When I first heard about this place. This place was not really busy and only catered for the few Vietnamese people in Wellington. However, how has time changed. There seem to be Vietnamese pieces popping up everywhere. However, what I like about this place, is the food is cheap and is of good quality. What else do you want?
Tom Cuon: Prawn Spring Rolls
Presentation wise this was really good and were made and cut fresh as none of the skins had dried out. I was surprised to see them cut in half but it was easier to share, which was good. The sauce was really nice and had a good kick from the chilli, which I really appreciated. Overall a really good summer roll that packed a lot of punch and fresh.
Ga Cuon: Chicken Spring Rolls
Just like the Prawn Spring Rolls, these were really nice and fresh. The chicken inside was nicely cooked and not tough. The usual lettuce, carrot, bean sprouts, noodles and mint went really well with the chicken. The dipping sauce with this was one especially was good due to the amount of white pepper in the sauce.
Bun Bo Hue: Spicy Beef Soup
Cooked Beef, Beef Balls & Ham with Thick Rice Noodle Soup
The normal side condiments come with the soup and what I really like is the fresh lemon. The meats that come in the soup were really nice and tender and I really liked the Vietnamese ham. The soup was nice and soup but I also added a bit more chilli. It had a great flavour and packed a lot of punch. The noodles were nice but maybe slightly too overcooked as they were hard to pick up with the chopsticks.
Bun Thit Heo Nuong: har Grilled Pork on Rice Vermicelli Noodles
Fisherman’s Plate has up’ed their game in terms of presentation. This dish looked really presentable and everything looked fresh. The grilled pork was nicely seasoned and cooked, the salad was fresh and the rice noodles were not gluey. The salad was packed with lettuce, carrot, mint, red cabbage and red peppers, which created a great mix when you added the sauce and tossed it all together with the pork and noodles. Overall a great dish and really nice when you want something light.
Bahn Xeo: Pork and Prawn Crepe Pancake
This crepe pancake was big. The pancake crepe was really nice, had a nice crisp skin and a nice flavour. Inside was nice pieces of sliced pork, prawns, onions and bean sprouts. Although the flavour was rather basic. When you add the side sauce to it, it was really nice. However, I had no idea how to use the sauce, as in, do I dip the crepe into it or pour it over the pancake. I ended up just pouring sauce on top. I liked adding the squeezed lemon to the pancake but I really did not understand why lettuce comes with the dish.
The service here is very basic. However, the food comes out rather fast. Although I have been here a few times I have never been able to order the “Bahn Cuon – Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Steamed Rice Pancakes”. It seems like an urban legend as they never seem to have it. That aside, this is a great place to eat and if you have fussy eaters with you, they can order fish and chips.
Previous Visit: January 2015
Address: 12 Bond St, Te Aro, Wellington
Trencherman's Travels 