Hung Vuong Saigon

Prior to Bear going back to Sydney, we did manage to squeeze in a pho date in the West. Pho is one of my favourite things to eat in the Melbourne winter. It's warm soup noodle and best of all, it's generally good, fast and cheap.

During a project with A, he introduced to me Hung Vuong calling it the best pho in Melbourne, he took me and he was right. I then told Bear, Miss P and Mario about it and they were all keen to try it so off we went to the west.

Miss P got the BBH which had a nice rich broth and a soup loaded with topping.

Bear got the pork chop rice. It came with lemongrass scented pork chops, shredded meat load, cucumber, carrots served on a bed of broken rice and fish sauce on the side. The pork chop was well marinated and cooked till it was soft enough to be cut through with a spoon. Quite a satisfying meal.

Mario got the beef special. This is basically a pho version of 'burger with the lot', it had fresh beef, beef balls, tripe, beef sausage, blood and silky soft rice noodles. The broth was intense with flavour.

I got the fresh beef with tripe. This is my go to dish each time I go to pho. I prefer mine simple. There was plenty of beef and by the time I added in all the beanshoots, I was a happy camper. The intensity of the broth was just right.

Overall 17/20 I definitely agree with A, this is the best pho in Melbourne!

Station Hotel

After a whole week of all work and no play, D took me to Station Hotel when I told him I was hungry and tired. Located in Footscray, it's a place that you would drive past and not think much of it. D had been here before with the boys and always told me it was one of the best steaks he has ever had. Thought it was time I gave it a go!

We got there at 9pm and was informed the restaurant was full but we could sit at the bar/pub side and had only 30 minutes before the kitchen closed. Under such time pressure, D and I had to make a very fast decision, and thankfully for him, I'm one of those people who responds well under time pressure. ;)

Feeling a little gluttony, D and I got the crumbed mussels and spicy ragu bolognaise to start of with. The crumbed mussel came in a small bowl with chorizo and olives and a side of dipping butter. It was my first time having crumbed mussels so I wasn't too sure what to expect, but it did not fail me. The exterior was perfectly deep fried whilst maintaining the texture and taste of the mussel. The chorizo was oily (but not too oily) and made the whole dish feel like a guilty pleasure.

The spicy ragu bolognaise looked quite sloppily plated up but more than made up for it in taste. The ricotta, slightly spicy sauce and the al dente penne all served with a heap of salad on top was just the best pasta I've eaten in a long time. The creaminess of ricotta paired with that mild spiciness ragu is homey but also luxe. I will be coming back for this one (but next time I'll have it as a main and not share it with D). A definite must try and you could just come here for the pasta it was that good.

Now to the mains; I saw wagyu on the menu for less than $50 so my decision was made within 2 seconds and it was a great choice too.

 The steak was a perfect medium rare. The basting wasn't overdone and just right. With a dollop of Bearnaise and some pepper sauce to mix it up a little, I was very happy.

D got the Gippsland scotch fillet. His was also succulent and perfectly medium rare. D is a mustard person so he opted for that and the Bearnaise. Though he did have a bit of steak envy after he tasted my wagyu.

The Bearnaise was more like a thick hollandaise cross aioli with herbs. Not quite your usual Bearnaise and it worked well. Both steaks came with a generous serving of salad and chips.

We got greedy and got a side of beans. We really didn't need to and I regretted it, not because it was bad but we just couldn't finish it. Needless to say, we never reached dessert. =(

Overall 17.5/20 That wagyu steak was amazing, I would drive another 45 minutes just to come back for that wagyu steak and spicy ragu bolognaise.