Australia, the Land Down Under. Famous for their beaches, killer plants, koalas, Hugh Jackman, and her diverse people. With her diverse population too, Australia is also known as a culinary destination with good food coming from all over the world.
Mr. Van Chien Ho migrated and opened the first Tra Vinh restaurant in Western Australia more than 20 years ago, bringing with him the flavors of his home country of Vietnam. Without a formal background in culinary arts, however armed with the authentic taste of Vietnam, Tra Vinh instantly captured the heart of the Aussies.
Just May of this year, Tra Vinh opened its doors along the foodie avenue of NS Amoranto in Quezon City bringing with them not only the experience they had in Australia, but the authentic flavors of Vietnam as well.
Vietnamese cuisine is known to be fresh, non greasy, and delicious. Tra Vinh’s appetizers were testament to that. The trio of salads that we had: the Goi Xoai Tom (prawn mango salad, PHP250.00), Goi Buroi Tom (prawn pomelo salad, PHP240.00), and the Goi Ga (chicken salad, PHP210.00).
Goi Cuon Thom Tit (special fresh spring rolls, PHP180.00) is another Vietnamese staple, and I am happy to say that this is probably the best Vietnamese spring roll I’ve had. With succulent pork, a generous amount of shrimp, and Tra Vinh’s special peanut sauce, every bite will just make you crave more.
If you want something of the fried kind, Tra Vinh also has the Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) in shrimp, pork and vegetarian and all for PHP160.00
Noodles is a staple in Vietnam and, here, we were served three of Tra Vinh’s best sellers. The first on our hit list was the Hu Tieu Tra Vinh Dac Biet (Tra Vinh Special Noodle Soup, PHP230.00), a noodle dish with a seafood and chicken bone stock base. Also in the dish, sliced pork loin, quail eggs, prawn, squid, fish balls, and egg noodles. How good was it? My company quietly said that this one tasted like home.
The Phở Dac Biet (combination beef noodle soup, PHP230.00) is a dish of beef bone-based soup stock with 16 traditional herbs spices that give it a distinct flavor. A combination of cooked and raw New Zealand beef shoulder, beef balls, tripe, and fresh vegetables make this a filling but not-so-heavy dish! This phở was deep, flavorful, and light. Its rice noodles is also worth noting, imported all the way from Vietnam.
