kitchen Little Lonsdale Street.

The interior has a minimal industrial feel with an open kitchen. It is fairly small with a few shared high tables with stools and a bench tops against the windows. We found somewhere to perch, made our selection from the short menu of dishes that either come with noodles or in a bread roll, and then ordered at the counter...

...instead of the table number we got a plastic lion, there were other miniature animals on offer too.

Brendan went for the BBQ Chicken Bowl, starring marinated free range chook on rice noodles with Asian 'slaw, carrot-daikon pickle, sriracha mayo and coriander which he really rated.

I went for the red curry cauliflower bowl. The house spicy curry sauce packed a punch and combined well with the slaw, pickle, Sriracha mayo and coriander, atop the well prepared noodles.

The dishes were $12 and $13 respectively and were well worth the price. The service suited the casual but busy vibe, with the staff keeping up pretty well with the rapid turnover of punters in the small space. We were both happy with our meals and would be happy to return.

Ba'get Argus building for Vietnamese Tapas and Tales

Shop 3
284-294 La Trobe Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

I was grateful to receive an invite from Duy the CEO of Ba'get to come to a Vietnamese 'Tapas and Tales' evening at the Argus Building Branch on the corner of La Trobe and Elizabeth streets. The smaller dishes are a new move for the Ba'get restaurants, aiming to diversify from their current offerings which attract more of a lunchtime crowd. We were going to get the opportunity to try all of the new offerings which are all prepared and cooked by the team.

We kicked off with a 'Mekong Breeze' cocktail which adds mint, lime, ginger and ice to a rum base, giving it a flavour kick to go along with spirit. Duy told us a little of the origins of the family business which stretch back to the Mekong river delta in Vietnam where his father and grandmother started selling bánh mì to support a large family after his grandfather had passed away. Later after arriving in Australia as refugees the family had run bakeries and restaurants in Footscray and beyond, before moving into the city and setting up two branches of Ba'get with more to follow now in Werribee and Watergardens.

The first dish to arrive was the salt and pepper whitebait, which packed in lots of fishy flavour into the crispy coating with a hint of spice.

Next up we were challenged to make our own rice paper rolls, with the ingredients coming out first... 

...along with the cleverly designed combined rice paper holder and dipping device, the water is in the reservoirs on either side of the central paper holder. One of the tricks is only to wet the rice paper briefly all over, before removing while still firm. It will then continue softening as it sits on the plate being assembled. 

Next we added the lettuce, herbs, vermicelli picked carrot and pork and were ready to roll...

... I don't think I did too badly for a first attempt. The freshness was obvious upon biting into it, and everyone around the table enjoyed the process and result.

It's obvious why Mama's chicken wings have made it onto the menu, with a fantastic crisp coating and succulent white meat inside.

The salt and pepper calamari was another popular dish and board was soon empty. There was added kick in the chilli mayo dip which complimented the tender and rings and tentacles.

The pomme frites came with mayo, and were well executed. By now I was accompanying my meal with a 333 Vietnamese beer, bring back memories of time spent there.

The pork and taro spring rolls were a creamy and mellow twist on the classic dish.

The Vietnamese coleslaw with chicken, was served with prawn crackers to eat it in and turned out to be another table favourite.

The spicy prawn twists were filled with decent chunks of crustacean wrapped in a handy way to eat.

The sweet potato fries were super soft inside with enough crunch and subtle five spice flavours on the outside to make them very moreish! We also got to try the gin and lychee based Peaceful Dragon cocktail with lemon grass and chilli to heat things up despite the ice.

The final dish was the grilled meat balls which were nicely caramelised and the last few were finished, despite what had been a generously sized shared feast!

We finished of with a traditional iced coffee, not something I've really been a fan of in the past, but this converted me! 

The decor has a modern and funky twist on the Vietnamese theme.

The evening was an tasty and enjoyable intro to the new tapas dishes being introduced at Ba'get and I think I'll be heading back with the better half! The beer and cocktails complimented the fresh flavours, I'll be unsurprised if the new menu is a success. Our host and the fellow diners from a variety of backgrounds, both bloggers and regulars/friends added to the occasion.

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Pho24

656 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne
VIC 3000

On the corner of Spencer Street and Little Bourke Street, opposite Southern Cross Station Pho24 is tucked in at the base of a new high rise.

I'd been invited with other food bloggers to try a range of dishes, meet the owners and hear the story behind the venue.

Andrew one of the two co-owners greeted us along with Libby from Two Birds Talking.

Our table, as I was riding my bike and as the roads were wet, I had to steer clear of the wine on offer!

Pho24 started in Vietnam 10 years ago and has already spread to five other asian countries, Craig the other co-founder of the Australian business came across the chain several years ago and was convinced it was a great fit for Australia, with a focus here on suiting and educating the local palate, great quick service and healthy dishes. The target market is much broader than Footscray residents who already have a love of Vietnamese food!

The first plate offered samples of chicken, pork and smoked barramundi rice paper rolls, the latter being the stand out for me, bringing a really different spin to a couple of favourites of mine.

The chilli baby octopus salad was up next, eaten san-choy-bow style in a lettuce leaf... The sauce packed a big kick and worked well with the octopus.

The open steamed pork bun with chilli sauce is a local adaption and is certainly packed with oodles of flavour.

The prawn spring rolls were well executed and perhaps the dish most similar to those I get regularly close to home.

The smoked paprika pork Banh mi was also stuffed with pâté, mayonnaise, cucumber, coriander, mint, pickled carrots and radish, fried shallots, chilli and dressing. The rich smoky and meaty flavours shone through well matched with the salad and herbs.

Next it was up to the counter to experience the newly patented, rapid pho assembly line, first after ordering the noodles which have already been weighed out are heated and added to the bowl.

The protein and veggies came next... followed by the stock from the large tanks.

I opted for the smoked barramundi pho, keen to try a different spin on the dish.  It had a very different feel to my normal favourite of a chicken based pho. I balanced the smokiness with a couple of squeezed lemon wedges and all the components worked well together, and I got through the regular sized bowl in no time. It has to be said that the sizes are a bit smaller than in Footscray, with the large here about the same size as a medium elsewhere.

We ended our meal with a moist and gooey taro pudding, which although new to me, felt like comfort food.

Craig then took us on a tour of the open kitchen.  Here he is showing the banh mi and pho production zone.

All the meat is cooked sous vide retaining moisture and flavour, which also assists with maintaining the consistency their processes strive for.

Their pâté is also vaccuum sealed and slow cooked resulting in a rich flavour and super smooth texture.

The stock vessels, with their beer style taps at the bottom.

The spice storage zone above the kitchen.

It was a fascinating evening hearing about the launch of an international restaurant brand into the local market. It has already been quite a journey to get where they are today, including adapting the original broth recipe made by the executive chefs brought over from Vietnam for the opening. This isn't an old school Vietnamese Australian pho joint you find in Footscray or Richmond, but if you are after something a bit different, with a fusion of flavours and techniques Pho24 is worth a visit. It's also a good place to introduce newcomers to a range of Vietnamese dishes in a modern, friendly environment. The speed a bowl of pho is put together is impressive in itself!