#16 Bien Hoa (140 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Steph, Imogene, Duncan, Sabine

Chopstick Chowdown Challenge continues its journey towards international renown with German and Sydney visitors to this week’s round. We are proud to have presented the first taste of Vitenamese for German Sabine. Conveniently timed for her as she is due to fly out to South East Asia in a few days to sample some of this food on its home soil. "ChChCh...expanding people's gastronomical horizons!"

With some delays in the visitors finding Vietnam town (if you you think the restaurant is in a hospital you're in the wrong place), Steph and I wait at a front table by the pleasantly open window. It smells good, the menu is colourful and number 27 is duck. Excellent!

The rules of the challenge are explained to the newcomers. Our order has pretty much been decided but we allow the visitors the liberty of choosing the daily special and an additional main. After I order Duncan questions, “did we just order enough to feed a small army?”

I feel something is missing. Although we have been offered two bottles of water there is no tea. This is the first place during the Challenge where there is a lack of tea and I miss it. Points deducted for that!

The dishes come out slowly. First the rice paper rolls. These are rather soft and juicy but as Duncan points out, perhaps it is the sauce that is the best part. Next out is the rare beef with lemon.

From experience we know this is a cold salad and it has become a favourite. Bien Hoa’s version is delicious with morsels of pinkish beef and a refreshing combination of raw cucumber, celery, carrot, spanish onion, mint, chillies and crushed peanuts. A spicy sweet chilli sauce accompanies. The dish comes adorned with crunchy prawn crackers that have cracked paper baked into them which works well. Mmm-mm!

Our waiter is more than attentive. As I cut the rice paper rolls with a spoon, a knife surreptitiously appears on the table. So covert is the waiter's operation that when Duncan finds himself holding a knife he is puzzled, "why do I have a knife?" A few minutes later when Duncan drops his chopstick, the waiter has materialised beside him holding a clean one. As we have a laugh about his proficiency, he informs us with a omnious smile that he is watching us and motions to his eyes.

With our ever viglant waiter hovering and the appearance of food ceased, we wonder if he is waiting for us to finish the salad before the next dish comes out. We finish it just in case. I’m starting to wonder if the pho is going to be dessert but suddenly the rest of the food comes in a sizzling flurry along with mountains of rice. Did they intepret 2 serves of rice to mean 2 serves per person?

The pho is lacking a bit of tang and is low on noodles but comes with all the extras including chopped chilli and lemon, which some of the other places have been missing.

Although I can't describe the duck as either hard or chewy, I find it on the ordinary side, lacking flavour. The green chicken curry has a nice sauce with just the right amount of hotness but lacks variety in the veggies included. The sizzling scallops with garlic and ginger, however come with a host of vegetables and delicate scallops in a light sauce.

For me Bien Hoa was marked by an interplay of the things lacking and the things added. The rare beef salad a cornucopian highlight and the pho a disappointment. For the record we did over-cater and that hungry small army would have come in handy at the end. Overall a pretty good way to spend Valentine's Day night.

Ratings

Rice paper rolls (pork and prawn) 7/10

Beef pho 5.7/10

#27 (duck with peking sauce) 7/10

Daily special (green curry chicken) 6.9/10

Rare beef with lemon 8.5/10

Sizzling scallops with garlic and ginger 7.5/10

#15 Thy Thy 1 (142 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Steph, Imogene, Scotty T, Niki, Penny, Andrew Be

Thy Thy 1 is one of the most anticipated restaurants for the Chopstick Chowdown Challenge members. Thy Thy is familiar to Melbourners for its good cheap food. Some people have even been known to travel from interstate just for a fix of Thy Thy...but how would it stand up to the Chopstick Chowdown formula?

The entrance is simple sign garlanded by neon lights. It would be easy to miss, were it not for pink doorway. This leads to a narrow staircase, which might dazzle you with purply pink walls and flashing lights but this is part of Thy Thy's charm.

The decor is a wonderfully kitsch combination of pink, purple and maroon. Foilage, illuminated paper lanterns, yellow flowers and a checkboard pattern on the far wall complete the image. Even the bowls have colourful designs on the outside. Vinyl chairs make it a sweaty concept on a warm summer night.

The communal atmosphere is alive and well at Thy Thy as recommendations fly at us from the (slightly odd) blokes leaving the table next to us: "rice paper rolls, rare lemon beef and squid", one declares as we blankly stare back. There are rules to this challenge, people!

The rice paper rolls are of the green chive tail variety and contain Vietnamese mint making them quite refreshing. Spring rolls are of the extremely thin variety and have no discernable filling aside from a grey mince.

Number 27 lands us on chicken sweet corn soup for the second time during ChChCh. With 7 people sharing we get a spoonful each and I feel it is up there as far as chicken sweet corn soutp goes. I have high expectations for the pho and it is pretty good. I notice the noodles are different, instead of thin and flat we have square-shaped ones. Interesting...maybe...

Famous lawyer Scotty T ("you know...the one from that case with the woman and the baby") has joined us for the first time and shares his experience of travelling in Vietnam and how pho there is a staple breakfast food. He responds to Niki's barrage of questions, identifying Vietnam as the choice destination if travelling around South East Asia.

Niki is pouring out the tea in professional style ("high teeeea or low tea?"). High tea, I reply. I like my tea to be aerated. Later when Andrew fumbles with the teapot, Penny suggests men should stick to what they are good at. I assume that mean building stuff and not pouring tea or attempting child birth.

From the specials, mango chicken hits the spot. Crispy battered chicken with a bright yellow sauce, topped with mango slices. It is light and not too sweet. Also from the specials we take the salt and pepper prawns. We have them shelless and they come in a light, white batter and delicate flavouring. The same can't be said for the pieces of chilli that get caught up in the prawn eating and have some of our eyes watering.

There are no complaints about Thy Thy. The food is light, tasty across the board. The atmosphere is jovial and gaudy. Best of all only sets us back $11.50 each. Bargain!

Ratings

Rice paper rolls 6.3/10

Spring rolls 6.1/10

Beef pho 8.5/10

#27 (chicken sweet corn soup) 7.3/10

Special (mango chicken) 7.5/10

Special (salt and pepper prawns) 8.1/10