But wait, there’s more

I left you on the gritty, urban streets of Bankstown, as we made our way from rice paper rolls to pho. Catherine, our tour leader, stopped and told us of other wondrous shops that unfortunately we wouldn’t have time to visit today. (Apart from the fact that most of them were Lebanese shops and therefore would not have fitted in with the Tastes of Asia tour theme – my observation, not hers.) Fortunately in the goodie bags we had been given at the Lily Lan Supermarket, we also received a Bankstown Bites pamphlet and map, detailing all the shops and suggested self-guided foodie tours.

On to the pho! Arguably the best pho in Sydney (so our tour itinerary stated), we arrived at a very busy restaurant, where patrons were queued out the door waiting for the customers inside to hurry down their pho and give up their seats. We however, were ushered inside by a smiling gentleman and directed to our reserved seats.


We had about a fifteen minute wait before our bowls of soup made an appearance. Pho is a Vietnamese staple soup, with each family & restaurant keeping the exact ingredients a secret. Catherine had told us while we were waiting that when the owner went on holidays, he closed the restaurant rather than divulge his secret recipe!

We had the beef pho, though other varieties were displayed on the extensive wall menu (I think they were, there wasn’t a lot of English.) The pho was a steaming bowl of broth, delicately scented with star anise & cinnamon, with very thin slices of raw beef that cook from the heat of the soup.

A blurry bowl of pho

Fresh coriander, basil and bean sprouts were at each table as well as lemon to squeeze on some juice. Bottles of fish, soy and chilli sauce were also provided on each table to add as desired.

Jess enjoying her pho

The pho was delicious. I don’t know that it’s the best I’ve ever had, as previous bowls of pho in Bonnyrigg and Marrickville seemed to have more flavour, though the flavour may well have been enhanced by memory. Certainly the crowds of people eating and waiting to eat here attest to its well-deserved popularity.

Onwards and upwards! We circled around the streets of Bankstown to return to a coffee shop directly opposite the supermarkets we had visited previously - Cafe Nho.

Catherine pointed out the TK Plaza - home to many interesting shops

A table had been set up towards the front of the cafe, with lots of sweet, cool treats to choose from. On offer were mango or coffee gelato and avocado or mango & coconut smoothie, as well as tastes of black sesame, taro or durian ice-cream. The mango gelato was smooth and full of flavour. I was eager to try the avocado smoothie, which was a not unpleasant blend of avocado flavour and sweetness. I tried both the black sesame and the taro ice creams, both of which were sweet and mild in flavour - though very interesting colours. Unfortunately I missed out on trying the durian ice-cream -next time.

Blurry cups of ice-cream: grey-sesame paste, purple-taro, cream-durian

Avocado smoothies

Our generous and amiable host, Eddie Nguyen also offered small cups of an absolutely delicious strong sweet shot of espresso coffee with an equal amount of small pieces of ice as there was coffee. Sipped through a straw it packed a pick-me-up punch of caffeine and sugar that was very much appreciated. Eddie told us that the coffee is roasted on the premises with beans from Brazil, Peru and Costa Rica.

Eddie Nguyen explaining the ice-cream flavours

A very short walk back down the street brought us to the Vien Dong Herbalist. We stood outside the shop while the owner and her daughter poured us a cup of "Cleansing and Moisturising Tea" in small porcelain tea cups. The tea was sweet and I could taste the licorice root. This tea helps the liver function to eliminate toxins as well as other medicinal purposes. We then tried some "Nourishing and Tonifying Tea" of which I didn't enjoy the flavour as much, though it can be used as a dessert by adding rock sugar, or in soup.

Tea tasting

We were given our tea cups as gifts (!) to take home as well as an information sheet about the tea, and Rick also bought some of the "Cleansing and Moisturising Tea" to try at home.


This ended our Bankstown Bites: Taste of Asia Tour! Catherine our guide had already left us in order to welcome the next tour. Josie, her offsider, did a great job escorting us to Cafe Nho and the herbalist and it was a testament to the way the tour was run that we had gone an hour overtime, but were never rushed or felt hurried.

Disappointingly, we couldn't "shop until we dropped" as someone in our car had a prior appointment at home, but we did manage to return to both Best Value and Lily Lan Supermarkets to make some purchases. I had quickly scanned through "The Red Lantern" cookbook at home before coming, to check if I needed any pantry staples and managed to find the "3 Crabs" brand fish sauce that Pauline & Luke Nguyen's mother recommends in the book, amongst a few other things.

My purchases

We also stopped at the butcher for some great bargains, and I was tempted by the different pre-made pastes on offer - fish, chicken, crab and veal to use in fish cakes or other savoury treats at home. Next time!



What a day! The sights, smells and tastes had been a fantastic feast for the senses and a small insight into Vietnamese cooking and culture - and all within a couple of blocks of the sterile, character-less mall at Bankstown that had been my last shopping experience in the suburb. I truly cannot understand why anyone would shop at Woolies or Coles if they had such a vibrant, fresh food precinct as this one nearby.

Happy shoppers - Lee & Tineke

Catherine told us that these tours had been supported by the Sydney International Food Festival, but they were planning to be continued in some form over the coming months. She was going to send the tour participants an email update (which I will pass on to you) , but otherwise check the website for details.

In the interest of honest and open disclaimers, Champagne Hour and The Gang of Five were NOT guests of Bankstown City Council or The Sydney International Food Festival - but felt as if we were, as the value and fun we got out of the day was worth many times the $25 cost of the tour.