Phoodle

Strap in ladies and gents, boys and girls because this second post in one day also features a level of professionalism and dedication unbeknownst to the food blogging industry: I forgot to photograph one entire course (remember how I forgot the name of a dish in my last post on Tim Ho Wan and couldn't for the life of me find it on the menu? Yep). 

Today's adventure is in what I consider to be the only non-suspect-looking eatery around UNSW and a relative newcomer, Phoodle. The grandmama of Phoodle owner is the matriarch of the venerable Cabramatta Vietnamese chain Bau Truong, and according to Not Quite Nigella, she threatened to kill her grandson if he dared to change her pho soup recipe. 

Nothing like a good death-threat to reassure me of the quality of the food. So let's start with the content of the threat, the pho (I was going to start with describing to you the dish I completely forgot to photograph but then I thought I'd leave the best for last). 

House Special Pho, $12

Tip: when you go to a Veitnamese restaurant, the 'special' pho almost invariably comes with rare beef, beef balls and tripe. At Phoodle, I believe the tripe is replaced with brisket. as promised by the death threat, the broth is deep, rich yet at the same time light and clear; the noodles silky. A very respectable pho indeed.

Vietnamese Pancake, $14

Vietnamese pancakes come with a big helping of bean sprouts, shreded pork and shrimp. I didn't really enjoy this dish because there weren't a lot of pork or shrimp in the middle. It felt like I was eating an omelette with bean sprouts (which, incidentally, is not one of my favourite food items, so there's that). The lack of pork and shrimp is not as noticeable if you were having it by yourself (though a different problem might arise - the flavour will get tiring), it is really noticeable if you were sharing with others.

Now, before we move onto drinks, let me describe to you the one dish I compeltely forgot to photograph. It is a do-it-yourself rice paper roll with sugar cane prawn. I love sugar cane prawn - it is beaten prawn paste wrapped around a stick of sugar cane so that the prawn meat adopts some of the sweetness of the sugarcane. You get a piece of rice-paper, dip it in water to soften it, and use it to wrap the sugarcane prawn paste, vermicelli and vegetables however you like. Be gentle because with rice-paper is pretty tricky to work with; and don't be too greedy with the ingredients: the rice-paper can, and will, split open without warning.

And now, let's talk about drinks.

Three Colour Ice, $5

This is more of a dessert than a drink - to mung bean, red bean and cendol add condensed milk and coconut milk, and serve with syrup over ice. It's the perfect summer drink on its own, or to wash down the salty, warming pho with over dinner (as I did). If you do order this drink, make sure you keep a close eye on it because if you don't, your boyfriend might steal a sip (or several), while committing the cardinal sin of ordering a boring old soft drink himself (may or may not be based on true events).

Vietnamese Coffee, $5

Vietnamese Coffee should come with a little contraption which allows you to watch the coffee drip into the cup which has a thick layer of condensed milk - whereas the one at Phoodle, perhaps for convenience's sake, is just an espresso over condensed milk. That disappointment aside, you do have the option of having it hot, or pouring it over ice to make it an iced-coffee. I recommend having it as is - the flavour is silky, rich, and very very sweet - just as it should be.

Cold Drip Coffee, $5

The house bean changes depending on what they have, and it was a pretty good bean this time - a distinctly fruity, light, mango-ey flavour perfectly extracted over time.

Score: 3/5 
The pho is good. Everything else is alright. Still, I maintain that it's one of the very few non-suspect-looking eatery around UNSW, so I would go, and indeed already have gone, back.
Cost: approx $20-$30 pp
Address: 1/255-271 Anzac Parade, Kingsford