Bring a box of Wet Ones here, as Thanh Thanh is finger-licking good! See if you can resist getting hands on with the perfectly cooked BBQ duck and salty soft shell crab. In a nutshell Thanh Thanh is fresh, light and deli-cious! I thought we had another case of our eyes being bigger than our stomachs but no, the food was demolished and we came close to licking the plates.
The sign out the front boasts of fast ‘take way’. Inside the display of newspaper reviews is promising. Table décor is faux marble patterned and the black chairs even have some padding. Straight off the bat, Thanh Thanh gets points for the complimentary prawn crackers, delivered upon seating.
I fear we might have been a little abrupt with the well-meaning waiter in our ravenous frenzy, frantically calling to him for entrees and tea. In retaliation he swipes away the satay skewer plate before I had time to sample one of the pineapple pieces sitting on the side.
Thus far into the challenge we are yet to encounter any great rice paper rolls. Thanh Thanh’s are a little skinny for my liking and lose points for using shrimp instead of prawn. I am, however excited about tail of chives garnish coming out of the end. Emma gives them extra points for being tightly wrapped.
The chicken satay skewers we ordered on a whim are good but more like chilli than satay.
While we wait for Emma, we check out some of the patrons. I wonder if we should start rating the eye candy in addition to the food. Unfortunately for Steph, the ginger boy she has her eye on, has his eye (and arm) on a dolled-up Asian girl.
Calmed by having devoured the entrées and with this week’s contingent complete we politely order the mains. When it comes to ordering a daily special, we use the ‘Chef’s Pick of Menu’ board. We can’t decide between the duck and crab and after some debate conclude that our collective level of hunger warrants getting both. We are glad we did.
The soft shell crab is outstanding, accompanied by a salty, peppery, lemony dipping sauce. It is lightly fried – just crunchy enough for texture but nothing hard about it and melts in your mouth. The duck has a crispy maroon skin and a side of light plum sauce. Some bits are better than others but as we are all big fans of duck, it is very enjoyable.
Number 27 this week is quoted on the menu as “rare beef with lemond sauce”. This turns out to be a cold salad, prettily presented – a stack of julienne greens and thin piece of seared beef encircled by prawn crackers. It gets the thumbs up as it is both tasty and light.
The man who presents us with the pho says something incomprehensible. I stare at him then say “pho?” He replies and again I say “pho”. He says “ah you speak Vietnamese!” We banter as I laughingly admit “pho” is the extent of my Vietnamese conversational skills.
Speaking of pho, it is excellent. Emma comments that she doesn’t usually order pho but would order this. The only complaint is a slight lack of generosity with the meat. The broth is viscous and the noodles are perfectly cooked – slippery and melt in your mouth.
I am left with sticky hands, using my sticky spoon to scoop out the last bits of pho broth. Two entrees and four main sounds like a lot of food for three people but it has been demolished. It is a testament to the food that it is all gone and we are left feeling sated but without any bloated feeling. Plus we are given juicy wedges of orange to wrap up the meal. We wave goodbye to the three-different-sized-pigs at the back counter and leave to dream of crispy soft shell crab.
Ratings
Rice Paper Rolls (Pork and Prawn) 6.3/10
Beef Pho 7.8/10
#27 (Rare beef with lemond sauce) 8.2/10
Daily Special (Crispy soft shell crab with salted pepper) 8.3/10
Daily Special (BBQ duck with plum sauce) 7.3/10
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