Phố Gia Hội Traditional Vietnamese Restaurant

Phố Gia Hội Traditional Vietnamese Restaurant
711 George St
Haymarket
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9211 0221

(Branches also in Canley Heights and South Bankstown)

Much to my consternation, my preferred Bahn Mi place on George St had disappeared without my even registering its replacement with a new Vietnamese restaurant.

A very Bright Orange Vietnamese restaurant.

So far I have visited twice, once to have a Bahn Mi (costing a full dollar more, at $4.50) which I didn’t like as much as its predecessor. The second time was for a random dinner, when the queue at Chat Thai at 5.45pm on a Sunday (tried to get in early to get a table) was already some two dozen people long. I am beginning to despair of ever actually managing to get to Chat Thai!

Anyway, it was an early dinner because I had thought that it would have to be. As it turned out, there seemed to be a surprisingly large number of early dinner customers at Phố Gia Hội.

Dinner #1 was Bun Mang Vit, Duck and Bamboo Shoots w Rice Vermicelli Soup ($9).

I am told that the duck was room temperature and bit on the bland side, possibly as a result of having been used in flavouring a broth. It certainly didn’t look terribly inspiring. The vermicelli in soup itself was of a surprisingly modest quantity but the broth was said to be mellow, subtle, and enough to compensate for the meh-ness of the duck.

Dinner #2 was Banh Canh Cua Chao Tom, crab meat, minced prawn with udon soup ($10). This was chosen because diner #2 has a tendency towards wanting whatever is spiciest or most chilli on the menu, and this seemed to fit the bill.






The response to this was also a bit on the meh side, partly because it was a bit oily, and partly because there was nothing all that inspiring about it.

My choice seems to have been the pick of the night – the Bún Dac Biet, or Special Vietnamese Noodles ($11). I often order Bún chả giò, which is spring rolls with vermicelli, but decided to go with this variation tonight.

Lots of orange...



The dish itself.



As well as spring rolls, there was also grilled pork, some sausage, and what appeared to be a sort or pressed crabmeat or fish meat.

If you want a quick meal for $10 and under then this isn’t a bad option to consider but I’m not sure that I’ll head back there again. There just wasn’t enough to draw me back. [AP]