Vietnam Bar, Mt Waverley by Bureaucrat

Vietnam Bar is fast becoming a family favourite of ours for good value and great tasting takeaway.  Formerly known as Po Hing (a Chinese restaurant), the owners have renovated the place and it was reborn as Vietnam Bar.  Despite the changes to the name and menu, if you're still hankering for the old Po Hing dishes, they are still on offer.


Warm vermicelli noodles with lemongrass pork, spring rolls, pickled veg and salad

While Po Hing was alright, I much prefer it as Vietnam Bar.  Firstly, the interior is much improved - it's brighter and has a few more decorative touches.  Secondly, the food is much nicer.  During a recent flurry of work, I relied heavily on Vietnam Bar for a quick and easy dinner - I never went to Po Hing for takeaway.  And while I can't remember what the opening hours were for Po Hing, I love the fact that Vietnam Bar is pretty much open all day - this is brilliant when you need to have dinner before 5pm because of a hungry toddler.

Some of our favourite go-to menu items are the warm vermicelli noodles with lemongrass pork, spring rolls, pickled veg and salad (see first pic).  This plentiful bowl of freshly cooked rice vermicelli is loaded with aromatic pork and oh-so-delicious spring rolls.  Unlike other Vietnamese restaurants, I like how Vietnam Bar includes picked veg as part of the salad.  I also like the extra touches - the roasted peanuts and cooked spring onion garnishes.  I'm always impressed with the quantity and quality of this dish - the salad leaves are always fresh and squeaky - no limp leaves here!


Another favourite is the fried egg noodles with combination seafood.  When you get it as a takeaway, they thoughtfully keep the noodles separate in a paper bag so that it stays nice and crisp.  When we get it home, we pile on the garlicky topping (which is fairly generous with prawns, fried chunks of fish, calamari and scallops) and let the gorgeous gravy do its magic and turn the fried noodles into a mass of softly chewy noodles.  There's a nice mix of crunchy fresh veggies in it. My photo doesn't quite convey how big the serve is.


Boy Chick is quite partial to the pork and prawn spring rolls.  Golden cylinders of tightly packed porky-prawny goodness, he eats them with one in each hand!  They come served with fresh crisp lettuce and a goodly amount of fresh mint leaves.

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

A great and reliable Vietnamese eatery in the suburbs.  I think it's safe to say it's a firm favourite of the locals as every time I've been there for my early takeaways, there's always a few other people getting takeaway or having an early dinner too.  I've got my eye on the broken rice dish for next time! 

Find it at

Vietnam Bar
Pinewood Shopping Village
29-31 Centreway
Mount Waverley VIC 3149
Phone: (03) 9803 3298