Tuong Lai — Restaurant in Sydney

I recently visited this restaurant with high hopes, but unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired. The ambiance, first and foremost, was marred by an unpleasant odor that lingered throughout the establishment. This immediately set a negative tone for the evening and made it challenging to fully enjoy the dining experience.

The menu, boasting a variety of enticing dishes, fell short of expectations when the food arrived at the table. Not only did the presentation lack the appeal promised by the menu, but the taste was far from satisfactory. The flavours were bland, and it seemed as though the ingredients were not of the quality one would expect from a restaurant of this caliber.

Adding to the disappointment was the stark contrast between the menu's vibrant, appetizing images and the reality of the dishes served. The actual plates were a far cry from the visually appealing representations that had initially captured my interest. This inconsistency between expectation and reality only added to the overall sense of letdown. Chewing on a prawn was like chewing on a...

Cosy Vietnamese restaurant in the alley off the main strip, usually crowded at lunch time and a modest line, a no nonsense eating affair with a good manageable sized menu - with just over 20 dishes they can keep their small kitchen churning without overextending themselves. Bánh hỏi chạo tôm (sugar cane prawn mousse) is unbelievably light and springy here, making every other place seem dense and heavy in comparison. Cơm tấm sườn bì chả (broken rice with steamed egg/pork, grilled pork chop and shredded pork skin, fried egg if you get the Đặc Biệt special) is a crowd favourite here, deservingly so, with that Chả Trứng Hấp being the best, fluffiest meatloaf you've ever had that you might want to customise your order with 2x portions of it. Or in Summer when it's too hot for soupy noodles, try the Bánh tằm bì, a thick rice tapioca noodle which you mix in with coconut milk and shredded pork skin coated in roasted rice powder. Don't think you can go wrong here, well executed small menu, no...

We finally got to try this small but popular Vietnamese joint in Cabramatta. The place always has long queue so it is better to come earlier or later than normal lunch time (11am or 2pm).

We ordered their specialties i.e. Com Tam Dac Biet (Special Broken Rice) and Bun Dac Biet (Special Rice Noodle) which come with all the nice toppings. We especially love the fried pork chop and meat cake toppings on the Broken Rice dish and the cha gio (spring rolls) and cao tom (sugar cane prawn cake) on the Rice Noodle dish. The soup for the rice dish is proper chicken broth soup.

Prices on the menu are good value for money. Customer services are reasonable for casual, suburban joint in suburb like Cabramatta. You can order by pointing finger to the dish picture on the their multi-language menu, so don't worry about language barrier. The place is small, so don't expect any ambience - just sit, eat and pay. They only accept...