09 December 2010

Bò 7 Món THANH TÂM: Vietnamese, CBD Sydney (29 Nov, 3 Dec 2010)

50 Hunter Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 8252 7815


Hunting down a new Vietnamese

If you can't get a seat at the ever popular Malay-Chinese then check out the new Vietnamese restaurant next door and downstairs in the Hunter Bar which has only been opened for about 6 weeks. It's got plenty of seating, the owner always seems to be smiling and the dishes are reasonably priced and pretty tasty. On my first visit the Beef Noodle Soup ($8) is decently sized and the broth isn't too oily. The meat could be a little rarer and thinner but I'm pretty happy with it. The Crispy Chicken with Egg Noodle Soup ($9.50) is certainly crispy and one of the better ones I've come across in the city with it's moist meat. Accompanied with a large bowl of noodle soup it's quite good value. The Pork Chop, Shredded Pork and Fried Egg Rice ($9.50) is served on a large plate and comes with a nicely cooked soft egg ready to combine with the rice.

On the second visit a few days later it's noticeably more busy and the Chicken rice noodle soup ($8) is reasonably sized and not too oily as well. There seems to be an introduction of set menus and the Set 4 menu ($10) comes with a Fried Won ton which unfortunately wasn't particularly hot but the freshly cooked Grilled charcoal pork rice noodle was reportedly pretty tasty. The set menu includes a drink for which a soft drink was chosen. A beer or wine can be chosen with the set menu but there's a supplement to pay for this which wasn't clearly stated. Orders receive a buzzer so you know when your meal is ready to collect from the service counter giving you time to purchase your drinks from the bar and find a seat. I'm looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu.

Other visits to Bò 7 Món THANH TÂM:
25 July 2011 - Fried Spring Rolls, Steamed Chicken Rice, Vietnamese Coffee, Grilled pork and spring roll with rice noodle
29 Nov 2010, 3 Dec 2010 - Beef Noodle Soup, Crispy Chicken with Egg Noodle, Pork Chop, Chicken Rice Noodle Soup, Pork Rice Noodle

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Plenty of seating, Reasonably priced, Tasty dishes, Alcoholic drinks available at the bar, Toilets available, Friendly service, Open for lunch and dinner
CONS: Queue for ordering can get long when busy, No windows and natural light, Decor a bit dark, Service can struggle a bit as they find their feet when very busy, There seems to be different menus outside and inside so it can be a little confusing what's available, Wine and beer supplement on set menu isn't clearly specified, Possibly MSG used
MUST TRY: Crispy Chicken with Egg Noodle Soup, More of the menu

Beef Noodle Soup ($8)

Crispy Chicken with Egg Noodle Soup ($9.50)

Pork Chop, Shredded Pork and Fried Egg Rice ($9.50)

Chicken rice noodle soup ($8)


Set 4: Fried Won ton, Grilled charcoal pork rice noodle, Lemonade ($10)


Lunch menus

Service counter and dining area

Dining area

Bar area

Downstairs to restaurant and bar

12 comments:

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

Like the decor, and the food looks good, and cheap! I'm always looking for a decent Vietnamese noshery in the CBD. Will try this soon. Thanks.

felix said...

Oh cool, they turned that place into a Vietnamese restaurant :) Looks like I'll be heading down there today for some pho

OohLookBel said...

Nice find. Makes a welcome change from the usual pub food.

john@heneedsfood said...

How funny. Just popped out to have lunch at Malay Chinese, looked up & noticed a sign for Vietnamese next door & decided to have lunch there. Tucking into my bbq pork & noodle & Googled this place & found your review. Love it! Definitely coming back, great food.

fromblank said...

great find! i'll have to try it.

sab@

fromblank.blogspot.com

YaYa said...

Have been waiting so long for Vietnamese place to open in the CBD, great news!

Tina@foodboozeshoes said...

Cool, an alternative to Hunter Arcade... :) Still not a big fan of Hunter Bar though....

Obesebaby said...

I walked pass this place everday, I did notice the vietnamese sign but was too scare to walk down and check out as the stairscase looks creepy...thanks for the post I will def. check out for lunch and crispy chicken with noodle soup is one of my favourite =)

thang @ noodlies said...

no way, a nice viet place in the CBD.. yeah!

Simon Leong said...

hi joey, it's a rare find in the CBD. i hope it goes well but not too well because i'd always like a seat available.

hi felix, hope you enjoy the pho. i think it's pretty decent. perhaps not the best but for a city eatery it's pretty decent.

hi bel, certainly a welcome change. i don't usually have pub food unless it's a social outing.

hi john, what great timing. i've been back twice now. getting more popular although they're timing on cooking can be better. some people at table get there meals before others even though ordering all at the same time, but the wait is worth it.

hi fromblank, hope you enjoy, let me know what you try and if any good.

hi yaya, there's also Naughty Chef under Wynyard which is OK for pho. but there's not much choice around the city. we need more good cheap Vietnamese to open.

hi tina, they need to do something about the decor, it's quite dark and depressing and the music can be a bit hit and miss which they play sometimes a bit too loud.

hi obesebaby, it took a bit of courage for me to walk down there the first time as well. it's not particularly inviting but it's worth doing it.

hi thang, perhaps not as good as cabramatta but one of the better ones now available in the city. they used to have a restaurant on Crown St and then out at Canley Heights I think and not they've brought it into the city so they have experience.

Mich said...

Whatever happened to this yummy pho place that used to be on Hunter Street? My friends and I were so disappointed when we turned up one day and it was no longer there! Replaced by a pizza joint. I only eat chicken pho that uses chicken broth and this was one of the few places that doesn't use beef broth in it's chicken pho. I need to find a replacement pho place in the city.

Simon Leong said...

hi mich, i was sad when they left as well although you'll be happy to know they're now located in Market City Food Court, Haymarket :-)

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