Brunswick isn’t best known for its Vietnamese restaurants, but there are plenty of gems in our suburb. If one eatery is full, you can usually trek down the road and find another perfect spot for a date, family dinner, picnic trays or hearty work lunch. For your next Phở or Bánh Mì craving, go no further than Brunswick.
Mister Truong’s
Mister Truong’s is a cult favourite for Bánh Mì, you can’t miss it. On the corner of Hope street and Melville road, there’s a big flag waving “OPEN” and a constant horde of people outside.
Mister Truong’s. Photo: Mister Truong’s Instagram.
They’re there for the criminally low prices. A tofu Bánh Mì, stacked with smoky slices of tofu, pickled carrot, daikon, coriander, cucumber and spring onion will set you back $6.50, while a four pack of rice paper rolls is $10. There are some unique fillings too, like kebab chicken, but nothing beats their classic crispy pork roll with crackling.
Wash down your lunch with a fresh juice or a Vietnamese iced coffee. During lockdown, this is a great option for you to have a Vietnamese treat for takeaway!
Tia Con
Three words for Tia Con: flavour, flavour, flavour. From the first saucy bite of the soy glazed cauliflower bao, to the final slurp of the Nước chấm at the bottom of your Bún bowl, your tastebuds will be working overtime.
Tia Con has creative offerings, including barramundi or vegan taro spring rolls, a Phở flavoured gin cocktail or their huge Vietnamese espresso martini, sweetened with condensed milk.
Barramundi Spring Rolls. Photo: Tia Con Instagram
There are plenty of solid vegan options at Tia Con, but they really know how to do their meat and fish here. Lots of mouth-watering, sticky shredded dishes, and not to mention the 12-hour braised beef brisket Phở.
Visit Tia Con’s website to take a look at their Takeaway menu. These guys also do delivery!
Green Field
Green Field is a crowd pleaser for a reliably good Phở. Even though this place is always packed, they can fit you in for a laid-back dinner and a drink that will fill your stomach without emptying your wallet.
If you enjoy group dinners in a lively atmosphere, Green Field is for you. Their menu is long and portions are generous, including traditional Vietnamese dishes and some classics from other parts of Asia. Try the salt and pepper tofu or any of their fresh vegetable options.
Pad Thai. Photo: Green Field website.
Good Days
For those who’d prefer something a little more intimate, Good Days is the diner. It’s a small venue with a menu to match, but it’s not diminished by this. Their menu exudes a confidence in its refined list of dishes, and makes your decision easy.
The Good Days rice paper rolls are short and fat, and the spring rolls are long and thin, without being dry or lacking flavour. Everything packs colourful flavours and textures in all the right proportions. For good measure, dip your food into any of their delicious sauces.
Vegans have tasty options dining here, like the smoky oyster mushroom and tofu skewers, and the menu explains how meat is sourced for any conscious carnivores.
Spring rolls. Photo Good Days Instagram.
You can order online meals, drinks, and specials to pick up. Visit Good Days website here.
Shop Bao Ngoc
Do you ever eat meals that you think about for a long time afterwards? The crispy fried egg Bánh Mì from Shop Bao Ngoc has that effect. I’d never tried an egg Bánh Mì before, but now I’m a total convert.
It was well worth weathering the queue outside. Shop Bao Ngoc holds strong business boundaries and has an ethos of opening “when they feel like it”. This makes it all the more special when they do.
Last time we visited, they were selling Bánh Mì with roast pork, barbecue pork, tofu, chicken or egg. The barbecue pork smelled irresistible, even for non-meat eaters. Alas, we tried the egg and the tofu and didn’t feel short-changed. The tofu came in big, hot, fleshy cubes and both rolls were fresh with crunchy veggies, chilli and a nice touch of dried shallots.
Keep an eye on their Instagram for opening times, and get there before they sell out.
Pork banh mi Photo: Shop Bao Ngoc Instagram
