After twenty years we finally get around to blogging Pho Pasteur Vietnamese on George Street.
Pho Pasteur is a princely saint amongst the evils of southern George Street: pawn shops, porn shops and Pie Face.
A sign on the front window says Pasteur opened twenty years ago, which is kind of auspicious to us. Twenty years ago was the last time Shawn was considered remotely fashionable (flans were briefly hip in the 1990's), and it was also twenty years ago when Alison first moved from the outer-west to the inner-west, as did Shawn's hair.
Bar the odd lick of paint, Pho Pasteur's decor seems to have barely changed in twenty years and that's the way we like it. This place is special, and judging by the constant crowd, other folks agree.
The menu is pretty much your standard Viet-hole-in-the wall stuff. We give our favourites a whirl: combination broke rice (awesome rissole/pork slice & pork chop is grilled, not fried, yay!) and special beef pho (special = beef + cow innards). A new favourite here is the grilled pork rice noodle soup, with the pork sausages served on the side and pho broth in the soup, a nice change to the usual plain Chinese style broth that usually comes with this style of dish.
We've dropped into Pasteur three times in the last couple of months, and many more times over the years, and we're always taken aback by how dang nice the staff are here. Recently Shawn dropped in for a quick late arvo pho and the waiter dude stopped for a chat, even offered to take Shawn's photo when he pulled his camera out, assuming he was a tourist (yes, he's that daggy). We were equally gobsmacked when we looked up this Pho Pasteur on Whingeability (Eatability) and folks complained about the rude service (what the?) and the lack of ambience (this place is so dang old skool cool!) Oh well, let these idiots eat at Wagamama, and leave the good stuff for the rest of us :-)
Pho Pasteur is at 709 George Street - Haymarket/Chinatown.
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I love this place!!! Ate here more than 15 years ago as a uni student and every time I come back to Sydney. Love the staff oo. They are so nice...my favourite pho place in Sydney.
ReplyDeletePho pasture isn't my fav I will admit but it will do when the cravings go crazy! Agreed at the idiots that eat at Wagamama, why oh why!
ReplyDeleteMy fave pho in Sydney. Been coming to Pasteur for over 10 years now. Nothing's changed. The delicious broth is like crack cocaine. It keeps calling me back.
ReplyDeleteAlways passed this place, never entered. Somehow hv the impression that Viet food in CBD cannot be as good as the ones in the Viet areas? Hmmm... Must try when in Syd next.
ReplyDeleteJust had pho special beef dish here...Just average. I wonder where I can find authentic pho (as in what's sold on the street in Vietnam), with a big bowl of chopped garlic/chilli and traditional donuts. I want PHO to taste so refreshing and revitalising. It should almost be medicinal. Beef should be so fresh....not stewed.
ReplyDeleteYou are never going to find authentic Pho in Sydney as a) it's not sold on the street and b)its simply just not going to be the same. Pho is also something that changes depending on where in Vietnam you are, so in Sydney it will depend on where the chef is from or what style they have adopted. There will be influences from Australia as well which will muddle your idea of 'authentic'. There's so much that is really personal taste rather than what is authentic. Do you mean the chinese crullers as donuts? I've never seen that here with pho, only really with congee.
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