There’s a multitude of small Vietnamese eateries out in the western suburbs that I’ve yet to eat at. The first place that I run into on my journey is Tien Giang Quan which is located in a small shopping complex on Days Road in Croydon Park. With exactly 24 items on the menu, their offerings can be classified as traditional Vietnamese fare which includes broken rice, rice noodle soups, beef noodle soup, salads and grilled meats, only to name a few.

The decor at this place is very dated and there’s a lot of clutter about. There are exactly 32 seats at this place with all the utensils and condiments at your finger tips.

For lunch, I ordered the Pho Dac Biet (Special Beef Noodle Soup). The dish came out 15 minutes after ordering and came with all the trimmings.

The meats contained in this dish were raw beef slices, beef brisket and beef meatballs.  The beef slices were lean, and were cooked perfectly in the piping hot broth. The beef brisket should have also been lean, but it had this thin layer of chewy fat that altered the texture of the meat. The brisket meat should have also fell apart quite easily which it didn’t, instead, it was a bit on the tough side. The beef meatballs weren’t of the best quality as I encountered bits of fat.

Fresh noodles were used and they were perfectly cooked. All the vegetables that came with this dish were also fresh. Now to the crux of the dish, the broth. When the dish arrived, I could see large fat globules floating on the top. Now I usually like to have this part scooped off, but it was my fault for not specifying. It also indicates that real beef bones were used in the cooking process. How did the broth taste? A good broth should have an intense beef flavour, which this one didn’t. It was good but not great.

The staff were friendly and the service was good. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was reasonable. The cost a large Beef Noodle Soup will set you back $11 which is good in anyone’s language. The most expensive dish on the menu is $15 which is still acceptable.

For beef noodle soup, there are other places in the western suburbs that specialise in this dish, and naturally, they do it better.

WHERE: 113-131 Days Rd, Croydon Park