Pholklore — Restaurant in Torquay

We came to Torquay for lunch because Pakington Street was closed and we wanted Banh Mi - that was the first disappointment as despite the web site saying we could enjoy “Fresh Banh Mi” when we asked we were told not today

Ok - things happen and the waiter managing the queue (who usually works at Pakington Street) kept us well informed and the 20 minute wait for a table estimate was pretty accurate - maybe even a bit high.

We were told food might take 25 minutes to prepare as they were very busy. Full marks for keeping us informed- which in fact proved to be an over estimate and we were pleasantly surprised when the first components of our order (great spring rolls guys) appeared in less than 10 minutes.

But then things started to go down hill. First (for reasons unknown but pretty stupid) a waitress grabbed my daughter’s hat (a favourite) from the seat next to my daughter and disappeared with it. We didn’t see this and my daughter only noticed it missing when the people next to us left. It appeared it had been stolen or inadvertently picked up by mistake - it was only when we asked the staff that the relevant waitress brought it back - without explanation. Unnecessary stress inducing - if she thought it belonged to someone else why did the waitress not have the wit to at least ask the person sitting literally next to the hat if it might be hers?

Still - not enough to spoil a good meal.

But then the Crispy Pork Belly fiasco got underway.

Now when I order Crispy Pork Belly I expect it to be, well, “Crispy” with that classic golden brown dappled texture and firm to the touch. What arrived was limp floppy - no dappled texture and no lovely golden brown colour- it clearly was undercooked.

We drew the attention of the waiter to this (again the gent from Pakington St) who was immediately onto it and took it back - quickly returning to say he had arranged for another to be prepared. So far so good (after all things do go wrong sometimes and what matters is how it’s addressed).

Unfortunately things continued to go pear shaped.

I was watching the kitchen (clearly visible from our seat) to see when the replacement dish might arrive (as I was looking forward to it) - and in due course (not an unreasonable time) - I saw a different chef from the one who cooked the first dish present another for serving. The young waiter who brought it though offered it to the table next to ours (who seemed somewhat confused when it arrived) - We could see however that this dish was cooked properly and after a moment that waiter (not our Pakington street friend) realised he may have made a boo boo and asked us if we were expecting a crispy pork dish. When told yes he apologised for the error and said he would arrange for another asap.

Ok - some bad communication between waiters and the kitchen but at least we could expect a replacement as promised.

But when it eventually arrived - what was it? Not made by the chef I had seen prepare the dish that was properly cooked that went to our neighbouring table (who had hardly touched it and still seemed confused about its presence) - but apparently cooked by the same person who mangled the first effort- not at all crispy - barely browned and none of that dappled texture you expect.

Well we were kind of over it by then and pointed out to the waitress that it was the same problem as the first effort and was unacceptable and could we please just have a refund?

Did we get an apology? No - we got denial. We were told “that was the way it came “ and “that was the way that chef cooked it” - we had to insist she compare it to the dish on the adjacent table (less that a metre away from the limp pork belly) - still largely untouched- which she fobbed off with more BS about each chef taking the same time to cook (newsflash - cooking time depends on the pork itself- which can and does vary). She finally acquiesced and without an explanation disappeared to the register. After some time returning with a cash refund.

Sorry Pholks but that’s rubbish service. Rude and unprofessional- we...

I will never go to the Torquay location again after my experience today. If I go back to Pholklore at all I’ll be sticking with Pakington St.

We had come specifically for the Banh Mi, only to be told they weren’t serving it today despite it being lunch time (which is when it is advertised as being served) and no notice anywhere that is wouldn’t be available.

Additionally, I set my hat down on one of the empty seats beside me and shortly after discovered it missing, as apparently a waitress had picked it up off the seat and taken it away nearly giving me a panic attack thinking it had been stolen.

The biggest disappointment (which was badly handled) was the Crispy Pork Belly Sisag. When it first arrived, it wasn’t crispy, but limp and fatty. When we pointed this out to the waiter (who I gather works at Pakinngton St usually) he immediately agreed, apologised and said he’d organise for another one to be sent out. After a short while we could see another had been prepared by a different chef, but for some reason they directed it to the table next to us. This one was crispy (as it should be) but it appeared there was a mix up and the waiter then came back to us and asked if we were wiring for a pork belly to which we said yes. He undertook to get a replacement. This took some time, but as we had other food we were fine in the meantime. When it finally came out it was clearly made by the same chef who made the first disappointing option as again it was limp and fatty, not crispy. When this was brought to us we said to the waitress that it was not crispy and she seemed dismissive and said that’s how it comes. We disagreed and compared it to the one given to the people next to us which was properly crispy. She was still dismissive, until we consistently reiterated that the two dishes did not appear to have been cooked to the same level. Our neighbours had very crispy pork belly, we did not (for the second time around). By this point we had been waiting some time for this dish which had been continually messed up, and so just requested a refund. She then walked away to the register and was able to facilitate a refund after an extended wait time with very little communication. We received the refund and a half hearted apology where she said that both our neighbours properly crispy dish and our sad looking ‘crispy’ pork belly had been cooked for the same amount of time, which is just an excuse. Something advertised as crispy pork belly should be crispy! The fact that your main chef knew how to achieve this and your other chef twice could not does not speak well to the quality of the kitchen in Torquay. Also, to have our concerns dismissed as if somehow we were being too fussy was, to be frank, insulting.

The first two issues were disappointing but minor. But the crispy pork belly is the reason I am leaving such a poor review and the reason I will never be setting foot in the Torquay...

Such a gem to Vietnamese cuisine and Malaysain fusion. Very unique and interesting flavors pho. Mi goreng pho is quite sweet and not spicy at all. It took the flavors from ABC sauce in mi goreng with pho soup. Very nice flavor soup and serve with lots of seafood and bean sprout, lemon, mint etc. Laska pho is the best ever. Laska is not very heavy after cooked with pho soup and still have laska coconut flavors. This is my new favorite of laska since. The spring roll is very crispy and full of ingredients inside. This spring roll using rice paper and deep fried. It makes it even more unique than traditional Vietnamese spring roll. And they still serve with lettuce and mint and fish sauce mix, very traditional and yummy. The cauliflower snacks also very light ways of snacking. Chicken katsu bun bowl, dry noodle with salad is very interesting too. Chicken katsu crunchy bit not similar to Japanese style, but taste really good. They also have traditional pho and other menu too. Plenty of parking nearby. The restaurant is quite big, lots of outdoor seating and some indoors. Outdoor seating able to enjoy Vietnamese food with the coast view. Staff is very friendly. Ensure to bring mobile when visit. Customer required to order and paid via QR code. Will certainly come back and might visit their Geelong...