Quan Lua — Restaurant in Melbourne

Quan lua is my go to bun cha ha noi and com tam dac biet place in Springvale!! Have been coming here ever since they opened and it is so great to see that it has become more and more busier. Located just off the strip the restaurant should normally be easily missed but as locals have discovered the food here is authentic and delcious. I am so happy for the owners now!!

The service is very friendly and the owner is always happy to serve. The seats are all comfy and the restaurant felt quite homely. We sat on table 1 - see my pictures - I am 172cm in height and my head just fits XD. Watch your head if 172cm and sitting against the wall.

Ordered: Bun cha ha noi ($18.00) - Always comes out perfect. The pork in the fish sauce broth is smokey , juicy and full of flavour. You can tell the pork is grilled with passion and skill. The vegetables are always crisp and fresh. The vermercilli is cooked perfectly adante and served at a nice room temperature. The balance of flavours screams the streets of Vietnam!! Must have specialty dish here!!!

Com tam dac biet ($16.00) - Of course the quality of this dish comes in the pork and as mentioned above once again it was cooked perfectly. Juicy and smoky and very tender. The rice was also cooked perfectly and when everythign was mixed together...... mmmmm what a delight. This was gold standard man!

Hu Tieu nam vang (dried combodian noodles) ($16.00) - I felt that this dish did not feel dry enough (personal preference) Was a tad too saucy for me. I did enjoy the creamy soft liver pieces intersperced in the dish and the noodles were cooked adante.

Oveerall, this is a great local joint that serves amazing vietnamese food. Whenever I have guest over to Melbourne this is one of my go to spots that I show them to represent Melbourne's...

Quan Lua honours their self-claimed specialty in charcoal-grilled dishes, especially Bún Chả Hà Nội (BCHN). This particular dish was well presented. The meat slices and tiny meat patty (chả) were charcoal-grilled for sure. The authenticity of the dish was presented not only in its flavour, but also came down to the tiny detail like the accent of the serving staff when he sounded out your orders to their kitchen in the back. BCHN’s taste was lightly salty, sweet, and sour. All was well-balanced in a warm bowl of meaty, slight fatty, grilled-flavour fish sauce. And talking about details, Quan Lua’s attention to detail for BCHN went to things as small as a bite-side herbs and salad going with it. Not like most other restaurants here or even in Vietname serving BCHN with herbs, especially mint, as a whole medium/big stems, and you would have to pick the herbs’ leaves out to eat with the meat, at Quan Lua, it was hand-picked (I think) the younger herbs stem or the top head of the stem and prepared into bite-side so you could have it from the plate straight to tour mouth. Overall I enjoyed Quan Lua’s BCHN specifically, and will definitely come back for other dishes listed in their self-claimed specialty (Pshh! I spotted many people getting Com Tam or Broken Rice). I could see their BCHN becomes a hits even more than right now if the bowl of fish sauced is served steaming hot (not just slight warm) in this cold weather of winter. The last star in my review is reserved for that...

Quan Lua Springvale: Authentic Vietnamese Flavors Done Right

In my second attempt, I finally found Quan Lua open—and it was absolutely worth the wait! I visited with a friend from Northern Vietnam, and we tried both the Bun Cha and Bun Bo Hue. Her verdict? It’s as close to home as it gets!

The Bun Cha featured fresh ingredients, with perfectly grilled pork that had a slight sweetness and a beautiful smoky char. The herbs, vermicelli, and dipping sauce tied everything together perfectly. The Bun Bo Hue was equally impressive, with a rich, savory broth that had just the right kick, packed with tender beef and pork slices. Both dishes were hearty, flavorful, and incredibly filling.

For authentic Vietnamese food in Springvale, Quan Lua is a must-visit. I’ll...