My favorite Pho Kitchen

Pho Hien Vuong, Pasteur -
Shop 21 Market Square

Cnr Mains Rd and McCullogh St,

Sunnybank

Open 7 days a week.

Whenever I feel like I need a bit of a warm food hug, I jump into my car and head out to Sunnybank. I love the shopping and the hustle and bustle and then I love retreating to the little pho shop in the corner. There are no airs and graces in this little premises - it is clean, has laminex tables laden with chopsticks, thermos of green tea, cups, tissues, hoi sin & chilli sauce, sugar, tub of ground chilli and some spoons. It is always crowded with locals at anytime of the day having their fix of pho.

I always like to start with a coconut juice or one of the many gorgeous drinks full of tapioca or the coconut and pandan jelly with beans. Some of them are a meal in themselves - really some tea is probably enough. But who says enough is enough - not me.

At Hien Vuong, they have all the normal stuff such as the rice paper rolls and the spring rolls but they do a roaring trade in all things pho. Queenie and the team here even do mini personalised steamboat - wow and yum!

There are many other great options on the menu. They do a great selection of Bun (m $8 Lg $9)(vermicelli salad) with BBQ chicken, the ubiquitous spring roll or tender shredded pork - all are delicious. The Com (m $8 lg $9) (rice) dishes are also great for sharing as well. The usual Vietnamese suspects are here BBQ pork chop, Crispy Chicken and BBQ Pork Rind all served with rice, shredded cucumber, carrot, some herbs and lettuce. It is such a fresh and enjoyable way to eat (doh! any eating is enjoyable - right!)

But today it was raining so I opted for straight Beef Pho (s $7) it is the greatest stock and a simple rice noodles, slices of beef, spring onions and then the gorgeous plate of beanshoots, chilli, lemon and asian basil - I want it now - again! I added some hoi sin and a bit of chilli oil a squeeze of lemon and I was off.

I stop here for lunch on our Taste Trekker Asian Sunnybank shopping tours so am lucky enough to eat here quite a bit. As they do all sorts of soups with Combination (livers, giblets, pigs blood, tendons, fat brisket) one of the fellas on the walk was really hungry so he ordered a large combination beef soup - the result: a large salad bowl ($9) full of miscellaneous beef bits that he had to pick his way through. There was no way he was ever going to finish it. I now order for everyone.

The pho kitchen is a must stop if you are out Sunnybank way and need a food hug - great value for money and some of the tastiest pho I have had in Australia or Vietnam for that matter.