Living in the south-west of Sydney, fine food and service is hard to come by without making trips to the city or equivalent. It's pretty normal for my friends and I to head to the city for dinner or lunch. However, for the city dwellers to come into our hood of town to eat, well that's a tale untold. This standard Asian dish has been made famous throughout Sydney at Tan Viet Noodle House. Such a simple dish, how can it be THAT good? I admit that the rice or noodles are not the best thing in the world, but this crispiness and crunch of THAT skin will leave you wanting more.
We went during a good time during the weekday when it wasn't too packed (I've heard 1 hour long waits during weekends!) and were quickly seated with 2 cups. Tea is self-serve in large Thermos, as they do in many Vietnamese restaurants. As many things are already pre-made our food came out in less than 10 minutes.
I usually prefer noodles over rice at restaurants and save the rice for home. I ordered the Criskin Chicken (not sure if they have typo or menu cause Asian, or own made up word) with rice noodles in soup. You can also get egg noodles (in soup or dry). Comes with a plate of crispy chicken, nuoc nam (Vietnamese fish sauce) and small side plate of bean sprouts. Soup was a bit bland but nothing hoisin, pepper, chilli and fish sauce can't fix.
Criskin Chicken with Rice Noodles in Soup $12 (aprox)
T ordered the Criskin Chicken with tomato rice, which comes with a side bowl of soup. The dish came with a side of pickles, which surprisingly goes real well with the rice and chicken. A nice balance between sweet, tangy and savoury. The rice was a bit dry, and was not really tomato rice more than it was just orangy coloured rice.
Criskin Chicken with Tomato Rice $10 (aprox)
The chicken is juicy and full of flavour, and the skin makes satisfying crunch - one incomparable to other Asian restaurants I have tried it at. What I have also noticed is that there is little discerning fat on the chicken, unlike many other places. However, I don't recommend anything else here besides the chicken dishes. They don't sell the standard Vietnamese beef noodle soup or spring rolls.
As they say, you don't come for Cabramatta for the service, you come for the food. Though the staff don't speak English well, they are quite attentive and quick. The restaurant is constant, people sit down, eat and leave. It's not a place to relax and catch up with friends, more for a good filling meal before you're on your way.
It's good to see this small suburb who has overcome so much during the past two decades steadily booming, but parking is a pain especially during weekends.
So tell me dear reader, how far are you willing to travel for a good meal?
Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Interior: 2/5
Revisit: 4/5
Tan Viet Noodle House
100 John St
Cabramatta NSW 2166
(02) 9727 6853
Labels: food