We were so delighted to meet the very accomplished and accommodating owner of Viet Menu, Steven Pham when we visited his newest shop. He charmed us with his hospitality and when he finally opened up his second store located at the food court in the City Cross on Rundle, Adelaide, we couldn’t resist but to give this place a go.

Now owning two Vietnamese restaurants, he also owns House of Polish right in front of Viet Menu which offers complete nail services at enticing prices.

It was a long time coming, but they opened up four months ago and are already getting a healthy number of return customers. They offer a great range of Vietnamese food, fresh smoothies and juices (Steven empahizes on a ‘No Frozen Stuff’ policy for his beverages) from which we ordered four different types; Watermelon, Lychee, Mango and of course (I can’t go pass) the Durian mixed with Avocado which is more like a thick-shake. They also do Durian juice by itself. My oh my, I could happily enjoy all four juices by myself, they were very refreshing. They also give you the option to create your own juice in addition to offering the famous Vietnamese Coffee, teas and infused teas! What spectacular service. To further spoil their customers, they also offer a great deal of Meal Combos. Not just that, Viet Menu has also signed up with Menulog, Eat Club and soon UberEats, this way you can order without having to leave the comfort of your home and can still enjoy all of these deliciousness.

Spring Rolls

For the entree we had the Spring Rolls. Excellent crunchy texture! Deep fried correctly where its crunchy on the outside but still tender on the inside, they put just the right mix of filling and seasoned it with a beautiful family recipe.

Combination Pho

With a hint of star anise that you can really taste, again using the family recipe, the broth was so good that it was hard to stay composed. The combination includes rare beef, beef brisket slices, meatballs and also has the option of Chicken or Tofu with vegetables if you feel like a vegetarian dish. In a beautiful bowl with such stunning 5 star presentation, you can smell this hot beef broth a mile away. I will definitely be back for this Pho.

Vietmenu Laksa Seafood

The moment all the food arrived, I told myself I will try this dish first. Being a picky laksa eater and this dish is traditionally found south of Vietnam, I didn’t know what to expect. And yet, I was surprised on how well their pork broth and curry superbly combined to create this tasty and spicy laksa, just as it should be. The menu does mention the laksa comes with hokkien noodles, however we got the rice noodles instead which was as good as the original. Prawns, squid and fish cakes were generous with a good amount of bokchoy. Viet Menu nailed this one.

Noodle Salad Bowl (Bun)

This dish is a mixture of vermicelli noodles at the bottom, topped with fresh salad such as lettuce, grated julienne carrots, cucumber and a considerable portion of meat with your choice of beef steak, roast pork, chicken, tofu, sugar cane prawns and the list goes on! This with added spring rolls gave it a complete look for a delicious and satisfying salad bowl.

Meat Roll (Banh Mi)

We can never go pass the Banh Mi when enjoying Vietnamese cuisine and because we love pork so much, we ordered the crackling roast pork which did not disappoint. The roll was perfect, not a dry bit to be found and so large, which makes sense as they put a lot of fillings inside. Amazing flavours to be had. I couldn’t stop eating it even though I knew I still had a couple more dishes to try!

Combination Rice & Chargrilled Chicken with Rice

Moving on to the Rice Dishes, we tried their Combination Rice and Chargrilled Chicken with Rice. The Combination Rice was divine. The gustatory quality of the chicken was out of this world, very well seasoned, a little on the sweeter side and the chicken was so tender. We thoroughly enjoyed this one.
The Combination Rice came with a mixture of roasted pork with crackling, fried egg, pickled vegetables, shredded pork rind and char-grilled pork chop. Hot broth on the side with the popular chilli fish sauce in a small bowl. For those who love their chilli like me, this is a must.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our meals there. Its convenient location and efficiency are highly sought after to people who don’t have a lot of time on their lunch break and yet Viet Menu still puts their quality of food as the number one priority. From Rice Dish’s and Noodle Salad Bowls to their Tofu and Spring Rolls, I guess it’s true what the saying say, that fresh is best and the fact that they also offer a Vegan menu is just a bonus!

Opens daily to satisfy your Vietnamese cravings you can find them at the City Cross Shopping Centre.

Word by Dee Pene from Adelaide Food Authority

WHERE: Shop T19, City Cross Shopping Centre, 32 Grenfell St, Adelaide