Walk down a narrow dark arcade, look opposite the parole office at Inala Civic Centre. If you are still not sure, just listen for trance beats pumping from somewhere within. That is where you will find not an underground dance club, but Brisbane's supposedly best bowl of pho. Tan Thanh Traditional Vietnamese Restaurant is the place. Located in the central shopping district of Brisbane suburb Inala, is typical in appearance when you enter. Tiled floor, sparse decoration and menu on the walls and full of locals, you have a fair idea of what you are in for.
Being Aussie, I couldn't help but start with the deep fried spring rolls, pork and vegetable. Crispy outside, soft and tasty inside. Good start.
For the main I just went for the Pho Ga or Chicken Pho. Which is Pho served with a generous piece of chicken maryland chopped and still on the bone. The broth had a great depth of flavour and although eating the big pieces of chicken still on the bone isn't the classiest of looks, it does add to the chickeny essence. This all equates to a one punch umami attack.
If you find the chicken chopped on the bone not so appealing, try the beef pho. Be warned though, if you order the Pho Tai or Beef Pho Special, the soup comes with the beef already inside the broth and a tad bit overcooked. Normally raw beef should be placed on top, hot broth ladled over just before service. Upside is, if you are a fan of all the chewy tendon and tripe bits, this one is offaly delicious.
All in all not a bad eat and go. Should you still be feeling peckish post-pho, just outside the arcade is a great little Vietnamese sweets stall setup outside the owners shop. Beside that is Inala Hot Bread where they sell you guessed it, Vietnamese pork rolls. Great rolls, have everything and tick all the boxes. You can have all the toppings on the side instead of in the roll itself. Of course make sure you request this before they make the roll. I saw one lady getting scolded with the F-word for not telling the young guy serving before he made it. She received another muffled F-bomb for requesting separate bags for each roll after they had bagged it all up. Hilarious, made my day. read more