Mama’s Buoi

I went here for dinner and loved it. The restaurant is decorated in an intimate/​hipster style, cozy and fun.
We ordered two phở soups: one with beef and the other one with chicken. They were both really good even though I found that mine had too much beef in it (hard to believe anyone is ever saying that)… I was literally searching for the noodles.
We also shared the school of fried prawns with a zest of lemon, spices and red onions served with a salt and pepper dipping.
The waitress was very fast, forthcoming and friendly! Great experience, good food!

This restaurant (now a chain) is focused on churning out as many dishes as possible, turning over as many customers as possible — and their profit-​hungry motive is smack bang in your face. Zero concern for its customers.
Upon entering the «restaurant», I was surprised to see it was, in fact, a small, cramped, dimmed space, with the next table centimetres away from us (more appropriately described as a canteen).
We were sat outside on an overcast evening and were told that if it rained, it was too bad because the inside was full, and that we would have to finish eating in the rain.
As for the dishes, our group of 5 agreed they were very average. Vietnamese cuisine is promoted as healthy and light, and while Mama’s Buoi gave this impression, I knew just how unhealthy my vermicelli salad with lemongrass pork and pork spring rolls was — overly salty, over-​seasoned spring rolls wrapped in deep fried pork fat in place of spring roll wrappers.
Would not come here again.

Have been to this place a number of times now. Apart from the phở, which I find to be a little bland, everything else is great. So far, I’ve tried: beef phở, beef phở with tripe and beefballs, chicken ribs with chilli lime, crispy pork belly with morning glory, and rice paper rolls. The chicken ribs and pork belly are absolute must order dishes. They are so flavoursome, you’re left literally licking your fingers. Delicious.

I tried the beef salad it was great.
I will definitely come back a lot of other dishes I like to try.
Good service.

Went with a group of girls dinnert. Had a ton of fun. Food was fantastic. I definitely recommend this place for a casual group of friends. Very relaxed vibe. Close to city. We ordered a lot of food and wine between 8 ppl was $ 30 each! Very reasonably priced in a group/​share. We were also able to get a booking at short notice.

I came across Mama’s Buoi by chance when I was doing some last minute research looking for Vietnamese restaurants for our recent trip to Sydney. After reading countless blog reviews, I was determined to try Mama’s Buoi out!
I must say it was quite a mission finding the restaurant, it is located on Devonshire Street in Surry Hills, so we assumed it would not be a long walk, but it actually took over an hour to get there from the CBD! But it was totally worth it — so happy to have found this gem!
Mama’s Buoi serves Vietnamese home-​style dishes ranging from Vietnamese grills, hot pots, soups, summer rolls and salads. They also serve beers, cocktails and a range of T2 teas (the lemon and ginger flavour is soothing and delicious).
From the menu, we ordered the Goi cuon rice paper rolls with prawn and pork ($ 8 for two rolls, cut in half), the Lemongrass pork/​pork spring rolls vermicelli noodle salad bowl ($ 14), the Coconut tamarind curry ($ 14) and the BBQ chicken slaw (also $ 14).
The rice paper rolls were yummy, but the nuoc mam dipping sauce on the side was the highlight! My sister had the coconut tamarind curry and she said it was very spicy, but had a wonderful flavour. The lemongrass pork vermicelli was almost perfect, but lacking sauce (ended up putting the rice paper rolls sauce on top!). Finally, the BBQ chicken slaw — succulent chicken with a fresh and and delicious slaw, accompanied by the most amazing rice crisps!
All the dishes were fantastic and we all agreed that this was due to the fact that all the spices and herbs were perfectly balanced and everything tasted so fresh!
As for the layout and décor, well it is very cool and modern. Loved the stand out giant mural at the back of the restaurant saying «Con co thuong me khong?» translating to «Do you love Mama?». The fit out is wonderfully bright, the menus are pretty and best of all, the kitchen is open, so you can watch the chefs do their thing (the smells are heavenly!).
Overall, dining at Mama’s Buoi was a great experience — friendly staff, fresh and delicious food and nice atmosphere… now just gotta start planning my next trip over!