25 June 2012

Gia Hoi ~ Vietnamese - Haymarket

Gia Hoi on George Street has become our go-to joint for a noodle soup cure. 





We've always overlooked this spot in favour of Pho Pasteur next door, which is a bit silly. The two restaurants have same-same-but-different menus, each have a place in our hearts and stomachs. Pho Gia Hoi has plenty of street cred with outlets in the Vietnamese enclaves of Canley-Vale and Bankstown. The joint pulls a decent crowd at all hours of the day.

We were stoked to find a favourite that we haven't found in the city: a big bowl of Chinese style noodle soup with some crispy fried chicken or a pork chop served on the side (we hit Pho Pasteur next door if we feel like the same dish but with a Vietnamese pho flavoured soup). And were were extra buzzed to discover a new favourite, banh canh cua chao tom...



Shawn's favourite dish here is Banh canh cua chao tom - "Minced prawn and rice tapioca noodles in rich crabmeat soup" - $11. Prawn flavoured fishcakes and little bits of crab and wisps of scrambled egg. The soup has nice strong chicken flavous. It's thick and oily at the start, it was a shock at first, but the soup thins out as you eat it. Halfway through the bowl the magic noodle soup moment occurs, the moment when all the flavours meld and the planets align, it was love at 20th bite. The thick clear udon style noodles are excellent flavour soakers and go perfectly with this soup. We've tried the prawn and the pork version, the prawnie fishcakes are worth paying the extra dollar for we reckon.



Bun Bo Hue - spicy beef soup with innards - $10. A Vietnamese classic.



Grilled chicken with egg (or rice) noodle in soup (or dry) - $10. Grilled chook with classic Vietnamese sweet/salty/peppery flavours and sweet/fish saucy dip. It comes with a huge bowl of good, simple Chinese style soup, this is one of the best re-hydrating soups in town. The egg noodles are well cooked with a nice bite to them. Birdy num nums.



Crispy skin chicken with egg noodle soup - $10. Another big bowl of clear Chinese soup with egg noodles. We guess the chicken is poached or roasted then quickly shallow fried to get that lovely crispy skin, and keeping the flesh nice and moist.



Beef cubes with tomato rice - $10. We were expecting succulent grilled marinated beef, like we've had at Saigon Pho and other joints. Instead it was braised beef cubes in a sweet sauce that tasted of hoi sin and salt. Meh.



Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio - Grilled pork and spring rolls with rice vermicelli - $10. One of our penultimate favourite dishes - the fresh veggies and plain noodles mix perfectly with the pork and spring rolls.



Pho Gia Hoi is at 711 George Street, Haymarket. Phone 9211 0221.

Pho Gia Hoi on Urbanspoon

5 comments:

  1. I've walked past this place a million times...but have never ventured inside.

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  2. We go here for lunch once a week and it is great! I get the grilled pork chop with steamed rice and a fried egg on top. The pork has wonderful lemongrass flavours, and is great with hoisin and vinegar/chilli sauce on the side. My friends get the roll-your-own rice paper rolls and rave about them. We also get a serve of spring rolls to share - awesome seafood flavours, one of the best spring rolls I have tried. Prices are great here.

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  3. Gosh, this address is hallow ground.
    Those of you who can remember this place 25 years ago might remember that the place was called "Mekong" and it served what they called "Vietnamese Home Cooked Meals".
    I remember sitting inside this place on average once a week when I were a young lad. The original owners sold up some time ago and the place has never been the same.
    How I miss the good old days. Still I can visit and reflect on the past and remember how yummy the food used to be. The food was real fresh, like straight from the market and the "add-ons" (chilli, sauces, etc) were just excellent.
    Just might have to give this place a visit.

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  4. HMM I wonder if they have the crispy pancake on their menu. Sounds promising though

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Thanks for your comment joy - please keep your musings happy - if you want to complain about a restaurant please do it on a restaurant review site (or your own blog) - we're all about celebrating cultural diversity and the great eats that come along with it :-)

Our ethics: We pay for all our own meals and travel (though sometimes Mum shouts us).