Co Do

So...the other day I queued for a table at a restaurant.  Big whoop, you say.  These days, that's about as Melbourne as trams, four seasons in one day, and bagpipes at Flinders St station (if you're old enough to remember them).  But this wasn't at some hidden-entrance, underground hotspot serving Chinese-Mexican fusion (don't laugh, there actually is one in Melbourne) - this was at a Vietnamese joint in Sunshine.

And it was totally worth it.

So I'm stealing my own thunder a little - let's back up.  Co Do opened in late June with a seemingly crazy mission - to add another Vietnamese eatery to Sunshine's already well-stocked Hampshire Road.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because Co Do has also operated for many years quite happily in Victoria St, Richmond.  Their specialty is bun bo Hue, a chilli-lemongrass beef soup from the old imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam.  But it soon became apparent that's not all they do well.

The first time we stopped in, we did have to wait a not unpleasant ten minutes or so for a table.  It was chockers.

People get so intimidated by Vietnamese menus, and I get it.  But once you've eaten in a lot of Vietnamese places, you'll begin to see that each menu has a couple of unique dishes that aren't part of the usual 1000 or so.  They are the ones I always gravitate to first.

Case in point - these "pork and prawn cake in banana leaf" or banh bot loc.  These were really quite unusual - unwrapping each fat little parcel (you don't eat the outer leaf) revealed a fat, semi-opaque bundle of gummy tapioca flour, surrounding well-seasoned prawn and pork.  I'm not selling them very well, but they were pretty cool.  A very interesting and (I dare say) street food-style dish you don't see very often on restaurant menus.

Another "banh", this time banh beo.  These are mini steamed rice cakes topped with dried prawn that's been whizzed up into a crumble.  This is a Hue specialty.  These were much less peculiar than the former offering and really quite good, lovely doused in a lot of seasoned fish sauce.  Another one that's almost never seen here in Melbourne.

Do be sure to check out the specials ("Dac Biet") on the papers on the walls.  They're in Vietnamese but that doesn't preclude you from ordering them (as some people seem to feel) - I knew what most of them were but the waitress was happy to explain the couple I didn't.  And don't stress too much, because most are in the menu itself.  This is one - rare beef coleslaw, or goi bo tai chanh if I remember correctly.  The beef has been "cured" in lemon juice, similar to ceviche.  A fantastic riot of flavours and textures in this one, and perhaps not as cloyingly sweet as some other coleslaws can be.

But the number one order was this banh xeo.  Translated as "Vietnamese pancake", this is something I've had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with, as the more I eat, the more I'm reminded how much better they can be.  These filled pancakes always run the risk of being gluggy and soggy, and a sorry amount in Melbourne are.

This one was a standout winner.  The batter really tasted of coconut cream, and the filling (which we first thought was a little sparse) revealed itself to be judiciously proportioned, so that every bite had the right proportion of creamy mung beans, just-wilted bean sprouts, whole prawns (yes, you eat the shells - crunch crunch - don't be scared!) and cooked pork.  ZOMG.  (Pro tip - open up the pancake and spread the filling out a bit, so you get more even distribution.)

To eat, cut portions with your spoon, place in a piece of lettuce with an embarrassment of herbs, and spoon dipping sauce over.  HEAVEN.  Amazing banh xeo, and only 15 dollars.  And no boring iceberg in sight - all the greens were really crunchy and unusual!

I went back the following week, and it was looking like we'd have to queue again, when a friendly lady offered to let us share her table.  This turned out to be a huge score.  She used to be in the restaurant business and has been coming to Co Do weekly to try more and more goodies, so enamoured she is of the food.

Time for the signature dish - bun bo Hue.  This soup is made with a broth rich with lemongrass and chilli, and normally has an absolute butcher's bin of offal on top.  Co Do do a version with just sliced rare beef for those wimps among us.  This was delicious.  The lemongrass is really there, giving it an almost tom yum flavour - but more beefy.  The noodles were big fat rice noodles, almost like rice noodle spaghetti.

My favourite part, though, is the big pile of chopped lettuce and red cabbage for you to throw in, which you should do liberally.  (On the left above, under the basil - the basil and bean sprouts are for the pho.)  If you've done pho, if you've done hu tieu mi - it's time to try bun bo Hue.  And this is where to do it.

But - the pho!  Normally I avoid pho unless it's a pho-specific restaurant.  But this was off the hook.  The broth was so good - a great balance of salty and sweet, and with intriguing herbiness.  Fantastic.  I only got to snaffle a few bites as this was hot property of a pho-obsessed child, but I am SO going back for this.

PS:  Make sure you put some of the Vietnamese "saté sauce" in a dish to dip your meat in.  It's the sauce in the glass bottle on the table, with a spoon through the lid.  The one here is really dried prawn-y - yum.

My lucky tablemate had also raved about the Vietnamese yoghurt here.  She explained that one of the owners makes it and "you cannot find better".  I got some to take away.  Now sweet yoghurt's not really my thing, and this was very sweet.  It had a fabulously delicate texture and the slight funk that sometimes accompanies sheep or goat's milk.  Not my thing but I could tell it was good, if you like that sort of thing.

The majority of the places you read about on these fair pages are places I very much enjoy - and then promptly go on to never revisit (or only do so once in a blue moon).  It's the unfortunate reality for me, as I'm always driven to find new and exciting eats, and am bounded by both budget and expanding bum.  A small proportion, though, become regular haunts.  Sunshine's Co Do is definitely going to be one.

Co Do
207 Hampshire Rd, Sunshine
Phone 9939 0850
Open 7 days, 9am-10pm

Rice Pho & Rolls - banh cuon in Footscray

The amount of Vietnamese words I know I could count on two hands.  I know that "bo" means beef and "ga" means chicken.  "Chay" means vegetarian, "mi" means egg noodles and "cam on" means thank you.

Now, all these words might signify delicious things, but there's one word you should definitely have in your repertoire.  It's "banh", and is associated with things that are starchy, bread-like and pretty much always extremely delicious.  I'm talking:

* Banh mi (crunchy Vietnamese sandwiches, pictured two above from Banh Mi Boys)

* Banh khot (mini coconut pancakes, shown above sizzling streetside for the 2014 Rickshaw Run!)

* Banh xeo (giant lacy pancakes stuffed with filling)

* Banh kep la dua (warm coconut-and-pandan-flavoured waffles - find them in Little Saigon!)

Here's an amazing banh platter from Thanh Ha 2 in Richmond, with banh cuon, banh duc, banh bot loc and banh beo!

But my absolute favourite banh is - banh cuon.  You might know these semi-opaque, gossamer-thin rice flour crepes from Xuan Banh Cuon in Sunshine.  I am delighted to report that Footscray now has a first-rate banh cuon provider, too!

Let's back up a little.  Rice Pho & Rolls has just opened right near the corner of Droop and Hopkins Streets, Footscray.

While not as hip as Co Thu Quan or HM Quan, it certainly has a similar contemporary feel.  I usually associate statements of "no MSG" with Anglified suburban Chinese restaurants, but Rice Pho & Rolls makes a similar claim that they use no MSG anywhere on the menu.  So far, so good.

The menu is small - just one page - and dominated by chicken, either in pho or as Hainan chicken.  There's a kid-sized pho that is particularly excellent at $4.  I know the pic doesn't look like much, but this is fantastic chicken soup.  Bright, fresh and cleansing, and all the more amazing for no MSG.

But of course, I only had eyes for one thing - the banh cuon ($10).  They are made here (I checked) and they are FANTASTIC.  They're rolled up with a little pork and prawn, and I think the filling has a more delicate flavour than XBC's, which occasionally can be a little strong on the pork.  What I really loved, though, was the little bowl of hot soup alongside.  This had a piece of springy Vietnamese sausage and a melt-in-the-mouth meatball with black fungus, but it was the broth that was the star.  Squeeze in some lime, add a little garlic and chilli, and it's the most delicious, tangy, soothing thing to sup.

This is fantastic banh cuon and up there with XBC's offering.  The only thing it falls down on is the accompanying salad - just chopped iceberg, mint and coriander.  Some more variety would take it to the next level.  But still - you HAVE to try this.

Prawn, pork and taro spring rolls ($5) were good.  (I hardly ever order these - I don't think there's much between them anywhere you go!)

Bo luc lac - diced beef with capsicum, onion and "saffron rice" ($12) - was pretty good.  While I was there, I ran into Win from the Sunshine Business Association, who happens to be a friend of the owner.  The no-MSG thing is fair dinkum, and Win reports his mate (the owner) is very into cooking really home-style food.  I couldn't get this straight from the horse's mouth because the proprietor had left work early, as he and his partner had had a baby that day!

This is an exciting restaurant and one to watch.  I look forward to exploring the menu a lot more.

Rice Pho & Roll (Facebook)

151 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Sunshine Phở Fever 2014

Disclaimer:  I attended Sunshine Pho Fever as a non-paying guest.

I first got bit by the bug in 2013.  Despite plenty of booster bowls throughout the year, the minute the invite landed on my desk, I felt the fever take hold yet again.  I was off to Hampshire Road to sample some of the finest soups Sunshine has to offer - presented as part of Sunshine Phở Fever.

It was Phở Fever's second year, presented by the Sunshine Business Association as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  The 2013 series was particularly epic, involving three huge bowls of phở, so this year's promised to be tweaked a little, adding other liquid refreshment alongside the signature soups.

We kicked off at Sao Cafe, where we scored our choice of Vietnamese cold drink.  My taro bubble tea was fine but really, filled as they are with grass jelly cubes and chewy tapioca balls, these drinks are a meal in themselves.  Should have gone for a cafe sua da - but post-Rickshaw Run, I needed all the sleep I could get!

Simon of Brimbank Council and Win of the Sunshine Business Association were welcoming and informative hosts...

...and after a short chat, we divided into two groups and were led us to our first stop - in my case, Phở Hien Saigon.  A recent SBS Feast competition voted the phở here the second best in Victoria.  (The winner?  iDo Kitchen in Albert Park - now closed, apparently!)

Owner Cung has had his restaurant for five years and in the last year has taken over the shop next door, doubling its size.  The phở recipe was originally his uncle's, but Cung has tweaked it in response to his customers' desire for a "less intense" flavour and a clear stock.

This is really good phở.  In some broths you can really taste the spices - the star anise and cinnamon - but Phở Hien Saigon's is milder and "cleaner".  Isn't it a pretty bowl, too?  "You do eat [with] your eyes," said Cung.

The broth here is a combination of beef and chicken stocks, made separately and combined to serve.  See the sugar canister on the table?  That's full of chilli oil.  I normally have this on the side to dip my meat into, but at Phở Hien Saigon, it's particularly good added to the broth itself.

A short stroll down the street and we headed into Thuan An.

Here, Julie explained that her family's phở was neither strictly northern or strictly southern, but rather was adapted to "please both regions".

The table was beautifully set with some of the secrets of the phở pot - rock sugar for sweetness...

...and spices, including star anise, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and black cardamon.  At Phở Hien Saigon, the broth bubbles for 12 hours, while at Thuan An, it's an 18-hour simmer.  Julie explained that each spice is added at a specific time point to draw out precisely the right amount of flavour.  These aren't all the spices that go into the mix, either - there are more, used in smaller quantities but no less important.

Thuan An had blanched and trimmed their bean shoots for us, which was a very nice touch.  Next door are two small bowls of chilli sauce and hoisin sauce.  People sometimes squirt these into the broth, but you're not really meant to - the idea is you dip your meat in them sparingly.

Julie explained that in Vietnam, phở is often a breakfast dish.  It's served in much smaller portions than here in Australia.  She reports that when folks head here fresh from Hanoi or Saigon, they are staggered at the size, particularly at Thuan An where the soup is served in enormous square bowls.

I thought I'd go wild and crazy and have a phở dac biet, which is phở with all the "bits" - brisket, beef ball, tendon and tripe.  In the end, I just like good old sliced beef and sliced chicken, though.  Thuan An's broth wasn't to my taste - I found it really sweet.  But what I did love was the sliced beef in this bowl - super thinly sliced and full of flavour.  Julie explains that Thuan An use scotch fillet (Phở Hien Saigon use round).  She says to come back and try other beef-based dishes, like the bo luc lac or diced beef with garlic - her parents are meat wholesalers so they know their stuff.

Next - what a treat, a peek in the kitchen!

I don't know if I can call this a "pot" of phở.  More like a paddling pool's worth!

So much freshness.  I really need to come back soon and try more from the menu.

As we walked to the next spot, I swear I heard our bellies sloshing.  It was time for our last stop - Nhi Nuong (2 Sisters).

The sisters in question are Yen and Elizabeth, who as well as being passionate cooks, make up a talented musical duo.  They perform at the restaurant occasionally - you might catch them on a Friday or Saturday night.

Elizabeth explained that the tea here is different to the standard jasmine you get elsewhere.  It's pandan tea, imported from Vietnam.  Apparently people come to Nhi Nuong just for the free tea!

As well as beautifully carved fruit, we had really good beef in betel leaves (the betel leaves home grown in Queensland and specially sent down, apparently) and excellent, thick spring rolls.  Big points for inclusion of fish mint on the plate!  (PS:  You can read more about this and other unusual Asian herbs in this piece I wrote recently for The Age.)

Elizabeth's daughter Daniella joined in to serenade us while we munched...

...and then it was time for a long, cold glass of sugarcane juice.  This all-natural soft drink is made by feeding sugar canes through a wringer.  Elizabeth explained that back in Vietnam, kids would be given sections of cane to chew, particularly as they were waiting for dinner.  (Kind of like a Vietnamese Milky Way - won't ruin your appetite!)

Sunshine Phở Fever was a lovely evening, from the tangible pride of the business owners to the delicious food.  I was sitting near Paul from Kew who commented that eating phở like this is "like comparing shades of white".  In isolation, there isn't much to differentiate an ivory from a cream - but put them side by side and you can see the variations.  Likewise, I loved being able to eat different bowls of phở in such close proximity to each other, which is so useful in pinpointing exactly what your phở palate says.  And mine says - when it comes to phở, Sunshine is spoilt rotten.

Even if you think you can't stand hearing Gangnam Style one more time, watch this vid, featuring some of Sunshine's finest eats - it is an absolute cack!

Sunshine Pho Fever

The hottest ticket for me at this year's food festival wasn't Enrique Olvera's masterclass.  What had me glued to my computer, credit card in hand, waiting for the seconds to tick down wasn't the world's longest lunch.  The degustation I was craving was a three-course dinner with just one dish - Melbourne's favourite soup, phở.

The event was Sunshine Phở Fever and I was burning up with anticipation.  What an awesome way to have a whistlestop tour of Sunshine's Vietnamese restaurants, meet the traders and compare bowls of phở almost side by side?  (...and hopefully nick Queen's Rose The Sun's phở urn.  I would like to lie under that, mouth agape, like Homer under a keg of Duff beer.)

Proceedings kicked off at the Granary.  Do you know why Sunshine is called Sunshine?  It was originally known as Braybrook Junction.  When the Sunshine Harvester Works agricultural machinery factory moved here, its workers were encouraged to settle in the vicinity.  They apparently petitioned to have the suburb renamed Sunshine in honour of this first employer.  Sunshine Harvester Works was at one point the largest manufacturer in Australia and these imposing iron gates in Devonshire Road are part of all that remains of this industrial behemoth.

A dispute between the owner of Sunshine Harvester Works and his employees led to the Harvester Judgment of 1907, a landmark legal case which enshrined in law for the first time that an employer must pay his workers a "fair and reasonable" wage.  I learnt last night that at the Granary you used to be able to have a coffee at the actual "round table" some of these deliberations took place upon.

We were split into two groups, and my group's first stop was Phở Hien Saigon.  This light-filled, popular restaurant serves southern Vietnamese-style phở from an intergenerational family recipe.

Owner Cung explained that they start cooking each batch at 9am the day before serving.  It bubbles until 9pm when it's turned off and sits overnight.  In the morning the broth is skimmed and served hot throughout the day.  When it runs out, it runs out - nothing is saved or reheated for the following day.  Noodles at Phở Hien Saigon arrive fresh daily too.  Check out what regular customer Mario has to say (and try not to scream when he applies the hoisin!)

"Say goodbye to Maccas boys!"  Love it!

The popularity of Cung's phở is such that he's expanding next door.  Phở Hien Saigon are also known for their banh xeo, available on Sundays only.  It's Cung's dad's recipe which he in turn learnt from his grandma.

This bowl of mixed beef and chicken phở was just heavenly - so crisp and clear in flavour, with quality beef.  Southern-style phở is less "spiced" than northern-style, relying more on fresh herbs to augment the rich beef broth.  Make sure you throw in some house-made pickled onions, available on each table.

Next stop, Sao Cafe for "phở stew".  Loving the red carpet!  Each restaurant on our tour had one rolled out...

...plus smart branding including bowls and placemats - excellent organisation and presentation.  Sao Cafe's signature dish is bo kho, a thick beef, potato and carrot stew most commonly enjoyed in northern Vietnam, close to the Chinese border.  It's usually served with bread for breakfast or with phở-style wide rice noodles at lunch and dinner.

Quoting from Gastronomy Blog:  "If Vietnamese noodle soups were a high school popularity contest, Phở would be crowned Homecoming King...  Bo Kho, on the other hand, would probably be chilling on the grassy knoll with the stoners; high and oblivious to the hype."  You need to try bo kho, and you need to try it from Sau Cafe.  This was sensational, with a thick, tomato-based sauce, tender carrot and potato and big chunks of beef, slow cooked until you could cut them with a teaspoon.  The basil on top provided a counterpoint to the rich, condensed flavours.

Last stop, Phu Vinh.  Phu Vinh's first store was in Footscray before they opened a second in Sunshine. 

Their signature dish is hu tieu mi, or rice/egg noodle soups, but upon opening their second store they decided to begin offering phở.

The lovely Stephanie explained that Phu Vinh's phở has a 24-hour cooking time and uses beef marrow and bones only (no chicken carcasses, which are apparently used as filler in some phở stockpots).  Theirs is a 45-year-old family recipe from the south of Vietnam.

I found Phu Vinh's phở good but on the sweet side for my taste.  Stephanie did explain that the longer cooking time is said to bring out more sweetness from the bones.  PS:  When I picked on Mario about the hoisin sauce earlier, you are technically not meant to add it to the soup, but rather put a little in a small dish and dip your meat in it sparingly (ditto the chilli oil or sate sauce in silver pots on each table).  But rules, schmules - do what tastes best.

Are you into Vietnamese three-colour drinks?  I admit I have never been - I find them too cloying.  Stephanie explained that they are a comparatively modern invention.  The original Vietnamese dish only had two colours - green jelly and red kidney beans - and was served with coconut milk in a typical rice bowl as a meal for labourers.  It was later fancied up with more colours and served in a glass.  I loved this original version, known as dau do banh lot, with slippery jelly "worms", sweet beans and the smooth crunch of ice in refreshing coconut milk.  I'm not sure if Phu Vinh do this all the time, but I'd love it if they would!

Hats off to the Sunshine Business Association for creating such a fantastic event.  The other group got to try three different restaurants, namely Queen's Rose The Sun, Thuan An and Nhi Huong (2 Sisters). You can read Andrew of FoodsCrazy's wrap-up of all three via the links above, and see Jen's wrap of the same sequence I visited here.  I didn't mind being split into two groups, but my suggestion would be that diners should get a "cheat sheet" or booklet on the restaurants they didn't get to try that night (perhaps featuring the images and blurbs from the placemats).  That way we can keep the phở fever burning for the next few Saturday nights to come!