Vietnam Kitchen @ 1 Utama, PJ

This is the first Vietnamese restaurant I dined at and will always be my favourite because of its big portions and cheap price tag. My friends and I somehow always meet up at Vietnam Kitchen to catch up :D

   

Vietnam Kitchen

   

Menu

   

Sliced Chicken and Spring Roll Vermicelli (RM 11.90)

    
Remember I mentioned this awesome dry version of Vietnamese noodles in this post? Well here it is on our very own Malaysian shores <yay!>
  
This dish is like a big bowl of noodle salad which I guess it is but it satisfies my meat cravings with juicy pieces of well marinated chicken and crispy deep-fried Vietnamese spring roll. You just douse the vermicelli together with slices of carrots, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce and bean sprouts with the sweet and spicy fish sauce dressing given and mix 'em all up! Eaten together with the sprinkled chopped nuts, this dish is extremely refreshing and light on the taste buds.
  
There is a downside to this dish though which is the spring roll tends to get a little soggy from the sauce pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Solution? Rest it on the bed of mint leaves =D

 

My favourite dish ^_^

   

Tossed vermicelli

   

Stir Fried Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli (RM 11.90)

JS had the Stir Fried Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli which was also very good. The beef slices were very tender and well marinated. The side vegetables and noodle dressing given are the same for all dry noodles.
  

Tossed vermicelli

   
All in all, this is one cheap and yummy restaurant. I have not eaten the signature Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (RM 13.90) in a long time but last I tried, it was quite good. I have also tried the Beef Stew with Tomato Sauce and Rice (RM 10.90), XO Sauce Fried Vermicelli (RM 11.90) Saigon Seafood Fried Noodles (RM 13.90) and Sliced Beef Fried Noodles (RM 12.90) and all were good. The Hue Style Beef Noodle Soup (RM 13.90) is a little odd to my finicky taste buds but my mum prefers this version over the original.
  
Another reason why I like going there is because there is a 10% discount for Citibank card holders. It expires end of 2011 I think but it seems as though the promo has always been there so hopefully next year, it will still be valid.
  

PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion

  

Vietnam Kitchen
S312 2nd Floor
Highstreet
One Utama Shopping Centre
Tel: 03 7724 1366
Daily: 10.30am - 10pm

Pho Dzung Tan Dinh @ Melbourne

As Melbourne is teeming with Vietnamese, I figured that Vietnamese cuisine there should be as authentic as it gets. So after searching through a number of Melbourne food blogs, Pho Dzung Tan Dinh seems to get the best reviews out of the numerous restaurants.
 

Restaurant counter

Medium Sliced Beef Pho (AUD 9.50)

 

• Huge amount of tender slices of beef.
• Concentrated beef stock but the aftertaste is light and clear.
• Equal quantities of beef slices, rice noodles and bean sprouts.
• Lemon wedges add an unconventional tangy zing to the soup.
• Mint leaves (I should say branches) are huge though and are quite a handful - hard to soak everything in the soup since the bowl is already filled to the brim.

 

Condiments

Grilled Pork Vermicelli (AUD 8.50)

•  Grilled pork was quite good, very well seasoned. Can be a little dry near the bony parts.
• Good variety of vegetables including carrot, cabbage, red cabbage, bean sprouts and cucumber.
• Very large amount of vermicelli, insufficient sauce. It was quite hard to mix everything up properly and in the end, the vermicelli stuck together in a huge lump =.=

 
Overall I think that Vietnamese food in Malaysia is up to par with those at Melbourne (well based on this restaurant which supposedly is one of the best). The pho at Pho Dzung Tan Dinh was good but the Grilled Pork Vermicelli was so-so only - I've had better at Vietnam Kitchen.
 
Well it should be noted that the rave reviews were for the outlet at Richmond whereas we went to the CBD branch so I'm not too sure if there's a difference in taste? It should be the same though <shrug>

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pho Dzung Tan Dinh
234B Russell St
Melbourne CBD
Tel: 03 9663 8885
Daily: 9am - 10pm