Vietnam Lotus — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

TL;DR: Pho here is unmemorable and tastes aggressively safe. Lacks Thai basil and hoisin sauce.

I grew up eating Pho made by aunties and countless restaurants across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Now that I live on the Coast, I've been hunting for a good spot. Sadly, Vietnam Lotus does not offer a very exciting Pho.

I cannot forgive the missing elements of Thai basil, Chili oil, various meats, and hoisin sauce for the table, as they did not make up for it in the broth. In its absence, Vietnam Lotus's pho was a grey imitation

The taste can be described as that it tastes exactly what we think Pho is supposed to, like if it was made with boiled water and a ramen sachet, and nothing beyond that.

Im convinced that the chef behind this dish is holding back, and that they are too careful with catering to the tourists who are new to Pho. I'm certain that the Pho that they grew up with was more than this, and if they bring that out more, the visitors of Surfers Paradise will love it just as much as they do.

Maybe I caught Vietnam Lotus on a bad night. I like the dish just enough that I'll come back again...

3.5⭐️A year later 🤗 I had Bun cha and Pork spring rolls today 😋 Spring rolls were a little bit smaller than I expected 😅 I liked to dip it into the Bun cha sauce😋 Bun cha was nice😊 I thought the grilled pork was served quite a hot temperature, but it was not…. This dish is good for summer 😎 👍🏻 There was a strong fan working which is good 😌 Smiley, friendly service and being loved by local people such as workers around this place☺️

4⭐️It’s my first visit for lunch😋 It was busy when I got there 😳 I’m trying to find a nice Bun Bo Hue in GC😁👍🏻 I had Chicken wings $13.9 and Bun Bo Hue $17.9. Both dishes looked too simple then they didn’t make me excited first 😓 But Wings tasted very nice 🤩🤩 I needed 🍺🍻🍺 Well seasoned and juicy, more something garnish with it,much better 😋😋😋 Bun Bo Hue was not sure the beginning 🤔 It’s a little bit fishy taste coming first 😳 but flavor came later😊 The beef was not my favorite, but nice👍🏻 Friendly staff there🥰 I’d love to try Banh mi...

Finding an authentic and reasonably priced meal on the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise is not always easy, so the previous reviews attracted me to this unpretentious place just off the strip.

Finding it was a little difficult, as Google maps had them at a slightly different location. Hopefully this will be updated soon.

We both had Pho Bo, asking for a combination but this one comes without the tendon and tripe I've come to love and a little sparse on the beef. Nice sized bowl, very few bean sprouts but enough to get by, fresh chill, no coriander or basil to be seen, though some may have been chopped up already into the soup as it had a little greenery. Stock flavoursome and savoury.

If this is the best Vietnamese on the GC I feel sorry for you QLD folk, but it's a pretty good option for a...