Obunmee ~ Vietnamese - Chinatown

Obunmee in Chinatown is the lunchtime place every city worker hopes is underneath their office block. With Vietnamese fresh salads, rice dishes and noodles or a quick banh mi filled with bbq pork or lemongrass beef, this small resto hits all our right spots.



Obunmee is a narrow strip of a store at the top of Quay Street with about three tables inside and a couple spilling out into the street in front. Starting out as a store in Pyrmont, they have expanded here with a range of Vietnamese salads, rice paper rolls and a few Viet classic dishes.

Goi Ga (Chicken and salad) $9. Green salad leaves, crisp slices of apple, corn and shredded carrot, topped with marinated grilled chicken and a generous handful of ground peanuts. If this is healthy food then gimme.

Three colour bean drink $4.50. The colours in this drink come from red beans, green cendol (made from mung beans) and white coconut. Load a pile of shaved ice on the top, some coconut milk and some ground nuts, mix and slurp. Coconut, herb and a range of San Pellegrino flavoured soda drinks are also offered.

Beef Pho, $11. This isn't a pho to shake the world, but the broth was good and the large meatballs added some meaty big and bouncy.

Pork Roll, $5.00. The use of a lemongrass rich bbq pork in this roll adds a little extra in flavour. Not your standard pink 'vietnamese devon' here. The salad fillings are also pleasantly tomato and lettuce free.

Bánh ướt $8.50, or steamed rice noodles with lemongrass beef, bean sprouts and salad greens and a small tea cup of nước chấm for dipping or dressing.

Savoury Sticky Rice, $6.00, a mix of dried beef, quail eggs, chinese lap cheong, shredded cha lua and salad of cucumber, shredded carrot and corn. A small meal that is light with a range of flavours in each spoonful.

Suggestions for more lunch dishes. I like seeing the name of the dish written out in Vietnamese and English, especially when my appalling pronunciation of Vietnemse names gets quizzical looks from the staff. There are even more dishes offered on the main board at the front of the store, including 'Vietnamese Pizza'. 

Make sure you check the ready made meals inside the counter fridge, they are a bargain at $6.00 each.

Obunmee is at 107 Quay Street, Haymarket.