Saigon Sally

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant

The day after this dinner, I knocked on my boss’s door at 11am and asked if she wanted anything from Laneway Greens, since I was going to grab a green juice as I was feeling a bit run down. 

She looked at me.

“No Ashley. You’re hungover.”

Urk. Got me there. 

But good food, good wine…good company. Being hungover on a Wednesday was only natural thing. Surely.

Saigon Sally is a sensual little lady, hiding off on a side street perpendicular to Chapel Street. Keep an eye out for the red light, lively beats and great smells wafting out the doorway to find her. 

She’s dark and a little bit of a mish mash; dim lights, gorgeous wall mural, sanded down tables, white brick walls. 

We settle down on to our table and are swiftly greeted with a ‘You got Girlfriend Vietnam?’ cocktail, a dangerously delicious mix of Tanqueray gin, junmai sake, lime, cucumber, mint and jasmine tea. Sweet, but not overly so, and so refreshing. I want these all the time, especially through all of summer!

But before we get too drunk on cocktails, fried chicken ribs make their way to our table, with gocuchang, sesame, garlic and siracha mayo. Crispy batter, succulent chicken, seasoned well. What more do you want to stuff your face with? 

In contrast, the kingfish ceviche served with pomelo, green papaya, shallots and chilli on betel leaf is a lovely refreshing mouthful, with a nice array of texture thrown in for good mix.

The seared scallops with green curry, apple and salmon roe smell amazing, and have me tipping the shell so I could slurp the rich coconut broth from the bottom. I loved the crunch of the green apple as well, slightly tart, slightly sweet, just lovely with the perfectly cooked scallop. 

The wagyu beef tartare with young coconut, Vietnamese mint, perilla and puffed rice paper was simply, simply stunning. Beautifully presented, gorgeously tender, and such an experience on top of the crunchy, crunchy puffed up rice paper, which in my opinion just accentuated the tartare’s texture. Although it was a little messy to eat!

The DIY Banh Xeo Taco was quite cute, with a serving of prawn, pork, coconut, turmeric, bean shoots and spring onions; however DIY always means it’s a bit of a mess to eat (especially after a couple of glasses of wine)! 

The crispy barramundi sat in a spicy pho broth with lettuce, clams and lemongrass, beautifully aromatic and cooked well. I particularly enjoyed picking out the clams, sweet but also spicy from the broth. 

Sticky lamb ribs with mandarin, oyster sauce, fennel and star anise hide under an enormous flowery salad. The meat just pulls clean off the bone, and just melts in the mouth, a beautiful emulsion of fattiness, sweet and just a touch tangy. 

Bia Can Chicken is a whole roasted chicken cooked with Bia Hanoi in a Hainanese style. Don’t make the mistake of trying to drink that can of beer, it’s actually a broth to be poured over your roasted chicken! Herbaceous, salty enough, the chicken was tender, but I don’t recall it being super succulent and didn’t leave as much as an impression flavour-wise as I might have thought it would. Although having said that we were fed a lot of wine…

The pumpkin and tofu with coconut roasted pumpkin, crisp tofu, lemongrass, taro and watercress is simply an art piece when it arrives on the table. On top of that, delicious. I think this came out at the same time as the chicken…and although it was supposed to be for the vegetarian on the table…I certainly got enthusiastic about it too. Beautiful crunchy textures from the tofu and taro, with the creamy and beautifully savoury sweet pumpkin…yum!

Honestly, by the time we finished the mains, I’m surprised head chef Adrian Li hadn’t kicked us all out (or at least our end of the table). Seriously, put I-Hua and I next to each other, provide us both with ample amounts of wine and you’ll hear us from a block or two away. (Sorry other people at Saigon Sally!) 

But Adrian was good natured, laughing with us (or maybe at us) as he told us about his dishes. 

Looks like a sandwich, but this is actually the Tira-mi-Sally, and she’s sweet; macaron, Vietnamese coffee parfait, condensed milk and peanut brittle all in just a couple of mouthfuls. The Vietnamese coffee parfait was lovely and rich, and I loved the texture of the macaron, it wasn’t the usual macaron type of texture, there was a little more density to it, but it was still light when paired with everything else.  

But now really, the show stopper for dessert was the Dame blanche, bounty chocolate meringue shell, coconut ice cream, coconut cremeux and molten chocolate was another sculptural masterpiece. Although we were definitely feeling a bit of tummy stretch going on, I could not resist continuing to reach back for the meringue shell coated in chocolate, light, but sweet with that delightful texture that meringues have when it crumbles in your mouth. 

Obviously, a roaring good night. Literally. Saigon Sally is described as the ‘older, more sophisticated sister’ out of Hanoi Hannah and Tokyo Tina, and she really is. Creatively and beautifully plated food with big and interesting flavours. Great for dinner with the beau, or a long and boozy cocktail session with the girls. Make your pick! 

Saigon Sally

2 Duke Street

Prahran 3181

Unwrapping Roll'd

Disclosure: I was invited to have a chat and some lunch with Bao from Roll'd by Harvey PR

There's really something special about being part of a family that's connected to and obsessed with a rich food culture. It's taken a while for me, but I've come to be quite passionate about Malaysian food and as such, take much joy in sharing that culture with friends who may ask about it. Or maybe just Brad, who I drag with me from hawker centre to hawker centre while we're in Malaysia. Such a good boyfriend. 

The founders from Roll'd have taken that joy of sharing and educating others to a whole new level, and boomed onto the Melbourne scene with their fresh, upbeat and colourful take on Vietnamese food, opening 6 stores within 14 months of beginning. Not to mention with plans to be opening many more in the near future.

In all honesty, when I first heard of Roll'd, I didn't think too much of it. Rice paper rolls have been floating around for a while now and my initial impressions of the brand was that some hipster was trying to make it the new cool thing, like what Mamasita did with tacos, since no one really seems to have tried yet. 

However, as I've always said, I love being proved wrong about these things. (Also I really should stop making assumptions as mine are never very good.)

So on a Tuesday afternoon, I met with Bao, one of the founders, at their bright and colourful store in Brunswick on Sydney Road, to find out a little more history and dig a little deeper than the media releases would give me. With a smile and a hearty laugh, Bao was only more than happy to oblige as I slid onto the table next to the display shelf of spices and ingredients. 

I think the thing that surprised me the most about Roll'd, was to learn how family oriented it was. Founded by Bao, one of his cousins and one of his primary school friends, the concept was hatched over dinner with their wives, as they threw around prospective business ideas. Since their mum's already catered for large family functions, with the rice paper rolls always being a hit, they pondered over whether they could take what they did, and adapt it, to keep the local Vietnamese flavours but also make it inviting to the local palate and see if people would buy it!

They also felt that it was important to focus on providing something healthy, an alternative to sushi if you would.  

So from there, it was a 2 year process of tasting sessions (sounds like fun work to me) and figuring out how to make the concept work, before branding and launching. 

I love the fact that the mothers are now so involved with the business, Bao's mother's pho recipe being the one used in the business, and also being in charge of doing the prep work, and making all the sauces required offsite (which includes one of the key ones...the fish sauce!), which are then sent to the respective outlets by his Dad who acts as delivery man. His aunt's classic pork banh mi recipe is also used at Roll'd, which at the end of the day, since they are home loved recipes, means the food simple, fresh and healthy (three words which you'll read a lot of in this post!).

Even the pictures around us in the Brunswick store are actually old black and white photos of their families, which was just so gorgeous and endearing, I felt like I'm being let into the family. 

As Bao tells me the family background and involvement, I sink my teeth into the huge array of food he's ordered…the proof is in the pudding after all! Safe to say, I was quite impressed.

I thought that the cup of pho was just so fun and practical, if you wanted a little snack or just wanted to be able to try more on the menu! Stuffed with crunchy beanshoots, and a myriad of lively green herbs, I enjoyed the rich flavour of the broth and couldn't help but rather rudely slurp it all up!

I also found the iced tea very refreshing, no sugar added here, so it's a real thirst quencher for me!

The Roll'd Soldiers (which is what they call their rice paper rolls) were also a treat. I find that most places that do rice paper rolls have a lot more rice noodles in them and not so much protein, but at Roll'd, it was definitely a much nicer balance.

Also, top tip, the sauces are awesome and the little containers are designed so that you pour the sauce down the length of the roll instead of dipping them in (they're too small to do that). This is to ensure you get sauce in every bite of the roll you take, and believe me, you don't want to miss out! The protein in the rolls were absolutely bursting with flavour and so juicy, I had liquid streaming down my hands, which equated to finger licking goodness after (I really am such a terrible guest)!

As I continued on with the chicken salad, which came with these rather addictive prawn crackers, I continued to ask Bao what the mission of Roll'd was, and what factors he thought were contributing to their success.

It's clear that Bao is incredibly passionate about his cuisine heritage, and is keen to share that with the rest of Australia and educate about Vietnamese culture. Despite the rather flashy and cheery branding, if you do look at the menu, they keep it very true to Vietnamese cuisine ("No peking duck" he says), with a lot of the items that would be quite easy to get if you were back in Vietnam. 

Although there are many options to choose from on the menu already, Bao lets me in on that they're testing out a Banh Xeo and are looking to possibly cap it off with some rice dishes and skewers in the near future, which will all continue to stay as close to the traditional tastes and flavours of Vietnam as possible.

Along with the authenticity, the focus on fresh, fast and value for money offering (you could quite easily come in a few times a week without hurting the wallet really), it's actually quite obvious to see why they're doing so well. Transparency is also important to Bao, who points out the front display visuals, and the fact that you can see the food being made for you and the environment it's being made in (after all, who wants to see a bain-marie of sad looking grated carrots in a dirty kitchen before they eat), which again emphasises the freshness of their ingredients. 

It's not all easy though, as they do have to keep a close eye on quality, and make sure their operation processes are tight and consistent. I'm honestly surprised to see that they've managed to do this in a relatively short time period, as I have seen some brands who have tried expanding much earlier than they were ready to, without a clear vision, or clear plans in place…and well, that's a whole other conversation. I also found it intriguing that out of the three founders, only one of them actually had experience in the hospitality industry (the other two being a banker and a physio therapist!), but Bao credits this a strength, as the different perspectives allowed them to pick and choose other businesses to model Roll'd on, that they may not have considered otherwise.

Roll'd has already expanding out of the state and into Brisbane, with a Canberra location due to pop up soon…and who else knows where!

Along with their rapid success though, I'm glad to hear that they are giving back and have been sponsoring charities back in Vietnam, most recently focussing on an orphanage there. Bao does admit, it's not a side of the company they're pushing yet into the public eye, but something he hopes to share more in the near future. 

My hour with Bao finishes far too quickly, and I leave with an admiration for the genuine passion and care behind the business and a BBQ Chicken 'Mr Bun Mee' (a Banh Mi if you couldn't quite figure it out) home for dinner to share with Brad. Even hours later after it being made, I greedily salivate over how juicy, saucy and moist the chicken is, which is elevated with the freshness of the coriander and carrot, and a friendly kick or two of chilli. Hot hot hot baby! 

Roll'd

Visit the website for locations

Pho Nam

Now I think being labelled as the 'foodie' sometimes makes people a little shy or intimidated to make suggestions to me…but how far from the truth could that be! I absolutely love recommendations, especially if I may not have considered the recommended place previously…which happens quite a lot with Melbourne being the glorious food mecca that it is, it can get easy to get caught up in the shiny of all the new places in particular...

But alas, recommendations from friends not in the food blogging circle tend to be quite few and far between.

Pho Nam was enthusiastically recommended to me by two of Brad's colleagues, at two separate occasions via Facebook, with a spray of smiley faces. Well there was no two buts about it, I knew I needed to visit, lickity split!

So during December, when I barely had a spare meal free and therefore was not seeing a lot of Brad (bad girlfriend, I know), I put a lunchtime aside, met Brad at his office and strolled across the road to Pho Nam.

A small and simple shopfront, with only a couple of benches and little tables down the sides, there is an immediate sense of charm with the simple decor. A hat here, a photo there. 

The shop is run by a very attentive and hardworking chef and waiter all in one, who immediately recognises Brad and promptly asks if he wants a coffee. 

And when I say coffee, I mean a real Vietnamese coffee that's dripped through, with condensed milk, mixed all together and then chucked in to a glass full of ice. Hey, it was hot. Ice coffee it was. 

It was so aromatic, immediately bringing back memories of our time in Vietnam together, where I would take little sips of all of Brad's coffees. 

I wanted rice paper rolls, no two buts about it, so we got a serve of prawn rice paper rolls. Fresh, clean, with some crunch from veggies, it was all good.

 

Brad got the beef pho, free from MSG. One sip of the soup and I wished I had ordered what he had instead. Rich and full of flavour, with lovely slippery noodles. I'm not a pho expert, but I did enjoy this.

Me, being me, forgot exactly what I ordered, as I'm not so familiar with Vietnamese dishes. Although it's essentially vermicelli noodles (dry, no soup), with plenty of veggies, some spring rolls and fish sauce on the side to pour over. 

It was perfect on the hot day that it was, fresh and kinda cool, although I probably should have asked for a little more sauce to poor over it. Loved, loved, loved the crunchy spring rolls though!

After, because I clearly wasn't full enough from noodles, I ordered the coconut and mint (I think) iced drink. So, so, so, so perfect in the hot weather. And so reasonably priced.

In fact, for the quality of food you're getting, and the amount, it's all pretty good value. I think our whole meal cost around $30, and I was rolling out the door! 

The stretch of Burwood Road next to Swinburne University does tend to be a little bit neglected, Brad always observing the restaurants close down, move out and to just be replaced by another, a continuous cycle. 

But with fresh, healthy and authentic (to the best of my knowledge) Vietnamese food, at a darned good price, I certainly hope that Pho Nam stick around for a while and is worth a visit if you're in the area, or don't mind going a little bit out of your way…

Pho Nam

395 Burwood Road

Hawthorn 3122, Vic

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