Pasteur, Haymarket

Our spread at Pasteur

What could be more soothing and comforting than a bowl of teeming hot pho on dreary, rainy, cloudy winter days that we have been having lately? Well, curling up in bed with a good book or watching a good movie I suppose.

Veggie for the pho, tea and dipping sauce for the spring rolls

Pasteur is my go-to Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney because its close proximity and my family recommendation. I need to check out Cabramatta soon though. So anyway, my recommendation for these winter days: meatball and sliced beef pho with a side dish of spring rolls.

Sliced beef and beef ball pho

I love the fact that the sliced beef were so tender and just nicely cooked as it was sliced raw and cooked just as the hot soup is poured to the bowl. I love how the broth is fragrant, nicely balanced and not oily nor fatty.

Spring rolls

The spring rolls, in my opinion, are the best in Sydney so far. I love the mix of flavors and texture inside: minced pork and prawn, mushrooms, yummmm... These kinds of food definitely make this wintry days bearable...

Pasteur

709 George St

Haymarket, NSW 2000

Underground refuge @Viet Cafe

The little underground Viet Cafe has been a favorite lunch spot for me since I discovered around 6 months after I moved to Singapore. I was hardpressed to find a decent Vietnamese restaurant and Viet Cafe is the answer. In actuality, it doesn't serve authentic Vietnamese food, but I like their modification which still preserve the Vietnames-ity of the taste.

I tried both pho and bunh here, but most of the time I order the bunh as I have this bias towards sweet and sour taste. They serve both ala carte and set, this time I chose the set as it included chicken cabbage salad and deep fried battered fish pieces as appetizers. The chicken cabbage salad was fresh and light tasting and the deep fried battered fish pieces were light, fluffy and soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. I also like soaking the fried fish on my sweet and sour sauce even if it was intended for the bunh.

Chicken cabbage salad and fried fish appetizers

The dry beef noodle (bunh) was served using vermicelli instead of the usual thicker version of vermicelli that I've tasted in other nearby Vietnamese restaurant. I found that the thicker noodle tasteless and flourful. The thinner noodles are much tastier and delightful to chew. The sliced beef was tender with plenty of water cress, beansprouts, and peanuts, drenched with sweet and sour sauce of fish soy sauce base. I usually ask for an extra as I like having the sauce kind of soup-y. Anyway, I like the whole combo as it gives you this fresh and light taste, it makes you come back for more... like it does to me.

Dry Beef Vermicelli Noodle ala carte @SGD 8.50,

set @SGD 15.90 including appetizers and a juice drink

The beef noodle soup (pho) here is quite traditional, it still uses the thin flat noodles with clear beef stock broth, sprinkled with fresh onions and basil leaves. They also have the spicy option which is quite tasty but can be too spicy for me. My advice is, get the chili on the side so that you can moderate the amount you put in the soup. I love having pho on a rainy day or if I ever feel like under the weather. It's just so comforting. Rain or shine though, this is one of my favorite refuge at lunch times.

Beef Noodle Set @SGD 16.90 including appetizers and a juice drink

Viet Cafe
Standard Chartered Building #B1-01
6 Battery Road
Singapore
+65 6220 2186