Phu-Vinh Noodle Shop

I’ve been going to Phu Vinh for a while!
Décor is pretty clean, especially after the facelift they did about 5 – 6 years back.
Each time the service has been courteous and helpful. The servings generous and affordable and Chinese tea is complimentary. One of the oldest venues serving Vietnamese food in Fooscray, the photo menu makes a detour to accomodate western palates with some more popular Cantonese style dishes like sweet and sour pork rice.
But Hu Tieu is the specialty at Phu Vinh. This is actually a Chinese Cambodian hybrid dish of rich pork stock and either rice or tapioca noodles which the Vietnamese have also embraced.
I had a big bowl of their tapioca noodle version with bò kho, beef brisket stew. In Cantonese this braise is called 牛腩 (Ngau Lam). It’s very tasty, and the sauce is a little thick and is most definitely spiced with Chinese 5-​spice powder. The soup was scalding hot and had a layer of oil on the surface which might put some people off. But I liked it. The fat had flavour and was warming. The brisket was tender. But I was defeated by its size.
I have also had the Broken Rice. It’s quite nice with the shredded pork w/​jellyfish (which I love), meatloaf, and the grilled pork, which is chewy, and it’s just right. It also comes in sweet chilli sauce.
Overall, I have come back and will continue to do so.

We’ve been to Phu Vinh a few times as it is conveniently located on the edge of Footscray Market. Each time the service has been courteous and helpful. The servings generous and affordable and Chinese tea is complimentary.
One of the oldest venues serving Vietnamese food in Fooscray, the photo menu makes a detour to accomodate western palates with some more popular Cantonese style dishes like sweet and sour pork rice.
It’s a practical inclusion for those at your table who might be overwhelmed by the more traditional Vietnamese dishes. And also a reminder that many of the Vietnamese who settled in Melboune under refugee status were of Chinese origins, so dishes like these are not foreign to their cooking repetoire.
But Hu Tieu is the specialty at Phu Vinh. This is actually a Chinese Cambodian hybrid dish of rich pork stock and either rice or tapioca noodles which the Vietnamese have also embraced.
I had a big bowl of their tapioca noodle version with bò kho, beef brisket stew. In Cantonese this braise is called ngau lam. This particular one reminded me of my grandmother’s: rich and dotted with star anise, large chunks of sweet carrots and mustardy daikon bobbing about in it.
The soup was scalding hot and had a layer of oil on the surface which might put some people off. But I liked it. The fat had flavour and was warming. The brisket was tender. But I was defeated by its size.
We shared their crisp chă giò — spring rolls — which you bundle with herbs into a lettuce cup. They serve it with sweet chilli sauce rather than nuoc cham dressing but if you are a purist the latter can be brought to you as well.
Bun Thit Nuong (chargrilled pork vermicelli salad) was topped with thinly sliced barbecued pork belly, that had a scattering of blackened edges for charred flavour. It’s a generous serving. Pour the bowl of nuoc cham dressing in and stir the whole lot through, mixing meat and vegies into the noodles, coating it all in the dressing.
It was too much food for two of us. One shared noodle and two small dishes would have been sufficient. All up the bill came to around $ 20, very good value.

This place has been around for over 25 years! That should already mean something in itself.
The food here is amazing! Very authentic Vietnamese food in the heart of Footscray, where there is a large Vietnamese population. Every dish here is all prepared fresh and very tasty.
The staff here are also very friendly and helpful. Definitely recommended!

Food was great, very tasty, the language barrier proved to be a bit of problem, with some too and fro-​ing from out tables to the kitchen, but worth it as most of the Vietnamese places are in Footscray