As a longtime westie, I think I've tried nearly every Vietnamese place in Footscray. I hadn't been to Dong Que until a few weeks ago, when our Vietnamese friend hosted a group lunch there. She assured us that it was the most authentic Viet restaurant in the hood, and that the food reminded us of her mother's homemade cooking.
We were part of a group of seven which allowed us to sample many of the dishes on offer. They were all superb: Well presented, fresh, and full of flavour. The attention to detail was quite noticeable. At other nearby joints its common to get a messy pile of herbs, some bruised or bug eaten. At Dong Que the thai basil and mint were all glistening and green, with nary a hole in site. The herbs come served in a perfectly round scoop of iceberg lettuce. Standout dishes included the perfectly balanced rare beef salad, sugarcane prawn sticks, and the tender steamed rice paper with mushroom and pork. THe revelation for me was the lightly fried calamari. I've been known to have a "thing" about squid and I rarely enjoy it. But this? This squid was the most epic squid ever, from the perfect batter to the fresher than fresh meat inside. I am a squiddy convert thanks to Dong Que!
The service here is prompt, the place is clean (though maybe give the toilets a pass), and they serve 333 beer, a pretty good and cheap Vietnamese lager.
You've tried the rest, now try the best....
PS: randomly closed on Thursdays! read more