Melbourne Food Review: Pho Dzung, Victoria St., Richmond

Picking which pho restaurant to go to on Victoria Street in Richmond might be a daunting task for those who don’t frequent the street, but I am here to recommend to you Pho Dzung as a great starting point Victoria St. has to offer.

Pho Dzung, like any good pho joint, concentrates on their two dishes of beef pho and chicken pho. Unlike its CBD sister, it only offers very few rice dishes and no vermicelli salads. The simple, rich goodness of the pho makes up for the lack of choices.

The decor is rather like any other pho restaurants on the strips, rows of minimal laminex tables with just the bare essentials. But let’s face it, you don’t hit a pho joint for a date or a hip-and-happening ambience, you’re there for the soup.

That particular afternoon, Josh and I took our friends from London, Doug and Diane, to experience the Victoria St. Vietnamese eating culture.

(Vietnamese spring rolls – $9)

We started off with prawn spring rolls. The crunchy rolls were well balanced between the skin and filling. The sides of various mints and lettuce were fresh and generous. Not all pho joints do this and it is very disappointing when the quality, and quantity of side vegetables are left to be desired.

The three of us, myself included, each opted for a medium bowl of sliced rare beef pho. The broth was light but with a lovely touch of spices and the generous topping of rare sliced beef was tender. I have three rules for a great pho: clear, light and aromatic broth, fresh and tender beef slices and fresh rice noodles. That’s all I ask for. Pho Dzung tick these boxes.

Diane opted for a chicken pho. She enjoyed it although I am yet to taste and comment on the chicken pho. Chicken pho, to me, is like having grilled fish at fish n’ chips. Why would you? I just find it somehow lacking. And a second fiddle wherever we go.

A quick nod to the condiments of fresh Thai basil, beansprouts, lemon wedges and sliced chillis. Again, not all pho pay attention to this little tidbit. Pho Dzung does.

I also ordered Vietnamese iced coffee. Considering this was a year ago and I haven’t had coffee there since, I’m not in a position to comment except, damn I really love Vietnamese iced coffee. It makes happy. In fact, any good coffee makes me happy.

Having ticked all the right boxes, it’s not a wonder why Pho Dzung is our favourite go-to on Victoria St.

Pho Dzung Richmond
Address: 208 Victoria St., Richmond VIC 3121
Phone: 03 9427 0292

Last year this time I ate at:Hofbrauhaus, Market La, CBD