PHD, Marrickville

Being close to Cabramatta, I don't head out to Marrickville as often as I would have liked to. But when I end up closer to the city and have the odd craving for decent pho, Marrickville is one of your guaranteed bets with a tremendous amount of Vietnamese restaurants in this side of town. It almost feels like Cabramatta or Bankstown but in the Inner West. While I initially planned to head to Marrickville to try out Cornerstone, the breezy weather was enough for me to go for a nice warm bowl of pho. 

I remember trying out the pho at Pho Bac Hai Duong back in my uni days and I absolutely loved every bit of it. Back then, Pho Bac Hai Duong was one of those classic restaurants (like Pho 54, Pho Viet and Pho Minh in Cabramatta to name a few) that was operating for as long as I could remember. As of early 2011, the restaurant has moved a few blocks, changed its name and has gotten itself a new fancy makeover. Seriously, the one thing that stood out the most about this eatery was the amount of red used from the sign to the interior decor to the red bowls and plates. 

Except for this :p

The menu is full of delicious choices for Vietnamese food but of course I cannot say no to a bowl of pho especially when it's cold. Not only was there a generous amount of broth and thick rice noodles, there were reasonable servings of beef, coriander and crunchy onions. While the noodles were slippery, the texture remains consistent and did not go too soft. I especially loved the fragrant broth which was quite sweet and incredibly flavoursome even before I started adding the condiments. Although I ordered a regular size, it still filled me up for the rest of the day. There is even the choice to have your standard beef pho with the addition of brisket, beef ball, tendon or tripe for 50c extra or just have the whole lot with one of the Special Beef Pho Combination (Pho Dac Biet). If you prefer to have chicken with your bowl of pho (Pho Ga), then PHD has a decent selection. You can also get a Seafood and Vegetable Pho or Beancurd and Vegetable Pho (not sure if they still use a meat-based stock so check with that if you are vegetarian). 

Pho Rice Noodle Soup with Medium Rare Beef/Pho Tai (R: $10.00, L: $13.00)

At some restaurants, I heavily relied on the condiments plate containing Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts, lemon and chilli to enhance the flavour. Although the Vietnamese mint, some bean sprouts and a little squirt of lemon was eventually put into good use, I didn't rely on them as much for PHD's version because it was already full of flavour. 

While the weather wasn't great, I couldn't help to get a glass of soya bean milk (or sua dau nanh). Very refreshing and a nice balance within the ingredients. How cool is it that their drinks were presented in those good old fashioned milkshake glasses?

Soya bean milk - price unknown (I'm sure it was heaps cheap)

Although more cafes have been popping up around Marrickville lately, it's always good to head into one of these Vietnamese establishments for one of their well-priced dishes. With the slightly fancy decor and the delicious food, you can see why this one stand out above the competition. Quick service, cheap prices and a decent feed that will satisfy your hunger for hours. Will definitely consider coming back here to try some more dishes.

PHD Restaurant
308 Illawara Road, Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9559 5078