No matter what the situation is, I'm always up for some Vietnamese food. When my friends and I read about Pho Saigon House's grand opening specials on the newspaper, we decided to pay this place a visit.
Pho Saigon House, Eastwood
There were a couple of people waiting in line before us, but the man at the counter was sufficient enough that we didn't even have to wait for one minute. Because they had a grand opening special, there was a 20% off for eat-in and 10% off for take-away meals. All up, the four of us ate a lunch meal for less than $40 altogether, awesome!
We didn't have to wait for long before our meals arrived either. One particular friend of mine had a crispy chicken with steamed rice. He said that his favourite part of the dish was the generous amounts of chicken, which were not too salty but still had bags of flavour in it. He said afterwards that it was a shame he didn't realise there was a cup of sauce to accompany the dish...
Crispy chicken with steamed rice
Another comrade of mine ordered a rare beef
pho- an iconic Vietnamese dish. As expected, it came with bean sprouts, mint leaves and Asian basil in a tasty broth filled with numerous ingredients such as roasted ginger, coriander and fennel seed. She said that the pieces of meat were all very tender and easy to chew, but accompanied by the fragrant and tasty broth, one couldn't frown at it. Not to mention the generous size of the dish for under $10 (with 20% off).
Rare beef pho
My other friend ordered a beef pho. These pieces of beef on the other hand, were very well cooked but still had its tenderness. He especially enjoyed it because none of the flavours were too strong nor overpowering. Although, being a health-freak and all, he still couldn't love the apparently 'over-processed' beef, but it was acceptable for him because of its appetising flavours.
Beef pho
I had a crispy chicken with tomato rice. As we ordered, I wondered what tomato rice REALLY was, but when it came, I think it was just fried rice. Nevertheless, there was a good balance between the eggs and tomatoes in it, so once I tasted it, I couldn't stop. Although the rice was amazing, the hero of the dish was still the chicken. Each piece was so crunchy that everyone else at the table could hear every bite I took. The crispy skin was contrasted with the tender and tasty pieces of chicken, which were perfectly cooked. Another aspect I liked was the balance between cooked and unbooked vegetables, which meant that I was able to choose my palette depending on what I liked in a particular moment. Plus, the cooked vegetables had a hint of sweetness to them. Overall, it was a very enjoyable and generous meal.
Crispy chicken with tomato rice
I should also mention that instead of giving you water, they give you a jug of tea per table, which was a pleasant surprise for my tea-loving friends. As anticipated, my comrades and I obliterated all our dishes and the tea.
Pho Saigon House is located conveniently inside
Eastwood Shopping Centre, which is right next to Eastwood train station, so for a convenient, cheap and hearty meal, visit Pho Saigon House in Eastwood.
