“Only if you’re paying” is one of those phrases you only say to your dad when you’re old enough to have moved out and gotten well out of his hair. Thankfully for me, I’ve done both so the comment drew an honest smile instead of a raised eyebrow.
Just down Musk avenue in the Kelvin Grove precinct, across the road from a quiet construction site, is a row of smallish restaurants. The row, like everything that surrounds it, is all kitted out to serve the fresh faced creative industries students from up the hill. Very kitsch. My father and I walked into the row’s dark but open Vietnamese restaurant and began looking like we’d never seen a menu before.
The service was pleasant from the start. We were greeted at the service counter promptly by a smile and friendly nods. We placed our orders, dad paid, and we turned around to find some outdoor seating. The outdoor tables didn’t look to be as well presented as the indoor furniture but were still comfortable and attractive. The overall decor of the restaurant, while dark, wasn’t glum or depressing but instead cosy and, at least inside, intimate.
It wasn’t long before our meals were brought out to us; I’d say it was no more than 15 minutes. I’d ordered the beef and clear noodle soup and a plate of mini spring rolls while dad had decided on the garlic prawns. I’m often surprised by the servings sizes at south east Asian restaurants and my meal didn’t disappoint, it was huge. The soup was served in a bowl I could have drowned in and came with a small plate of traditional garnishes such as lemon grass, oyster sauce and chili sauce.
The soup, beef and noodles were all delicious. The beef, despite coming in shapes for which I was untrained to handle, was tender and well flavoured by the broth. The Noodles broke records for being difficult to operate with chop sticks. Even using a spoon made little difference.
Reader, I must warn you, when this shop gives you a red sauce that smells of chili, be prepared to have the wrath of God laid upon your tongue should you try and eat it. It is hot, and not just unusually so, it’s hot enough to start some kind of pilgrimage amongst heat lovers everywhere.
The beef and clear noodle soup was enough to over fill even my generous proportions and I’m not sure the mini spring rolls were worth the extra space required. While they were well cooked, they were a little on the small size for their price and tasted a touch bland.
Meanwhile as I was trying to fit my own ambitiously sized meal into me, dad was happily making his way through the garlic prawns. The dish was a fair deal smaller than mine but there were still plenty of prawns of a decent size. From the prawn I tasted it would appear that my own mediterranean greed for garlic hadn’t been communicated to the cook here but would probably suit a more traditional Australian palette.
The true draw card of the place came as I walked away. I noticed a pearl tea sign at the front counter and was cautiously pleased to see a taro flavoured tea. It had been years since I’d indulged in Taro so I had one made. The drink was delicious in a way most Australians, being unfamiliar with Taro, are used to. It’s a smooth and creamy taste, ever so slightly sweet and with a flavour you’ll find hard to peer. If you go to Kelvin Grove for only one reason, go for the Taro.
Now, if I could just remember what the bloody place was called I could submit this for uni.
