TL;DR: Freshness abounds right here, all the way from the kitchen to the service, right to the table. Something is definitely in the air about it, with food portions that - while respecting being fresh and healthy - are still generous and filling. Viet Pho Ever proves to be pretty good value, and it seems like empty words in saying something should take off well - especially here since it already is with a popular draw for Uber drivers, and the proximity to the gym. It also does not hurt that the food is among the tastiest, and could rival many of the treats in Inala.
It had been one more stroke of luck mixed with an unfortunate incident that led to choosing this place of all the choices. This was all on the UberEats app, and the first choice seemed to be in motion initially. Waiting at the designated place, after the place went "food being prepared" to the "food [being] on the way", after about a minute the app exited off the tracking map to tell that the order was cancelled. These sorts of things tend to happen a bit, unfortunate as they are, so a plan B had to be initiated post-haste.
Next step was to make it fairly quick and stick to something I like to keep consistent when ordering at work - it if is fairly finger-food friendly, that is more the go. It just so happens one of the favourites foods right here is the trusty old banh mi, and there was one place that did those close by, and managed to be pretty quick all up. This hit so many check points, and it practically fell into my lap - perfect! So just plugging in a few items to order, and a short while later the driver was right there.
Well, the service was very quick. That is about the heads and tail of it. Plus, in attempting to keep locations undisclosed, there has not been the best success rate in getting the right place with the driver knowingly knowing to meet there and going through with it. The case here was a good one, no wrong turns, or driving around the place seeming lost - right to the point, no questions asked, all went well and swift, no hitches and that is the best way for delivery service to go.
The brunt of the menu here goes straight to offering street food, with a few more substantial meals added on to pad it out. Starting it all off are the usual appetiser fare, bits of finger-food here and there namely different sorts of spring rolls among other popular choices at Vietnamese restaurants. Next up after that is a couple of varieties of banh mi which needs no introduction, then a few kinds of salad including the noodle salad which also has a variety of meats to add into it.
If pho is what is being looked for, fear not because they have that right here. That plus another soup called "bun bo hue", and they have not neglected giving out the choice of a couple of kinds of curry (by the by, Vietnamese curry is under-rated and worth a try). It all rounds off and finishes with several rice plates, wholesome and balanced as they are. Beverages consist (presumably) of the usual bottled variety, plus the good old Vietnamese iced coffee. Unfortunately (at least for me), that last one was not available on the app because by golly does it always go with a banh mi.
So this all started with a bahn mi sounding good. That was the first cab off the rank, with the first option that popped up being chosen. It was the classical pork banh mi, which came with three different kinds of pig meat: ham, braised pork, and meatballs. Among the standard fillings of mayonnaise, pate, pickled carrot, cucumber, coriander and their home-made sauce, the usual request went in place to load it up with plenty of chili. A couple of options to get on the side existed, one of them being crispy fries. By pure impulse, those were added on to the order.
With a good review underway (more makes it meatier), I just went on going. The next lot to be added on included some salt and pepper squid, since that is always pretty reliable, and a last one, since they weren't too much, went to getting some meat skewers - honey sesame chicken to be exact. With each of these items in the order, there was no one that was bad and even better, not one of them is worthy of being called a weak link. Combined, they all did their job and made a filling meal that would satisfy even a sumo's stomach.
First off with the banh mi, this is among the best that is available in town. You get a good portion meaning size for value, and in addition to that, they fill it up practically to the brim with the ingredients - none are skimped upon. The combination of mayonnaise and pate was an effective one, with both being fairly rich and the pate getting the flavour with the creamy texture of the mayonnaise. All the vegetables were fresh and crunchy, plus the addition of chili was certainly noted. Each meat was tender, with the meatballs definitely being the best. They had a light flavour to them, and the marinade in them added some more flavour to the concoction. The braised pork was also good, adding a little bit of fat into it all, and the ham was delicious in of itself. All this on a good baguette, which had a light dough, plus a rich, crunchy crust that had a good amount of butter in it. This alone makes Viet Pho Ever worth visiting.
That is not to dismiss the rest of what was ordered either. On the side, the fries were good value. The portion was generous considering the small price, and they had a nice seasoning to them. Cut to the right size, the texture was spot on with both the inside and outside, and were certainly crispy. My colleague even managed to sneak a try of a few.
It is with good faith that I can say salt and pepper squid is still on a winning streak at the moment. Almost everywhere from pubs to Chinese restaurants know their way around it, and Viet Pho Ever is another notch in that belt. Pipping hot, and delicious, the squid meat here was pretty tender and lithe, plus the batter was medium texture - not heavy like beer batter nor light like tempura, somewhere in the middle - and was readily flavoured with salt and pepper. A big plus is just how many pieces were in the order - it was substantial even as a snack. Also, the chicken skewers were a nice little snack. Tender pieces of chicken breast were marinated in the honey-sesame sauce, and then they were lightly grilled. Simple as it gets, they still managed to hit the spot
While Wooloongabba has never been short on several great places to get a meal at, right around the bus station has usually not fared as well as it should. Hopefully, this is where Viet Pho Ever comes in to give even more life to the place, since it ticks a number of boxes. The food is good, the location works out well with the apartment complex just above along with plenty of patrons from the buses, the value for money works out well, and no matter where it goes, a street food place - particularly one with fare from Vietnam - always works out a treat. Viet Pho Ever is a welcome addition, working well out with the low-key approach to their aesthetics purely making the focus on how good the food is; I'm also not the only one who has this idea, since it makes for a popular choice with UberEats. I haven't thought much about what the last meal request that I would have - hypothetical of course. Just add a good Vietnamese drip coffee onto the side, and this could well be a contender for that.
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