Fisherman's Plate, Bond St

A couple of things:

1. I've started a new blog. It doesn't mean I'll stop blogging here, but as you may have noticed, our frequency of dining out seems to have diminished in recent months. For me it's a combination of trying a bit harder to put aside some savings along with living a bit further from town than before. So the focus of the new blog is more on cooking and eating at home. Although it's just brand new, I'm really excited about it, so please check it out if you're at all interested in what I'm eating when I'm not out and about in Wellington!

2. Happy new year everyone! (Does it count if it's now not only 2011 but the Chinese New Year?) Yes, this is the first Gusty Gourmet post of 2011. And this Year of the Rabbit. Anyway, onto today's post.

So, in 2010 I was lucky enough to have my mum visit me 3 times. Of course any visits from mums are special but this was rather unexpected and wonderful because my parents live overseas. And every time she comes to visit, we go (at her request) to Fisherman's Plate, a little fish-and-chip shop on Bond St.



Except it's not just a fish-and-chip shop: although it has a typical chip-shop-combo-menu board behind the counter, and you'll see plenty of people ordering off it, the aroma of fresh Vietnamese herbs and soup broth that ever-so-subtly wafts through the air is a giveaway, as is the wall plastered with a photographic menu of sorts featuring noodle soups and other Vietnamese dishes. And I'm pretty sure this is some of the best Vietnamese I've had (granted, I haven't been to Vietnam).

On our most recent visit, I ordered some avocado rice rolls ($7) to share. They were incredibly simple, consisting of a crunchy-creamy filling of sliced avocado, carrot, lettuce and bean sprouts in a smooth rice paper wrapper. Despite their simplicity, these were obviously assembled with care: the vegetable filling was seasoned with black pepper before going into the wrapper, adding a little bite to what would otherwise be a bland filling.



Yes, it's sort of cliche, but for me no visit to a Vietnamese place is complete without a steaming bowl of pho bo ($11.50). I ordered mine with rare beef, which was thinly sliced and tender, floating in a flavourful homemade broth along with thick rice noodles.



We were given this heaping plate of fresh herbs, lettuce, bean sprouts and lemons, as well as a bowl of sliced chillies (sadly not pictured) to add to our bowls of soup - I love the DIY-ness of putting together the perfect combination of condiments.



Mum didn't waste any time in adding greens to her soup, the mien ga ($11.50) - chicken soup with vermicelli noodles. This actually might replace pho bo as my new favourite; the chicken was shredded but in decent-sized chunks, the broth comforting and flavourful. And although it'd be the perfect steaming bowl of soup for a cold, wet winter's day, it's the kind of soup that tastes fresh and clean enough to fit in perfectly on a summer menu.

E's spicy pork noodle soup (I'm guessing $11.50 - though I've misplaced my notes with the Vietnamese name of this dish, and it doesn't seem to appear on their takeaway menu) had enough red-hot chilli floating at the top to keep the doctor away, the broth full of fiery zing. 

On another visit I had this bun thit nuong ($11.90), chargrilled, marinated pork on rice noodles. This required more DIY-ing in the form of various sauces and condiments to be added according to personal preference, and was a satisfying alternative to a brothy noodle soup.

I was happy to see avocado smoothies ($5) on the menu - aside from being deliciously creamy, they're the perfect foil to the searing heat of having added too many chillies to your soup. This one was as I'd remembered them from Southeast Asia, although I did find it a bit odd that the cup was only about 3/4 full.

We were about to leave when I spotted these plastic cups half-full with a cheery yellow substance lined up in the drinks fridge. These turned out to be che dau xanh danh ($4), a sweet mung bean paste that was served topped with a heap of shaved ice, which we then mixed into a cold, thick slurry (more DIY - hooray!).

It was different from what most people would think of having for dessert, but good nonetheless - and in any case I'm a pretty big fan of sweet, bean-based desserts (like azuki beans in Japanese cuisine), so this was well-received.

Fisherman's Plate is such a wee gem. OK, it may be lacking in ambience, but it makes up for this entirely in the quality and freshness of the food on offer. I haven't even tried their fish and chips (it's surprising they still offer them, seeing as they could easily run a restaurant serving Vietnamese alone), but from what I saw on other diners' plates they looked pretty decent. I don't think I'll be waiting till the next time Mum visits to go back!  

Cheap n' Tasty: Mekong Cafe

I always walk past Mekong Cafe, the dingy little Vietnamese noodle house on Vivian St, yet I had never been inside until last week. I had heard good things about their pho bo, though, and was curious to find out for myself. Plus, the table settings, complete with the tray full of various condiments and a box of tissues, was straight out of a scene in Southeast Asia.


Upon examining their menu, the item that excited me the most was not one of their various pho soups, nor the fresh and fried spring rolls available. On the back page, a list of beverages, specifically milkshakes that screamed tropical Asia: jackfruit, durian, avocado... While unconventional for New Zealand, avocado milkshakes were one of my favourite drinks while living in Singapore. Sweet, milky, with a hint of cooling avocado flavour - of course I immediately ordered one.

It arrived true to form, with that pale-green tinge so reminiscent of travels in a much warmer place. And it didn't disappoint - though slightly heavy on the condensed milk flavour, it was just as refreshing as I remembered. Nevermind that it's still winter here..

Since we were pretty hungry we had Mekong's special spring rolls ($6) as an entree. I'm not sure what makes these different from their regular spring rolls, as they tasted pretty standard to me, and a little over-fried, though still quite good.


I had the combination rare & cooked beef pho ($10), which was served with a plate of bean sprouts, coriander and a lemon wedge, which I immediately dumped atop the plentiful rice noodles and sliced beef swimming in the broth. It was pretty satisfying, though I thought the broth was a little lacking in complexity (possibly because it only had a few little bits of green floating around as opposed to the more generous herbaceousness I'm used to?). This wasn't too big of a problem once the tableside condiments worked their wonder (especially the homemade chilli paste/sauce). I thought that the rare beef to cooked beef ratio was pretty low, though this is understandable for a $10 dish, and the slices of rare beef that I did find were at the perfect tenderness. All up, though, it's a great value at $10 (I could only finish half, electing to take the rest home for the next day's breakfast), and definitely tasty.

I think the real star of the show, though, was E's be bung ($10), a bowl of rice noodles, stir-fried beef, meatballs, cut up spring rolls, and shredded carrot, flavoured with fresh mint leaves, a bit of chilli, and ground peanuts.

With a few additions from the condiment tray, E mixed the whole thing together and the result was delightful. The noodles were toothsome, the flavour full of umami and the fresh mint added that unmistakable Vietnamese flair. Next time this is what I'll be ordering, no doubt.

Although we were stuffed, I insisted on ordering dessert. The backlit plastic signboard on the wall advertised a curious-looking dish labelled simply as "hot mung bean" ($3) and I had to know what it was.

Two gooey rice dumplings arrived, floating in sweetened coconut milk and topped with ground peanuts. I wondered what the "mung bean" part was all about, until I bit into one of the dumplings which was filled with a yellow bean paste. This dessert was pretty enjoyable, similar to the Japanese daifuku (sweet rice dumplings filled with red bean paste) I loved eating in Japan. I'm not sure if most people would like it, though - E found the textures a bit strange - but at $3, anyone can afford to be adventuresome!

Although the ambience isn't spectacular (glaring fluorescent lights leave little to the imagination) and it looks kind of dodgy, Mekong Cafe far exceeded my expectations. Service was friendly, and food was delivered quickly, even as they negotiated several takeaway orders during our time there. Plus, for 2 people at dinnertime our bill came to $33 - including both entree and dessert! That's pretty hard to beat.

Rating: 3.5/5




Mekong Cafe
138 Vivian St
Te Aro
Wellington
(04) 801 8099

Vietnamese with flair: Restaurant 88

For a long time I'd pass Restaurant 88 on my way to Moore Wilson's and, drawn by the green-seated bicycle rickshaw parked out front, curiously peruse their menu (I do this a lot when walking past restaurants alone). I had never tried Vietnamese cuisine, but everything always sounded exotic and tantalising. Then I went off to Southeast Asia for a few months with the intention of visiting as many countries as I could and sampling the local fare. Well, those 4 months went by in a flash and somehow I ran out of time to visit Vietnam... so I returned to Wellington without having tried authentic Vietnamese food.

As soon as I moved a couple blocks away from Restaurant 88 (and wasn't just passing by with hands full of groceries), I had no excuse not to try out this restaurant. So, while I don't know what Vietnamese food tastes like in Vietnam, I can tell you that Restaurant 88 does a pretty good job of replicating a lot of the flavours that I had gotten so used to in the rest of my travels. I had the pho bo, the signature Vietnamese beef noodle soup: rice noodles, clear beef broth, sliced rare beef, bean sprouts, fresh herbs (I could taste at least basil and coriander if not more), and a side dish with the ubiquitous hoisin and chilli sauces found all over Southeast Asia. (It's telling that, although this was my 2nd time here, I ordered the same dish I had the first time - I usually try something different every time!)

(Actually, pho bo is pretty similar to a dish I had from street vendors in Thailand (I think it's called Guoi Tiao - someone correct me if I'm wrong!): to my amusement, each component was wrapped in its own plastic bag (noodles, broth, beef, herbs, bean sprouts) for me to assemble when I got back to my accommodation.)


This soup, if you've never had it, can only be described as light and meaty all at once. The beef is toothsome and juicy, the broth full of umami, and the bean sprouts and herbs give it a fresh kick. You can either dip the beef into the condiments, or mix them into the soup as I did (is this authentic?! sadly I haven't been to Vietnam or been schooled in pho etiquette, so I had no idea, but it tasted good, that's for sure). At $19.50, it's definitely a lot more expensive than what you would pay in Vietnam, but the flavour was exquisite, the portion size was generous enough that I couldn't finish it all.

Ok, so I got a little ahead of myself - we also ordered an entree: con so sau ($14), pan-seared scallops with a caramelised blue ginger sauce and assorted vegetables. Suffice it to say that the scallops were succulent and exquisitely accompanied by the spicy chilli and gingery bite of the sauce. I'm a sucker for sweet, savoury and spicy combinations, so needless to say, these disappeared quickly (as you can see by the Monkey's fork attacking the veggies in the photo).


(Just as a side note, the Monkey and I, both having grown up in the US, wondered why on earth the orange roe is never served with scallops served over there? Sure, it's a different texture, but it's a pretty substantial portion of the meat and the flavour - creamy and decadent - doesn't warrant discarding it! Can anyone tell me why I've only ever seen scallops with roe attached in NZ?)

As I mentioned above, Restaurant 88 has a green bicycle rickshaw parked out front, and the green theme doesn't end once you get inside: the whole interior is a cool, classy delight, with its hallmark green lanterns, bamboo stalks and funky Asian-inspired artwork throughout. Service was prompt and professional (though we did go on a Sunday when it wasn't so busy), but not overbearing. Definitely somewhere to go on a special date that won't break the bank!

RATING: 4/5




Restaurant 88
88 Tory St
Wellington

04 385 9088