New Vietnamese restaurant, Bistro Nguyen’s, recently opened in Civic on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street (replacing what was Wasabi). I originally thought the restaurant was called Vietnamese Food as there’s a massive banner hanging out the front with ‘Vietnamese Food Now Open’ written across it. Approaching the entrance of the restaurant, I could see some colourful outdoor tables outside and the real name of the restaurant is clearly marked by the door.
The menu states the fried rice cake ($6.50) is a Saigon-style rice cake wok fried with eggs, pickled vegetables and sweet soy sauce. (Not one of those cardboard tasting healthy snacks, a rice cake is made of rice flour and tapioca flour). This came out still steaming from the wok. The rice cake itself is cooked perfectly and a little crispy on the outside. Yum! However, I found it started to get a little bland (even with the sprinkle of spring onion mixed throughout) and added some hoisin and more of the accompanying chilli sauce to add some flavour. Sadly I couldn’t see or taste any pickled vegetables and I think this would have made a difference to lift the dish. Or maybe I’m biased. My mum makes rice cakes and adds dried shrimp or lap cheong and chives for that extra flavour.
Both V and I ordered pho as our mains and our waitress brought out fresh crunchy bean sprouts, basil and wedges of lime.
I ordered the no. 13 – pho with wagyu beef sirloin, brisket, tendon and meatballs ($16.50) minus the tendon. The wagyu beef is slightly pink in the middle and better quality compared to the regular beef strips that have a lot of fat on them (I had both in mine). The meatballs weren’t the gristly sort so I was happy with that. I would have liked some more noodles in the bowl but found that I was very full afterwards especially after drinking so much of the broth. The fragrant broth is full-bodied and flavoursome. A decent serving at a great price.
I can tell that Bistro Nguyen’s will be popular. Funky decor, good food at cheap prices, plenty on offer on the menu and fast polite service. And you can’t beat that delicious scent of pho as you walk in the door. What more can you ask for? I’m eager to go back and try the banh mi and other items on the menu.
At this stage, there are no eftpos/credit card facilities but our waitress informed me that it should be up and running in another week. Take cash with you if you’re planning on going this week. The restaurant does not accept bill splitting.
Bistro Nguyen’s is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Check out Bistro Nguyen’s Facebook page to access the menu. It’s in the Melbourne Building, corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street.
Foodgasm 7.5/10
Price 9/10
Service 9/10
FPJ score 25.5/30
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