Rue de Thanh — Restaurant in Melbourne

@ruedethanh 📍Fitzroy

✔️ Grilled Oysters ✔️ Scallops ✔️ Jumbo Prawns ✔️ Calamari ✔️ Lemongrass Ginger Yellow Mullet Fish ⭐️ Bo La Lot (Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaf) very authentic ⭐️ Pork Mince on Lemongrass ⭐️ Pork Loin ✔️ Beef (Porterhouse)

Rue De Thanh is a Fresh inspired Vietnamese restaurant located on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. It opened earlier this year by owner Thanh Tran with 20 years restaurant experience, the name itself translates to “Thanh’s Street”. 🇫🇷🇻🇳

The menu offers A La Carte or a selection of different set menu options. ‘Feed Me’, with market fresh seafood and Vietnamese street eats served with Jasmine rice and Vietnamese slaw for $75pp. ‘Leave It To Us’ a selection of house favourite appetisers, smalls, mains and sides for $65pp. Finally, the one we came for, the ‘Street Eats’ Experience, 8-9 courses of seafood and meat (dietaries welcomed) at the Chefs Table for $95pp - this must be pre-booked 24 hours prior. 👨🏼‍🍳

Thanh himself is your chef for the night, he is super enthusiastic, good for a laugh and very proud of this passion project. Each dish is designed to either enjoy by itself or wrapped in fresh rice paper, lettuce and herbs. Personally I suck with the fiddle-y stuff, so i ate most of the items on their own, which allowed to me properly appreciate the cook and quality of what was presented to us.

Each dish is cooked over coals, to perfection, with a tiny bit of onion oil, nothing to overpower. He gets everything fresh from the market and can vary based on seasonality and availability. Standout dishes were the Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaf (very authentic to what I tried in Vietnam), the Pork Mince on Lemongrass and the Pork Loin. ⭐️

We had a great time and left with full bellies. Anything we wanted more of, we could request (adding to the value) but honestly we didn’t need it. It was nice to see the fun, cheeky relationship of all the staff who got along well with each other in the kitchen. Absolutely would recommend this spot, I will return to try more off the A La Carte but I think the Street Eats Experience makes a fantastic date night or even gift idea for a foodie! 🥰

⭐️...

Rue de thanh was another fusion restaurant I was excited to try. When we entered the restaurant felt nice and casual but the harsh white lighting made it feel a little less inviting.

We started with some oysters that were a nice refreshing start especially for the price point, and we also had the coconut and turmeric mini pancakes which was probably our favourite dish that night! Wrapping the flavourful pancake stuffed with school prawns with the fresh lettuce and herbs was what I call a perfect bite(s).

The sticky wings were truly very sticky and a little too sweet and one-dimension in flavour, especially since the sticky rice had the same flavour, but we did love the crisp of it. I imagine if it was charred it would have helped to cut through the sweetness of the dish.

We got the crispy duck as well as the whole fish, which were cooked perfectly and the duck was a winner. The fish however was a little bitter in certain parts likely from some innards but nothing too overwhelming and we still enjoyed the dish.

It’s definitely a place where you have to be selective with dishes, and a great experience for...

Having read The Age review, we chose this restaurant and longed for the duck. Upon arrival we were seated next to the only other table with occupants, making conversation and comfort less than natural. Entrees ordered, having been told that our preferred option, the spring rolls, weren't available, were nevertheless tasty. The rice paper rolls were appreciated and devoured by all at our table. Main meal was clearly going to be the duck, given the reviews, so we ordered two serves. Major disappointment, as the duck had a minimally flavoured sauce and was rather flavour less, difficult to chew and digest due to the gristle. With no knives provided it was virtually impossible to cut and access an edible portion. Embarrassment followed when I had to spit out the half chewed item. Such a disappointment. The ambiance of the room was chic, modern, but rather sterile. Service reflected a lack of personal connection. No doubt this has the makings of something good but we'll leave it for others to...