Pho Hung, Springvale by Bureaucrat

Finding ourselves in Springvale again, we took the opportunity to try out another eatery.  This time it was Pho Hung.


Initial impression was that PH was busy and chaotic.  Inside, the tables are cramped with hungry diners, loud chatter from adults and kids, and the harried staff rushing from table to table.  It was certainly popular, as there was a near constant crowd of people standing around in the little space waiting for a free table.


As it was busy and chaotic, it took a while to flag down a waiter to get our menu.  However, when the waiter arrived, he just pointed to the neon signs on the wall - there were no paper menu, just the neon signs.  As there weren't that many options that looked good to us, we just settled on our usual Vietnamese dishes.


The Lawyer got pho w beef and mixed tripe.  The Lawyer thought this was kinda average.  Whenever the Lawyer orders tripe in Springvale, I'm always (secretly) amazed about his bravery.... you'd never get me to eat par-cooked meat from Springers!


I got the pork chop rice.  To be fair, I can't remember whether the menu said it was grilled pork chop... but I was not impressed by the fried and oily appearance (and taste) of the chop.  Given how quickly it came out, I suspect that the pork chop had been already cooked (for god knows how long ago), and then refried before it is served.  As such, the pork was burnt on the edges, dry and chewy.  The rice was cooked with too much water and was a tad claggy, and the veggies felt like they've been sitting around in the kitchen.

The pork chop came with a clear soup, which was actually pretty good and wasn't laden with MSG.


Perhaps the best item that we ordered was the three colour drink; but when it came, we were given a four colour drink which they also forgot to add it to our bill.  The drink had quite a reasonable amount of red beans, slippery clear, yellow and green jellies with lots of coconut milk.

Verdict
Food – 5
Ambience – 6
Service – 6
Price – 8.5

Overall
The food, service and ambience was rather 'meh'.   I can't understand why this place is so popular. Given that there are many other options in the area, I'd suggest you try somewhere else.

Address
Pho Hung
268-274 Springvale Rd
Springvale 3171
Telephone: 9540 3566