An Restaurant: Pho for you, pho for me

When you walk off one of the main roads in Bankstown and through the sliding doors of An Restaurant, there's one thing for certain: the pho is popular.

But then, it is the only thing on the menu here - ten beef and five chicken options - but all pho. It's a little slice of noodle soup heaven shared by families of young and old, lots of Vietnamese people but also many others, and hungry passersby who want to see what the fuss is all about.

Bean sprouts, herbs and lemon for pho at An Restaurant, Greenfield Parade, Bankstown

Efficiency is an understatement here. Orders are quickly taken on electronic devices and plates of Vietnamese basil, bean sprouts and lemon hit the table soon after.

Lemon drink

The lemon drink is similar to, if not the same as the cordial-like one we fell in love with in Vietnam.

Pho with rare beef

It's hard to not to choose the large pho over the medium-sized bowl – just a few more dollars for the large size seems a good deal regardless of stomach capacity.

It doesn't take long for the two behemoth white bowls to arrive to the table – both beef varieties in a rich brown broth that’s sweetly fragrant with spices of the broth, raw onion and lots of chopped coriander.

The raw beef pho features thin slices of beef that look several notches after raw, but they’re tender and satisfying amid all the flat white noodles.

Pho with beef brisket

My beef brisket pho is just heavenly with the meat being a highlight. Also sliced paper thin, the beef brisket has a buttery flavour that can only come from well cooked fat and is simply divine washed down with the sweet, character-filled broth. I always add the sweet hoisin sauce to my noodles, but stay shy away from the fresh chillies and even chilli sauce on this occasion.

After the better half of an hour, we get close to seeing the bottom of our bowls and call it a victory while struggling to get out of our seats. In the late afternoon, An Restaurant is still more than half full of pho eaters, showing that Vietnam’s popular noodle soup is right for anyone at anytime.