Ba'get, Melbourne CBD by Big Fil

Over the last twelve months or so numerous places have popped up around the CBD offering quick and tasty Vietnamese food.  Snooze and I have been a bit remiss in checking some of these out, largely due to having our regular favourites that we tend to head towards when in autopilot mode.  This time however we were keen on trying somewhere different and Ba’get was where Snooze wanted to go.


Ba’get is an interesting mix between café and low end restaurant.  Focusing on rice bowls and bahn mi the food is very quick and cheerful café in style, as is the ordering at the front of counter service.  However inside it is colourful and well lit, the lighting is interesting and cool as are the wall decorations.  What I really appreciated though was the free pandan flavoured tea, a big big step up on your normal water or cheap tea.


Snooze decided to try one of the bahn mi, the grilled lemongrass pork.  While I did enjoy the filling what distinguished this roll for me was the nice crunchy crusted bread.  The places that I like their bahn mi, it’s usually because of the great grilled meats, or the creaminess of a generous pate combined with the freshness of the salad.  This is the first time I think I have ever walked out of somewhere thinking “I must try that again the bread was so good’.


My choice was the lemongrass pork bowl.  What was very good about this was just the sheer freshness of the ingredients, the herbs and salad livened up by the accompanying fish sauce.  While I liked it I think Snooze was completely won over, to the extent that she was very keen to make a return visit later in the week.


I am not sure if it’s a regular menu item, but I also ordered the cassava cake.  While it’s the not the most stylish looking of cakes, and the flavour may be a little unfamiliar to many, I loved the combination of the crisper shell with the almost gelatinous centre.

Overall
Good food and quite a big step up in presentation for quick and easy Vietnamese in Melbourne.  I thought it was significantly better than some other more established places in Melbourne trying to fill the same niche office worker/cheap eats market.

Verdict
Food – 8
Ambience – 7.5
Service – 7.5
Price – 7.5

Address
132 Russell Street Melbourne
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: 0490 121 199