I first heard about An Restaurant a few years back from a good uni friend, George, who had since relocated to Asia. It was a week before his departure, one day, he told us he’d like to have his last bowl of the best Pho in Sydney before he left, so he drove us all the way to Bankstown — Unfortunately, it was during the Chinese New Year holidays and it was closed.
Too sad for George, but thanks to him, we now know where to get the best Pho in Sydney!
—–HER{curio}MAJESTY SCORE SHEET—–
Visited: Multiple visits. Review based on 14 June 2014 (for dinner)
Food: 9/10 || Ambiance: 7/10 || Service: 8/10
What I loved: The Pho. Cleanliness. Efficiency.
What I didn’t: The ever increasing price.
Will I come back: Yes.
Have you ever seen a restaurant in Sydney that has separate automatic entrance and exit doors? Only at An Restaurant.
Bankstown is more than half an hour drive from where we live and quite out of the way for us, so we usually only come here if we happen to be in the neighbourhood.We came quite often when Mikey was renovating his apartment last year as there are several renovation warehouses in this area. We would come here for an early (4-5pm) dinner after our our renovation shopping before we headed home.
Surprisingly, even at awkward timings like this (4:30pm…way too late for lunch and way too early for dinner), customers still kept flowing in.
Their logo is a combination of the image of a cow and a chicken, being the only two types of meat on offer here.
Their slogan? “So Pho So Good”. How awesome is that.
Both Mike and I are big fans of the raw beef noodle soup (Tai Pho). As of June 2014, the large bowl costs $14 and the regular costs $13. There is a surcharge of $2 per person on public holidays; and if you want a spare bowl to share with your companion aged 15 and over, you need to pay a $3.5 fee.
Pretty outrageous if you asked me.
The pricing here is not competitive at all (the average price of Pho in Sydney CBD at this time is around $11), but the Pho definitely is.
Generous servings of basil, beans sprouts and lemon slices came literally within 10 seconds of us placing our order with the waiter on their little PDA-like machine.
And the Pho would come, again literally, within 3 minutes of the order.
At our last visit, I swear I stood up to go to the bathroom right after we placed the order and got the beansprouts, but just as I was stepping into the bathroom automatic doors (yep) at the back of the restaurant, I saw the waiter holding our Pho walking towards our table! There’s no wonder why the Pho here is dubbed the “McPho”, fast, efficient, and tummy satisfying.
To me, what really differentiates the Pho here is the soup. The soup is very rich so that I could taste the essence of the stock, but at the same time the base is clear enough for me to slurp down the whole bowl without feeling it being too greasy. The taste is neither too sweet nor too salty, but strikes a good balance right on the spot.
The raw beef itself is not my favourite type as it’s the lumpy type and I prefer beef slices. Even so, I find myself enjoying every bit of the Pho as the texture of the beef, once cooked in the hot soup, becomes very juicy and tender.
The quality has been consistent on my 5-6 visits throughout the past few years. If you’re looking for good Pho, you wouldn’t leave here disappointed.
Coconut drink (Nuoc dua), $3.5, with real coconuts.
{An Restaurant} Address: 29 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown NSW