Phoenix Phuong Hoang
349-351 Victoria St
Richmond, VIC 3067
03 9427 9990
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Guess what? I’ve completely missed my 2nd bloggiversary, which passed by unnoticed on 29 September. You could say it’s dedication, but I think it’s more I completely forgot, ha ha!
My style has changed a fair bit over time. My long long write-ups have gone in favour of shorter, simpler posts with lots of photos. I’ve also become pretty efficient with photo editing and writing. So these days, blogging has become quite breezy.
I’ve also taken a more relaxed approach towards this blog in general. For instance, this post details a quick meal with PixelAnt, snapped with my phone camera.
Fans of I Love Pho 264 may be pleased to know that they’ve opened a sister restaurant down the road called “Phoenix”. Once again, it’s Fakegf who was my informant, and she vouches that the pho quality at this new place is pretty much as good as I Love Pho’s.
I personally find the broth at I Love Pho scarily salty and MSG-laden in recent years, but will admit that the quality cuts of beef served there remains unbelieveably good. Which is why I keep coming back.
Now that Phoenix serves dishes other than pho, it’s time to find out how this popular restaurant group fares when it comes to dishes outside of the pho arena.
Bún Chạo Tôm $12.00
Rice Vermicelli with Sugarcane Prawn
Despite being a freezing spring night in Melbourne, both PixelAnt and I still went with Bun Cha. This was probably the first time I’ve gone with sugarcane prawn instead of my usual grilled pork with spring rolls. And to put it simply, it was quite delicious!
Bún Thịt Bò Nướng $10.00
Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Beef
But this dish was the reason why I wanted to blog about this place. It was superbly delicious! The beef pieces had such a beautifully smoky, charred flavour. I had food envy watching PixelAnt dig into this bowl.
Cút Chin (Crispy Quail) $7
The kitchen got a little mixed up, so our entrée order of crispy quail ended up arriving after we’d demolished our bun cha. This, once again, was very yummy. Crisp, tasty outsides with moist insides. Very nice!
It was a quick and simple catch-up meal, but all three dishes ordered really satisfied.
Bún Thịt Heo Nướng $10.00
Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork
I came back again when my folks visited Melbourne. They wanted pho, while I wanted something else, so eating at Phoenix made sense.
My grilled pork bun cha tasted different from those I’ve had previously. Different but in a good way. It was slightly oilier, the pork was more stir-fried and gingery rather than grilled, and the salad had fried shallots and capsicum. The marinade made the dish absolutely scrumptious, I was happy.
Phở Bò Tai (small $8)
Beef noodle soup with rare beef
Phở Bò Dặc Biệt (small $8)
Special beef combination noodle soup
It’s nice that they’ve got a range of sizes for pho, going at S $8 M $9 L $10. So my folks, who are used to Singaporean portion sizes, could grab a sensibly sized small bowl. If you just order without specifying, you automatically get a medium bowl.
Dad and mum absolutely loved the pho here. Just like at main branch (I Love Pho 264), the cuts of beef used were excellent. And better still, the broth was more rounded, herb-nuanced, with less MSG and saltiness! If the standard remains the same, I’d rather have pho here than at busy busy main branch.
I love the Vietnamese food in Footscray, but when it comes to pho, I always head towards Richmond for my fix. And now that Phoenix has opened with so many nice dishes on the menu, I’m even more likely to think of Richmond when I’m craving Vietnamese.
Happy 2nd Blogversary :) I can’t believe you forgot Bryan! How could you hahaha after spending all that time, dedication and effort hehe I think your blog deserves a party!
I’ve been following for your blog for quite some time now and hehe can see some of your changes but no matter if they’re long or short posts :) You’re still honest and candid about your reviews which is why I love reading your posts and your photos are always AMAZING I just wished I was a better photographer :P
Keep up the amazing work and can’t wait to continue reading your reviews and occasional recipe posts! You should do more of them!
Daisy@Nevertoosweet recently posted..Chocolate Mousse Bao – Bao Now
Thank you, Daisy. It’s good that we’re still going strong after years have passed. :)
Even your phone camera pictures look good! Hehe, I’ve never really celebrated my blog birthdays. Poor blog. I also like a good bun cha or pho. Yum…
leaf (the indolent cook) recently posted..sydney food adventures! hong ha, bourke st bakery, kura kura, n2 extreme gelato and niji sushi bar
These days the phone cameras are so good you almost don’t need a big cam. But I still like playing with the fancy one, hehe..
I was in the area yesterday and thought about dropping by but didn’t end up going there in the end. I also found out about this place recently and it sounds really good from your post – must visit soon! I almost missed my 2 year blog anniversary as well.. I wish I had more notice to do something for it but ah well. Happy belated 2 yr bloggiversary :)
Catherine recently posted..Merry Cupcakes
Thanks! I guess it isn’t as special as a birthday, so it’s a lot easier to forget unless you mark it on your calendar. =)
Happy Blog Birthday! I drove past here yesterday and thought about dropping by. Now I’ve seen the photos and read your thoughts I think I will definitely drop by soon!
Winnie@Eat.Play.Shop. recently posted..Eat. @ Coffeehead
Thanks, Winnie!
I went out got pho last night at Pho Hung Vuoung in Footscray. They presented us with a plate of bean shoots only!!! None of the green herbs!!!!! They said that the green herbs were out of season and too expensive. WTF!??!?!! The pho was nice when when I got home I was attacked with MSG symptoms :(
Neeno – Sew Me Love recently posted..What’s in the box? My beloved fabrics!
I’ve been there, wasn’t as keen on the pho to be honest, and like you, i would be pretty upset if all we got was bean sprouts for the herbage.