When Hong Nguyen and husband Angus Sutherland opened Phat Pho in Brisbane’s inner-city suburb of Newstead last month they hoped to bring a slice of streetside Saigon to the neighbourhood. Well they have succeeded.

During a midweek lunchtime visit, the bustling vibe of the Vietnamese city was palpable with groups of 20-somethings and nearby office workers piling into the tiny eatery for cheap and cheerful Asian delights, such as banh mi thit, rice paper rolls and chicken fried rice.

It’s a relaxed, no-frills kind of place, with a mixture of basic tables and chairs, flanked by walls lined with black-and-white prints of Vietnamese streets, and down the back – a drinks fridge with soft drinks and water (the eatery is unlicensed, but BYO), and the counter where diners place their order.

It can get rather loud and chaotic inside, so choose one of the bar tables on the footpath outside if you’re looking for a more intimate experience.

Nguyen rattles the pans, while a team of young, friendly staff run meals to the tables and operate the register.

Dishes leave the kitchen as they are prepared, so look at sharing a range of plates rather than ordering your own to avoid finding yourself waiting for yours as your companion finishes theirs.

Ours arrive in a successive flurry, beginning with the pork spring rolls ($7.50). The four uniform, crunchy, golden cigars are piping hot and generously filled with a flavoursome pork and veg mix. Dipped into the accompanying sweet chilli sauce, they’re a crowd pleaser.

A healthier version are the nem nuong lettuce wraps ($7.50) featuring a trio of iceberg nests bulging with crisp-edged, sausage-like bites of pork mince, a tangle of thin, round rice noodles, pickled carrots, mint, coriander and crumbled peanuts.
With a chilli-infused dipping sauce, they make a light, yet filling, easy midday meal.

The beef pho ($13.50) is a popular choice with the lunch crowd, starring tender slivers of flank steak and fatty little beef dumplings, that bob alongside slippery flat rice noodles in a subtly flavoured broth. Despite those oleaginous dumplings, it feels somewhat virtuous to eat, although, sadly, the noodles were overcooked, making them almost impossible to fish from the bowl.

The Vietnamese chicken salad ($14.50) is simple but well executed with its blend of shredded poached chicken breast, wafer-thin slices of crunchy cabbage, curls of carrot, torn mint and a dusting of peanut crumbs. Only the tiniest amount of the accompanying nuoc cham is necessary, with the dish so fresh and vibrant.

If you’re looking for big, bold flavours that smack you in the face, you won’t find them here. Phat Pho is an exercise in subtlety and restraint, with the dishes clean, bright and distinctly Vietnamese.

Originally published on couriermail.com.au