REVIEW: Little Saigon Grill

The line can be long but it moves quick!

I wish I could tell you I was letting you in on a well kept secret but Little Saigon Grill goes off every day. Tucked away in a little laneway off Albert street, Little Saigon Grill serves up well priced Vietnamese food. I've been to Little Saigon Grill a few times for workday lunches and usually get a banh mi. The pork belly ban mi is just amazing, but this time I was on the hunt for pho.

Banh mi station on the left and everything else on the right

Since my visit to Pho An restaurant in Sydney, I've been hankering for that amazing taste of authentic pho. I've had it around here and there and it's just never quite hit the spot. Given the amazing banh mi at Little Saigon Grill, I had high hopes.

As I said, Little Saigon Grill gets very busy during the work week but the line moves fast and they have an efficient system, with a busy banh mi station down one end and the hotbox and al a carte items available from the other. I ordered Pho Bo Vien - beef pho ($11.90) and my dining companion ordered Banh Mi with tofu ($6.90).

Tofu banh mi

The tofu banh mi comes with aioli, pickled cucumber, pickled carrot, shallots with the option of fresh chillies and obviously tofu. The whole lot is placed into a deliciously crispy French-Vietnamese baguette and toasted. The bread at Little Saigon Grill is amazing, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and really puts it on to the next level. As usual, the banh mi was really good and no exception what we've come to expect.

The pho before my customisations.

Now my pho. Sigh. I don't know what I would have thought of this pho before my transcendental experience in Bankstown. Perhaps I would have been quite pleased with this pho. But I can't lie, it didn't come close. It was okay. Maybe I could stretch to it was fair. It definitely wasn't bad but the incredibly complex and depth of flavour simply wasn't there. I added a lot of chilli to add flavour and I did finish it. There was nothing to complain about as such. I think Pho An has simply ruined me for pho. If you know anywhere in Brisbane to get pho and you think it might match Pho An, you simply must tell me, okay? It's not fair to keep that from me.


And after! I love me some srirachia.

We also got a Watermelon juice each for $5. It was very refreshing and the perfect treat on a warm day.


Watermelon juice.

So overall, I enjoyed our visit to Little Saigon Grill and I will definitely be back as they're quick and well priced but I will be sticking to banh mi or try a few other menu items. Not the pho though, it just makes me sad.

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5