13 August 2005 — We didn’t get round to doing our weekly “Makan” last week, so this week, despite barely recovering from my flu and with a massive cough still hanging around, I couldn’t wait to chow down on some Vietnamese food at Phamish! Yep, read about this place from Sydney Weekender’s Eating Out section, and have wanted to try it out since. The only lay-chay part was that it’s quite a hassle to get to. In Sydney in winter, anywhere that involves having to take a bus is lay-chay.

As it turns out, it is situated on a very quiet, deserted corner of Darlinghurst.

Look! So dim-dim-dark-dark, like nothing else around, then suddenly out pops this Phamish.

But that’s where the stillness ends, the moment you enter the restaurant, or even as you approach it, its loud vermillion walls shout out to you, along with the clamor and racket of 30 customers squeezed into a teeny-tiny small space.

The mood is casual and lively, and with a reputation for long queues (N.B. we tried going back the next night with Mich, Alvin and Denise but were told to wait 45 mins so we headed for Harry’s instead), you basically grab the first seats you can lay your butts on, be it at a window, on the pavement or at a large communal table. Decor-wise, the style is contemporary yet eclectic, a huge lotus silk-screen resides along a French chandelier, and big red plastic barrel stools accompany traditional wooden tables. Lurve it! When you can’t pin-point the style, everything is a mish-mesh and yet the whole space comes together and somehow works. This is exactly how I’d like my home to be. So when I do eventually buy a place, can you all please remind me?

Once seated, you order from the red placards above the counter, pay, and they’ll bring the food to you. But hurry, ‘cos there are limited portions of dishes available, and right before your eyes, even while you’re hmming and hawing, your favourites could very well disappear! The waitresses actually remove the placards when the dishes finish. The night we were there, within the first hour of opening, they’ve already removed 5 items off the menu! At Phamish, you won’t find the typical beef noodle soup. Instead you’re spoilt for choices with modern Vietnamese takes like Beef la lot (spicy mouthfuls of beef wrapped in betel leaves), Sesame lamb fillet and Blue swimmer crab dumplings.

Cause of my sore throat, we settled for slightly more 清淡 dishes like:
*Vietnamese Spring Rolls - finely sliced chicken, prawn and Vietnamese mint wrapped in rice paper, served with peanut and hoisin sauce
*Banana Blossom Duck Salad - five-spice marinated duck and shredded banana blossom in ginger-lime dressing
*Soft Shell Crab (The token fried-fried dish. C’mon! if eveything so healthy, then I won’t be Tiffany oredi right?!?)
*Shallot-infused rice (actually just rice with shallots on it)

While waiting for our food, there were enough little nick-nacks around the place to keep us distracted. Wil and I also kept ourselves amused by trying to guess if the couple beside us were lovers or a father-daughter team — the guy looked at least 20 years older than the girl! At least. When they pashed, we got our answer and our food.

One thing’s for sure, Phamish is generous with its portions and certainly doesn’t giam on its ingredients.

The spring rolls for a change contained more protein than carbs, i.e. the prawns and chicken were chunky while the skin was really thin (quite unlike the food court ones, typically stuffed with lots of beehoon and only a few thinly sliced pieces of prawns).

The Banana Blossom Duck Salad was my favourite dish! The salad itself was light yet very tasty, filled with bean sprouts, thinly sliced red onion, banana blossom, Vietnamese basil and served with an unusual, tangy sauce. And there was an abundance of duck! Large thick pieces, not just thin strips, which was yes, also very well-marinated and delicious!

As for the Soft Shell Crab, well, that’s always nice anyway, especially when it’s lightly battered and served fresh and piping hot with a refreshing sauce. Yums! As you can see from the pics, all the dishes were also beeeautifully presented, making them even more delectable. And the best part, it’s reasonably priced. Our final bill only came to $40+ for 3 dishes, which explains the crowd.

Food aside, as popular and busy as the place was, the service is nonetheless quick and noticeably pleasant and informed. A few things to note though:
1. Apart from Wil, myself and the staff themselves, there wasn’t another Asian in sight the whole night we were there. When we asked the hostess about it, she confirmed that this is a rather putih place, and yes, Asians are quite the rarity.
2. If you like to loiter, this isn’t the place to be. With limited seating space, you’re kind of expected to leave soon after you finish your food.
3. The restaurant has an open concept design, one side of it opens up completely to the “elements”, which Brrrr… makes for a rather chilly experience now during winter. So if you have a low threshold for cold, better wait a couple of months till Spring.

If you’re looking for typical pho dishes, you’d be hard pressed to find any at Phamish. But if you’re a bit more adventurous and don’t mind waiting for a table, I’m sure you’ll love this place! William says if it’s round the corner from our place, we’ll be eating here every other night! Our verdict: it’s Pham-tastic!

Take me to the Visuals!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2005 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Makan Round the World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.