Pho Toan Thang, Flemington
There might be a dozen restaurants near Flemington station but Pho Toan Thang is the only one you can guarantee will have a queue out the front. A long-held favourite with locals, the dining room is heaving with families, toddlers, couples, groups of friends and wizened pensioners. During peak hours, the queue out the front can be twenty-deep.
Pho Toan Thang might have a Vietnamese name, but the menu covers both Vietnamese and Cantonese dishes. The dining room offers the usual DIY set-up, with chopsticks, cutlery, condiments and tissues-for-napkins on every table. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to share your table with others during busy periods.
The classic pho dac biet, or combination beef rice noodle soup gets star billing on the menu, a huge bowl of clear broth packed with rice noodles, beef tendon, beef balls and thin shavings of beef.
Crisp chicken with tomato rice $10.50
The crisp chicken with tomato rice is a winner, the skin rendered to a glassy tile that shatters at first bite.
Deep fried pork chop with tomato rice $10.50
The deep-fried pork chop also comes up trumps, so juicy and sweet you’ll end up gnawing the bone to claim every last skerrick. But it’s the tomato rice that accompanies both that will blow your mind completely. Where other places tend to serve up a bright orange rice that’s heavy on the bottled tomato sauce and overly sweet, here it’s a deeper tinge of tan with more savoury notes, caramelised edges and hints of high heat smokiness known as “wok breath”.
Beef fried rice $10
It’s this wok breath or “wok hei” that makes the fried rice here so special too. You’ll find bits of dark and crunchy morsels in amongst the beef fried rice, plumped up with peas, shallots and fluffy omelette clouds.
Fried rice with salted fish and chicken $10
Black pepper pork trotters $12.50
Spring rolls $6.50
Pho Toan Thang
Shop 9, 90-95 The Crescent, Flemington, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9764 3687
Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 9am - 8pm
This article appeared in the September 2014 issue of Time Out Sydney in my monthly Food & Drink column Eat This! [Read online]
Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews
posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 10/01/2014 04:00:00 pm
15 Comments:
At 10/01/2014 4:22 pm, chocolatesuze said…
mmm crispy skin chicken! definitely going here on the weekend!
At 10/01/2014 5:36 pm, steph | a little bit of tang said…
Favourite pho place !
At 10/01/2014 7:30 pm, Ramen Raff said…
Oh dude, I'm so going there soon for ghat crispy skin chicken and tomato rice! And yes to that black pepper pork trotters too!
At 10/01/2014 10:25 pm, Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…
Hi Anon - I don't think anyone's crispy skin chicken beats the one at Tan Viet! lol
At 10/01/2014 10:31 pm, ChopinandMysaucepan said…
Dear Helen,
I think the salted fish and marinated chicken fried rice is really tasty with incredible wok hei. One of the best in Sydney.
At 10/02/2014 9:27 am, Francesca said…
Looks very tasty. Thank goodness for the Vietnamese people. Many came in here boats, and look at their amazing contribution to our cuisine as well as other professions.
At 10/02/2014 5:19 pm, Unknown said…
That deep fried pork chop with tomato rice looks delicious! Great portion sizing for the price!!
At 10/02/2014 7:24 pm, Unknown said…
Some seriously tasty food here as always Helen. When is Pho not just Pho, when it becomes a feast! this is a true feast!!!
At 10/03/2014 8:54 am, Amanda @ Gourmanda said…
I love Pho Toan Thang, it's always one of my picks whenever I go to Flemington! I'm surprised you actually managed to get a photo of the exterior with no lines though - there's always lines whenever I go.
At 10/03/2014 11:22 am, MAB vs Food said…
Love Pho Toan Thang! It's the closest place for me to get a good bowl of pho :9
At 10/03/2014 12:17 pm, Cassie | Journey From Within said…
My parents used to live in Flemington, and the one we used to go to has closed down :( My first ever Pho as a child ... human.
But this is a great place too! ^^
At 10/03/2014 12:23 pm, Vivian - vxdollface said…
I've been coming here for a long time! This has always been my go-to Vietnamese restaurant when I don't want to go all the way to Bankstown :) they've always had long lines!
At 10/03/2014 1:30 pm, Sherrie @ Crystal Noir said…
Love the tomato rice here! My fave version I've tried so far :D And who can say no to crispy skinned chicken? :P
At 10/05/2014 9:17 am, Cindy (a foodie's joy) said…
I agree, this was place always has a queue out the door. Deep fried pork with tomato rice for me please! Hehe!'
At 10/06/2014 9:17 am, Arwen (Hoglet K) said…
Wok breath is a wonderful description of the smokey crispy bits that make stir fried food special. Sounds like this was worth waiting in a queue for!
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