Review Pho Xpress Foodhouse - Balmain

I ordered the Classic Chicken Pho and being Vietnamese myself I was disappointed with the soup base which had strong lemongrass, star anise and 5 spice flavour, but virtually no meat flavour; and was very salty as well. Additionally, the serving was about ¾ bean sprouts, carrots and bok choy (the latter two of which I have never seen in any Pho dish before), and the small portion of noodles that was served was broken into tiny pieces making it impossible to pick up with chopsticks. The pieces of chicken were very salty and on the verge of being a bit dry. Wouldn't come here for authentic pho again.

I eat Pho here on a regular basis and find the taste very unique. The information card on the table details there pho style and history. The customer service is pleasant and i enjoy the fact it is not as crowded as the food court upstairs.

Update: The service was great and food lovely as usual. I didn't get $5 back but I don't expect to either. It's nice to be able to have a delicious bowl of pho on a cold day. The food is quite good. Vermicelli salad was best I had in Sydney, and I am no expert in Vietnamese food but they do better pho in the George Street side near Wynyard station in my opinion. Mint leaves are fresh. It comes no close to pho in Western Sydney but still tastes nice enough. Service was good until I came across a staff member last week Friday who short changed me by 5 dollars (I admit it was my fault for not checking before I sat down, by that time I had no proof so I had to let it go), and not only that but also did not provide me with any chopsticks or spoon to eat with. I am sure the other staff did serve food with cutlery in the other times I had been there to eat. I may still continue to go because the other nicer staff always say thank you as I leave, but I will avoid getting served by that particular staff member. To owner of the shop, I write this as she might treat other customers the way she treated me, and I am sure it is not your intention to upset any customers.

I can see how below some other reviews the owners describe the effort they put in to making their broth, using ox tail bones, simmering for 16 hours, not using artificial flavoring or MSG etc. Unfortunately, none of this effort seems to come through into the broth itself, which was thin and nearly flavorless. As stated by the owners, "a good broth should have the depth of flavour and character that goes beyond the initial taste", this broth had a barely discernible initial taste and a mildly bitter, unpleasant aftermath. It does not resemble any pho I have had at other places in Sydney, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, or the homes of my Vietnamese friends. They state that "Pho aficionado will know that not every pho broth tastes the same". This is true, I have tried and enjoyed many different styles of pho before. This was definitely not one of them.

Delicious, fresh and super tasty Vietnamese! Was really pleasantly surprised with how good this little Balmain local is. There's a great range of non-pho dishes - we had a tofu dish, chicken/rice/egg dish, pork salad and truffle bread/pork dish and all were fabulously tasty and felt healthy and not oily. So much better than your average Vietnamese joint. We'll be back!

Awesome experience. Had a few take seats in the past but had a dine in last week. The chicken Pho was delicious but the fruit crepes desert was unexpectedly devine. On top of that their service (for a small place) is top notch. Very impressed and will absolutely go back. Also the rice paper spring rolls are quite big.

I wonder why so many reviews complain about the broth. Now I know why. I just ordered through Menulog. I try a bit before pour the broth into the bowl. Their broth is tasty. It's mean rice noodle change their broth into tasteless. I suggest changing to better rice noodle. Minus one star for a rice noodle. I love their broth.

I'm in love with this place! Being a big pho fan I ventured in here this week with big expectations. Pho Express did not disappoint! I had the chicken pho soup to which I only added a touch of chilli and a smidgen of hoisin sauce & it was delicious!!! Totally perfect bowl of pho. My partner had the beef pho and he loved every last drop of it. We then shared the pancakes with chocolate sauce and orange. Definitely have the pancakes! Yum! They're perfect. I took a special juice away which was a mix of melon, cucumber and ginger. Again, delicious. It had something sweet added to it and it was perfectly balanced. I also took a Viet banana cake home. It came with a coconut sauce and is the yummiest, moistest banana cake ever. The decor is great, very funky, fresh and with great little touches like being able to harvest your own basil fresh from the plant for your pho :) We tucked up in the window seats and watched the world go by. The service is top notch. They are so gentle, polite and the manager/owner came over and had a lovely chat. He told us the pho stock cooks for 16 hours- hence the deliciousness of it :) All in all, I love this little place. It's squeaky clean too. I worked in restaurants for years and considering this place has been open 8 months it all looks like new- the open kitchen is gleaming as is the whole restaurant and bathrooms. Needless to say- I'll be back. A lot. Thanks :)