Something about the design and ambience here is not conducive to customary restaurant dynamics…read more I'm not expressing myself well here but it felt a little weird here tonight. The cafe is long, narrow and not that appealing. Plus, there were lots of people with coats and beanies on which felt really strange. But, the look and feel is one thing, the food is another altogether. We both had the same thing tonight. The dry vermicelli noodles with lemongrass beef. My companion had the same noodles but with spring rolls. The meal was served quickly and well. I had to chase the sparkling water I'd ordered though, mainly because I think they were distracted by Uber Eats orders which were coming in regularly Street Pho has been in this strip for a while. It's cheap and slightly cheerful. It's not pretentious. You can get a good meal here at a reasonable price. Would I eat here again, though? Probably not. I'd prefer better ambience than is available here.

Fortunately trips to the dentist these days don't involve me leaving the place with my mouth having…read moreno feeling whatsoever, so it means that I can then go and grab something to eat, and I did just that, namely at this place. I discovered it as I was looking for some place to have a meal, and yeah, it turned out to be rather nice actually. The price wasn't bad at all, and the service was rather friendly as well. Yeah, I liked the place, and the food was pretty good as well.

New hotspot near Preston Markets, and new favourite brunch: vietnamese omelette! Great discovery,…read morenice staff, amazing experience

Ph Nom is an unassuming looking eatery in the food court located on the lower ground level of the…read moreshoping center, The Emporium. The restaurant boasts of MSG-free, high quality ingredients with authentic Vietnamese recipes. My pho bo Saigon came with tender brisket, quality steak, and your usual beef balls. The beef broth was HANDS DOWN the most finest, clean-tasting, and flavorful beef broth that I have ever had. It was not oily and surprisingly had a lightness to it. No hoison sauce or sriracha needed to go into this broth. It was perfect the way it was. I also tried the Saigon sandwich, which came with housemade pate, wagyu beef, and eggs. The sandwich was delicious, flavorful, and hearty. Housemade pate truly makes a difference. I did not think a Vietnamese sandwich could've been enjoyed that much but this was an elevated version of your usual banh mi. The Vietnamese iced coffee was also delicious and almost finished immediately. I will definitely miss Ph Nom when I return home! Vietnamese cuisine is one of my favorite and growing up with it, I thought I had tasted it all but Ph Nom was a whole new level entirely!

What's that? A big fancy new shopping centre has opened in Melbourne and people are flocking there…read moreto visit MUJI and Uniqlo? Ahuh. Very nice dear. I'm more interested in the food offerings they have at Emporium and it was Pho Nom that I was most keen to sample first, as it's been spoken and tweeted about for months now, with chef Jerry Mai even giving potential new customers a sample at some pop up Pho kitchens months ago at the National. I'm glad to say that it lived up to expectations, my Saigon Pho Bo broth rich with spices and flavour and three cuts of beef (rare, brisket and meatball) bobbing around amongst the rice noodles. We also sampled the rice paper rolls - the pork skewered and the lemongrass chicken got the thumbs up from the grown ups and the crispy pork got devoured by Miss 3 before she started in on the Pho. It was only the first week when we visited and it was clear that every store in Emporium was struggling a little with the onslaught of people while trying to bed down systems. The Pho Nom crew did a stellar job, pumping on the food quickly and maintaining a smile the whole time. The only downfall? With hardly any seating (something that seems to be apparent with all food vendors in the centre) it was tricky finding somewhere to sit. Once we did, we could feel the eyes of everyone around us as we ate our last mouthfuls. Apparently more seating has been ordered, which should hopefully create a little more calm. Hooray!

Really nice food,excellent and friendly staff. A place where you can dine to the early hours of the…read moremorning.

As a vegan, my favourite thing about Lam Lam is the menu that makes clear which items have shrimp…read moreor fish sauce. The vegetable stir fries also come with a vegetable stock option which is clearly offered on the menu. The food is fresh and comes in generous portions, arriving quickly on the table. It's nothing special but it is filling and tasty.

Lâm Lâm is Vietnamese for Yum Yum! Of course I am completely making that up because I don't…read moreactually know a word of Vietnamese, but I do know Vietnamese food; and I can tell you so do the guys at Lâm Lâm. The food here is very tasty indeed. It may not be my favourite Vietnamese restaurant, with so much choice of top quality Vietnamese food in Melbourne, but it is my local and it is very very cheap. Lâm Lâm is always busy, which means you will often be required to wait for a table, but then again they do do take-away and there is nothing about the decor or vibe of the place that particulaly requires one to dine there. If you do decide to dine in you will not have to wait long - this canteen style restaurant turns over customers at a rate of knots. Also being quite busy they do often make mistakes on the orders - so it pays to be very clear about what you want and to have patience. But believe me you will be rewarded with a cheap tasty meal.

I was a phene for pho in my university days - my housemate introduced me to my first bowl of…read moresteaming Vietnamese deliciousness at the tender age of 21. How I lived without it for all those years, I don't know. Thank gosh for friendship. Good Days is a hip new Vietnamese eatery in Brunswick that I wish existed in my neighbourhood. It's a cozy and welcoming reprieve from the bustle of the street, and a great mid-week dinner. I was catching up with an old friend, and we nabbed two bar seats which was a good life choice as you can watch the chefs prepare the food as you await your food coma. The menu is short and sweet featuring four Vietnamese classics (pho, rice paper rolls, chicken rice, and noodle salad) but with a point of difference. The impressive twist? Good Days is vegan-friendly and all the meat is ethically sourced - unheard of, I know! The free range pork is from McIver Farm Foods, the free range chicken is from Milawa Farms, the pasture raised organic beef is from Creighton Creek and Australian prawns are from North Queensland. Now for the real 'jump on your chair' moment - they have vegan pho! The aromatic vegetable broth (shiitake mushroom and kombu base) was exceptional, and the grilled and braised Asian mushrooms on top gave a 'meaty' vegetarian touch to the dish. My friend got the pork and prawn noodle salad with homemade rice paper rolls and we both agreed we could drink a gallon of the nuoc cham sauce it comes with. I have a weakness for rice paper rolls and highly recommend the mushroom and tofu vegan entree. The drinks menu features coconut water, Vietnamese iced coffee and jasmine tea. Speak to the staff if you're gluten-free and they will happily help you out. Good Days is an undersell - it's more like Great Nights and life-changing mushroom pho!

Disclaimer: I know Nam personally (the mastermind who created Good Days Brunswick). We went to…read moreVietnamese school together back in the "good old days" when you could get a solid Banh Mi for 2 bucks at lunchtime (sold out of an esky by a little VN granny). Long story short, Nam is a quiet achiever and nothing has changed. Continue to read my food review if you like. As I was visiting from outta town, I just had to skip my usual "benchmark dish" the Beef Pho and went straight to this mysterious Mushroom Pho. I must say I am converted. GDB use fresh succulent mushies. My fav is the innoki and the 2 slices of char grilled oyster mushroom cooked before me. The way it is beautifully presented reminded me of a scene from the 1985 Ramen movie "Tampopo." And just like in the movie, I caressed those 2 slices of oyster mushroom in that beautiful dark kombu broth and whispered "I shall meet you towards the end and eat you". One final note that sums up this dish is "delicate". I am not sure if pho from VN is delicate because of the portion size, the price or the way it is cooked. All I know is modern Aussie pho often lacks the subtlety of its motherland origins. In creating something unique, GDB is actually paying homage to an iconic dish. Pro tip: if you like the whole slow eating concept, I suggest you sit at the bar and kindly ask the chef to blanch your bean sprouts. This will help retain the temperature of your broth and you can savour every last drop, piping hot 'til you hit the spot. I also had the Saigon samurai beer which is ?locally brewed beer on tap. It is a light beer very similar to a 333 or Saigon bia (all it needs is some ice cubes and it's like being back in VN). Finally, I really wish someone else would create their version of this Mushroom Pho dish and battle Nam and his GDB team because then it would actually become something (just like in Japan you have different ramen based on different regions).

I came here with a terrible flu and I needed the nourishment that only pho could provide me. I…read moredon't usually order the chicken pho since most places don't do a great version of it but I took the chance because I thought it would've been better for my health. Luckily, the version here is really good. The broth tasted super clean, with a nice heat from what tasted like fried shallots or onions. The chicken was also very moist and it came with a lot of noodles. I couldn't finish since my appetite was small from being sick so I took the rest of the broth home to enjoy again later. The broth alone helped me feel better when medicine and rest couldn't.

Overall this pho place is pretty good. Good service, nice and bright and airy. The problem for me…read moreis that I'm a fusspot when it comes to food. The noodles were slightly overcooked, and the broth was non classical. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but not top tier. Moderately priced I guess it's fair value for money. In other areas it would do well but here where there is so much competition.... well the busyness or lack thereof says something. Also portion sizes are slightly smaller when it comes to meat. All I all... good but not top tier

The food was killer (in a good way). I went with my family--five people--which includes three…read morevegetarians. They were quite happy with the availability of vegetarian/vegan food on the menu. I (not one of the vegetarians) would highly recommend the "Crispy Coconut Cups" (a seafood appetizer) and the "Crying Tiger" (beef flank with a spicy sauce). Make sure you get an order of the roti too. The rice was bottomless with our banquet meals--so while I tried to keep room for the meals--the rice was quite good! Our server was nice and funny, not shy of cracking jokes. The seating is quite spacious and there are outside seats too--many of them covered by space heaters and under a shelter during the winter. Overall, I'd definitely recommend stopping here for dinner. Their "banquet style dining" worked well for us, and the portions ended up being exactly right for somebody who walked in on the slightly hungry side--which also makes their fast service and speedy kitchen helpful!

Absolutely fantastic! We had dinner as a group of 9 (reservation needed) on a Saturday night and it…read morewas so good. Great service and stunning food. I love the banquet style of ordering that feeds everyone at the table. We had 5 different dishes as well as some spring rolls and everything was delicious.