Twenty Pho Seven

138 Russell Street, Melbourne

As you may have already guessed from the name, Twenty Pho Seven is one of the newest additions to Melbourne's 24/7 dining scene. Although there are already an abundance of Vietnamese restaurants, particularly those that specialize in the Vietnamese noodle dish, pho, Twenty Pho Seven has managed to set itself apart by being the first to be open 24/7. 
If that was not enough, the team behind Twenty Pho Seven are also behind the very popular restaurant Hochi Mama.

Twenty Pho Seven

Bruce Lee

Crispy pork belly rice paper roll

Rice paper rolls are a dish I usually avoid when I am visiting a Vietnamese restaurant, as I usually find they are a trap to make people spend more money. Despite this, I decided to give them a try thanks to the enthusiastic recommendations from our server. Surprisingly I found myself enjoying the rice paper rolls quite a lot, especially the freshness of the herbs combined with the perfectly cooked crispy pork belly. One complaint I did have about the dish was that the rice paper itself was a little dry and stiff, so it took a little strength to bite through it.

 Satay chicken

 Hanoi honey glazed fried chicken

The honey glazed chicken wings were one of the menu items that came highly recommended to us. I was a little skeptical at first, as most people would be if they were recommended chicken wings at a pho restaurant. To my surprise though, these were some of the best chickens wings that I've had in Melbourne. The glaze on the wings had a light sweetness, which when paired with the slight kick and perfectly fried crispy skin left us wanting more! 

Sliced beef & brisket pho

As the namesake would suggest, Twenty Pho Seven is a restaurant which specializes in the incredibly popular Vietnamese noodle dish known as pho. As a child from an Asian family, I spent many of my early years eating Vietnamese cuisine in suburbs such as Richmond and Springvale. And although there are still many people questioning whether their pho is "authentic" or not, if you judge it by itself as a standalone dish, it is quite enjoyable. The broth of the pho we tried was a lot more clear, in both appearance and taste, which is something we found was different from other restaurants which serve the same style. Although the flavour of the broth was not as intense, we were able to taste each different element added to the dish. 

Usually when I am invited to dine at a restaurant I like to focus on the food aspect of the experience more than the service side of it. Despite this, I felt the need to make a special mention about our service during our visit. Our server who introduced herself to us as Taeeun was one of the friendliest servers that I have ever met. Her recommendations were spot on and her attentiveness and enthusiasm was amazing to say the least. I would not be exaggerating if I were to say she provided the best service that I have ever had in a restaurant. 

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Twenty Pho Seven.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 9/10

Jai Ho Indian Restaurant

205 Swan Street, Richmond

Melbourne has quite a broad choice of restaurants when it comes down  to Indian cuisine, with many well established restaurants already in place. However, with the shift in trend towards a more South-East Asian influenced fusion and hawker style experience, there has been a decline in new Indian restaurants opening in Melbourne. Jai Ho is one of these aforementioned established names in the Indian dining scene, with three locations, including Hoppers Crossing, Berwick and Richmond.

Chicken tikka and fish amritsari

The chicken tikka and fish amritsari were the first of the dishes we sampled in our visit to Jai Ho. While the chicken tikka was a solid dish, we were more impressed by the fish amritsari. The fish itself was quite tender and still moist, while the spiced chickpea flour that they were coated with accentuated the fish with a little kick.

Vegetable samosas

Lamb rahara

Dal balti

The dal balti was one of the vegetarian dishes as well as one of my favourite parts of the meal. The spices used in the dal balti were lighter and more balanced, which worked well with the lentil based dish, as opposed to a dish like the lamb rahara, where a stronger flavour profile would be more suitable, as the distinctive flavour of lamb can sometimes be a little too strong.

Butter chicken

Mushroom pulao

The mushroom pulao did not look very impressive when it arrived, however looks can be deceiving as the rice dish was one of the highlights of the meal. The best thing about the mushroom pulao was that the dish was great at doing exactly what a side dish should do, providing a base for and helping to accentuate the main dishes of a meal.

Garlic naan

Pistachio kulfi

The pistachio kulfi was one of the few disappointing points of the meal, which is a shame, because it was the last thing that we tried. Although our main problem with the dessert was the strong flavour of the spices which overpowered the pistachio, the texture and mouthfeel of the dish was also a little unpleasant, which is unfortunate as the rest of the meal was quite enjoyable.

If you are a fan of Indian food, I would definitely give Jai Ho a go, they have three different locations around Melbourne so there is bound to be a location that is convenient. With so many new restaurants popping up and introducing new flavours and styles of cooking, sometimes it is better to go back to something more traditional.

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Jai Ho

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10