Quan Vietnamese Eatery

Looking and settling for a particular Vietnamese eatery in Bankstown is no easy task - there are so many of them operating side by side! Quan Vietnamese Eatery came highly recommended from a friend of a friend, which lessened what would otherwise be an agony of choice.

Vietnamese 3 colour dessert, $4

Both a dessert and a drink, Quan's version of the 3 colour  dessert (or Chè ba màu) combines red beans, broad beans and jelly with a dash of rich, thick coconut cream. The ice is freshly shaved - you can hear the chef behind the counter working the blender right after you order it - and it's a sweet, delicious companion to the meal.

I chose to order it at the beginning of the meal despite it being called a dessert, and I'm glad I did - it offered a lovely, refreshing break from the savoury dishes.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee, $4

Vietnamese coffee is strong, frothy and sweetened with condensed milk, resulting in a smooth, heavy, creamy texture.

 Noodle

This is my favourite dish of the day, despite the strangely chopped up nature of the thin rice noodles (and the fact that I have forgotten its name and price, oopsies). Prawn balls and tofu are cooked in a lovely tomato-based soup which is light, clear and well-balanced. Blanched pork pieces are melt in your mouth, the tofu pieces taste particularly good saturated with the soup, and I even dipped some other food items into the broth.

BBQ Pork rice wrappers, $12.50

 This is a surprising dish! The rice wrapper is very chewy, slippery and soft, but far from being too heavy or thick, it balanced the very salty (but delicious and complex) Vietnamese BBQ pork inside. Particularly good when dipped in fish sauce, but I would recommend sharing between at least 4 people.

Vietnamese Egg Pancake with Pork and Prawns

This dish is massive. The egg pancake is the size of a large wok, and because it is a mixture of eggs and flour, the texture is soft in the middle and crispy on the outer edges.

Inside the pancake are pork, prawns and sprouts. I liked the prawns and the egg pancake itself, but I felt the sprouts could have done with a little tossing in the wok and pork was a rather fatty and sinewy cut. Also, the pancake-to-filling ratio was all wrong (too much pancake, too little filling). Although this is one of the signature dishes of Quan, both my friend and I thought it was somewhat over-rated.

Score: 4 / 5 
Overall, it was a delicious, authentic meal. The waiting staff are friendly and extremely efficient. The ingredients seemed fresh, and my friend pointed out the fact that she doesn't get thirsty after drinking the soup - which means they use real herbs to tune the flavour rather than rely on MSG. Plus, the restuarant is conveniently located a mere 5 minutes' walk from the station.
Cost: coming to a total of $50, the price of items are very reasonable.
Address: 1 / 324 Chapel Rd, Bankstown