Mekong
Merchants of Taste
The Taste of Vietnam
53 Avalon Parade
Avalon Beach
Ph: 9918 3547
During the last few years a new venture in Avalon become a firm favourite with residents; the fresh taste of Vietnamese street food and a delightful visual addition to the Avalon Beach streetscape.
The lady chef, Phuong Saigan, explained a little about the fixtures that have been installed;
“Those beautiful tiles, they are Old Saigon French style. We have brought them all the way from Saigon to Mekong Merchant.
The fish traps from Mekong delta have a very successful transformation to beautiful pendent lights.”
“My childhood was in Mekong, I had moved to Saigon and now Sydney. But I always missed my little village in Mekong where I used to live there with my beautiful grandparents. That’s the story behind how I named my restaurant – it’s a bit of home.”
And the food?:
“Mekong is proud to represent Vietnamese food culture. Herbs and vegetables are essential to Vietnamese food. We use only fresh and high quality ingredients just like we would serve at home to our loved ones. It's Vietnamese comfort food with love and passion.”
You can explore traditional authentic Saigon street food in Avalon at Phuong’s eatery. We tried out a few dishes on a cold drizzly Spring day.
He chose the Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup - a pure tonic for early autumn sniffles). Verdict;
“That’s excellent – you could also have it on a hot Summer’s Day, it would cool you down and hydrate you.”
Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup)
The other choice was sampling one of the Salads (Noodle or Rice based) with Da Lat (Marinated Tofu) the option among Hoi An (BBQ Chicken) Saigon (BBQ Pork), Mekong (Crispy pork belly) Ha Noi (Lemongrass Beef) or Nha Trang (Spingroll) chosen.
Sampling a salad on a cold day is preparation for Summer also.
Verdict: Excellent – fresh crisp vegetables, a delightful but not overpowering zingy dressing and lovely crunchy toasted peanuts.
Da Lat (Marinated Tofu) salad
Phuong also serves a range of Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguettes) Ricepaper rolls and a range of other traditional recipes that all emphasise excellence in freshness, health and flavour.
To drink you can select from fresh juices, Homemade Vietnamese drinks or Vietnamese Coffee as well as a range of soft drinks.
If you like fresh Vietnamese food you won’t be disappointed by enjoying Phuong’s cuisine.
Open early and for dinner.
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Permanent pages in Pittwater Online News average 800 thousand visits per annum past their week of Issue ensuring diners will continue to view your eatery as a potential venue for breakfast, lunch or dinner or as the place to hold their larger functions.
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