It’s not something people talk about a lot but whenever I bring up phố there is enormous interest about where to eat it. People are always interested in the best places to eat in Victoria Street Richmond. When they hear I have a list of the best local phố restaurants from a phố expert in Sydney their notebooks and PDAs come out as they copy out the list.
I discovered the “I Love Phố” exhibition that was held in Liverpool in NSW through Noodlepie, a blog with a distinctly Vietnamese slant. Cuong Phu Le, curator of “I Love Phố” was hoping to take his exhibition that covered poetry, art, installations, recipes and the food itself national and international (If Matt Preston is reading you should bring it down for the food festival). A 64 page booklet was produced which really is an amazing homage to the noodle soup.
The only thing missing is a podcast (I may just put one together) on how to pronounce phố.
About a year ago I was about to fly out to Hanoi and I was filled-in on the minute detail of hoe to pronounce what I was told is “feu”. My language was hi-jacked by f**dies who thought they knew how to pronounce it but didn’t.
I successfully ordered my first phố in Vietnam, in a small hotel in the old town, only acheived by simply ticking a box on a slip. I sat with my back to the window and didn’t see the kitchen hand negotiate the early morning traffic of thousands of mopeds and bicycles with a tray of the soup. I was eating street food and a love affaird with it started. I dumped my guidebook realising that the best food was on the street.All I had to do was follow the crowds of locals and the best food in Hanoi would be mine. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Try ordering “pho” or “feu” and you aren’t going to come away with much as I discovered phố isn’t pronounced that way.
Anyway, it is a little easier to order the soup in Melbourne and for the record these are the places I was recomended. Is there any restaurant missing from the list?
Pho Dzung Tan Dinh
208 Victoria St
Richmond 3121 VIC
Phone: (03) 9427 0292
Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop
234 Russell Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9663 8885
Pho Bang Restaurant
71 Alfrieda St
St Albans VIC 3021
Phone (03) 9356 0930
Pho Bo Ga Mekong Vietnam
241 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9663 3288
The Pho Chu
69 Main Rd West
St Albans VIC 3021
Phone (03) 9356 0188
The Pho Chu
92 Hopkins St Footscray 3011
(03) 9687 8265
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Mekongs does taste good, but after finding a piece of clingwrap in my bowl a few years ago, I haven’t been back.
Arhhh…to find a good Pho that suits a Melbournians tastebuds would be great…I find most of them are too heavy handed on the MSG/Salt, but I am not sure how traditional this MSG/Salt load is compared to native Vietnam (Ed, can you comment?). Personally, I prefer a quality stock (obviously) without too much MSG, which is hard to find.
I agree that Mekong in CBD has a good Pho with a decent stock that isn’t too salty. There are a couple of new-starts in Footscray that look promising too (one with queues out the door!). It would be great to hear of some others.
i wuold skip the pho dzung on Russell St but recommend Chu The on Victoria St.
so, how is pho pronounced?
“i wuold skip the pho dzung on Russell St but recommend Chu The on Victoria St.”
i second that.
Ellie – that sounds awful. I gather that’s theone Bill; clinton visited when in town.
Andrew, I don’t think i tasted any MSG recently but maybe my palate is hardened to it. Somehow in the hills is SaPa it seemed fresher than anywhere else.
Cin I found a poem in the book:
Do not say Foe
Do not Say foo
And especially don’t
Say the word which describes “number two”.
Start with a fff
To be followed by an urgh.
Once it becomes un-phố -gettable
you’ll get with the slur.
tom, cheers for seconding that.
Mekong is the yardstick by which I judge phố in my Indochinese neck of the woods. Mekong on Swanston St is a hell of a lot lighter on the MSG and “mixed animal pipe” than in Cambodia, and the raw ingredients are better than your average phố carts in Ho Chi Minh City.
Hung Vuong, just around the corner from Footscray station also deserves a guernsey.
G’day Ed. Great to see your discussion on Pho … probably my favourite breakfast. Without intending to start a flame war, if memory serves me correct (in the best of Chairman Kaga’s ouevre) Pho is a direct derivative of “Feu” from pot au feu – the classic french soup base. The Vietnamese dish’s name evolved during the French colonisation and is the indigenous interpretation of the French dialect … furrrrr with an upward inflection at the end. As for Melbourne’s best … get out of the CBD and try Springvale or St Albans where the Pho is the real deal …. and at bargain prices.
I reckon Springvale is the Melbourne pho eating frontier. The other day I was out there, and counted over six pho shops with in eye shot. There are a few chain outlets like Pho Hung (preston) and Hung Vuong (Richmond). I visited Pho Hoang Noodle House on Buckingham Ave and found the quality to be easily comparable to any of the shops in town or on victoria street. I’m planning my next trip as we speak.
I’m a Chu The girl too….
After a trip north west today, I’ve got to say that St Albans is another frontier for exploration, and closer. There seem to be a lot of shops that advertise Bun Bo Hue, great soup. Had a get bowl of Hu Tieu, will be back.
Chu The is the tastiest Pho I’ve had…
Who said skip the Russel st Pho Dzung!! especially those who cannot handle too much salt!! I find Mekong to be far to salty, in fact I find alot of other places far too salty and I’m a smoker!!! I’ve been going to The russel St Pho dzung for a long time and deem it to be the freshest and equally tasteiest with the lowest salt out of all of the choices! Lookers for low salt, go the Russel!
msg is your friend. if it dries your mouth out thne there is too much salt/msg.
mmmm cling wrap. fight through it dont let the cling wrap stop you!
MSG is not your friend if you react badly to it! I don’t react myself, but my boyfriend does!! He’s my personal MSG-o-meter.
My personal fave is Chu The Pho on Victoria Street. It’s the first Pho shop you come to heading east from Church street, lovely family running it too, especially the little old grandma. I visit there weekly and it just gets better and better. This week I’m checking out westside though- excited!
Springvale has excellent pho. Some of the restaurants on Springvale Road are great, altho if you tuck around the back, into the side streets (Windsor Ave??) there are tiny little pho houses that are truly heavenly. I’ve eaten in so many of them, I can begin to tell the subtle difference between them.
Proud Peacock in Kingsway, Glen Waverley does a good pho (altho better goi cuon) if you can’t get all the way to Springvale.
Chu The on Victoria street Richmond has excellent pho!
The Pho from Viet Star on Glenferrie Rd in Hawthorn is to die for! I have moved away from the area but still go back there for my pho!
BTW – What are peoples’ favourite ingredients?
My fav is DEF brisket! YUM!
Luke, I’ll check out Chu The. recently I’ve been to the new Love Pho on Swan St. Not bad. Sooz, I’ll put that into my list which I must get back onto.
phohung vuong makes the best pho!!!! Its on balmoral avenue springvale. Taste like the real deal. Quality stock indeed.
Dr Sprout and the Noodle Master have joined the hunt for the best pho.
Both of us have been regulars at the Russell Street bowl flingers joint;
sipping weak tea, stirring the lemon and chilli and slurping the noodle.
Therefore, in a break with tradition it was off the Mekong in Swanston
Street.
So how was it for us?
The stock is sharper in Russell Street – Swanston Street Mekong was
sweeter and more flavoursome (perhaps more msg).
Ritually I have the chicken and rare beef combination.
Mekong has more beef but less chicken.
Overall the Mekong pho is sweeter and less liquid – more noodle and
meat, good strong chilli.
This is not necessarily better – sharper thinner maybe better. We will
have to go back to Russell Street
Thanks Dr Sprout and the Noodle Master, I need to try both – perhaps tonight as I’m in town for comedy (the festival not in food).
hung vuong in footscray is the best ^^
dude, the best PHO in all of melbourne IS without a doubt, HIEN VUONG OF FOOTSCRAY.
Mate, minimalistic style is the best. I had my best melbourne bowl of pho in Springvale at Dakao Hoang on Balmoral Avenue. Freshly delivered rice noodles, and not too salty! ok.. my two cents submitted.
I have to say my partner & I were excited to try Hien Vuong in Footscray after a write up in Epicure in The Age, and we thoroughly enjoyed our 2 bowls of vege Pho (complete with crusty french stick which we hadn’t seen before but was al the rage with the Vietnamese patrons). However, things started to turn sour on the car trip home when we had to pull over as my lady thought she was going to be ill & we both sustained raging MSG headaches!
Hence, we headed back to our local Pho Hung in Preston and have stuck with them ever since – GO PHO HUNG!!!
got pho?
I’d like to invite any pho lovers to a new pho joint called SAIGON PHO at 73A Nicholson st, Footscray. It’s just around the corner from Hopkins St all the other pho shops. We’ve been opened for about 12 months now and I haven’t come across any comments or reviews. I’m only assuming that no one knows that we are here. We’ll appreciate any comments/reviews.
I make the best pho in M elbourne and wil be unleashing it soon
can you tell me where we will find this Pho when it is unleashed?
Hien Vuong (Hopkins St, Footscray) doesn’t serve vege pho, so you weren’t there — there are a couple of pho joints with very similar names. (Eg. Hien Vuong in Leeds St is tasty, but uses lots of msg and plays annoying, loud, tinny covers and christmas carols.) The beef stock is rich and delicious, but I would love some shaved onion as well as spring onion. Unfortunately, my husband is a vegetarian…
Saigon has been our regular for a couple of years; 12 months ago had a re-fit so it looks a little more flash and clean than it used to. They are great all rounders — good clean stock, crisp, unblemished mint, vege has lots of vegetables, silky tofu and coriander. Yum.
oops, I meant basil!