A Night at 2 Foodies Restaurant

Dinner at: 2 Foodies in Mount Pritchard. Photos taken by myself with my Canon D70 Camera.

Hello, hey, hi. I really hope everyone has been well and healthy. And that you've been taking it easy and continuing to take care of yourself.  ....2020 has been so crazy so far, right? January is like night and day compared to July since the Covid-19 pandemic took over the world. I feel really small these days; like a little blip in the world.

I haven't posted anything since January because of a few key events.

In summary: Australia was ravaged by devastating bush fires from December to January where homes and lives were lost. So I spent a few weeks helping to collect donations for those that lost everything in the fires. 

My dog Sokchea passed away as well in January. She was the sweetest dog and I miss her everyday. I got a tattoo on my ankle in dedication to her. 

Then Australia started lock-down in late March and I started working from home since April. Mentally it's been challenging for me and I felt so isolated the entire time. It's been a lot of ups and downs and at the end of 3 months at home I was about to crack. 

I'm trying to take it day by day. Hai got me a new laptop so I could work better from home. As I was transferring my files over I realised I have not blogged in over 6 months! I think I forgot what my life was like before lockdown. So to bring me back to some sort of normality, I'm pulling some photos from my past outings pre-lock down.

A few months ago I drove ten minutes from my house and found myself walking into 2 Foodies. Some friends of mine recommended it to me claiming it was the best pho around. That was a tall ask especially since I grew up eating pho from all around Cabramatta (Sydney's little Vietnam). I've also eaten at pho restaurants in Vietnam and I'm married into a Vietnamese family who own their own traditional family recipe.

OK, so my first thoughts when walking into 2 Foodies: 

- I drive past this restaurant attached to a petrol station every day, never noticed it

- I'm pretty sure this used to be a Subway and they kept the same shop fittings

- Yes, this was definitely a Subway shop, they serve the pho where you're supposed to pick your subway ingredients

-Wow, why is this restaurant playing old school Eurobeats inspired Vietnamese music, I kinda like it

-And WOW, the smell of the pho broth is bloody fragrant and amazing

The restaurant appearance isn't five star, lets be clear. It's practical with simple decor, mismatched chairs and tables but it has a warm and welcoming vibe.

The owner was so friendly and he knew we were newcomers, he greeted us with a huge smile. The menu is simple: beef pho, beef stew, satay beef roll, pork crackling roll, sizzling noodle salad. I ordered the beef pho (regular size) and the owner insisted we also try his home-made satay chilli sauce. It really packs a delicious punch and is super spicy. Proceed with caution.

Now let's talk about the pho. The biggest critic I know is Hai. In the six years I've known him, he has always pointed out to me he won't eat any other pho other than his mum's because it just isn't the same.

No broth is as fragrant and as tasty as his mum's. He always talks about his days of walking through his front door and all you smell is the broth that he knew his mum has been brewing for hours. He always calls his mum's pho 'Home'.

Well I took Hai here and insisted he tried the pho at 2 Foodies. Hai was impressed. Finally. He called called the food here 'HOME' (yay after many attempts at lots of other restaurants!!) and that means that he approved of the 2 Foodies broth. 

And it's true, its fragrant, clean and smooth with a delicious beef taste. The noodles were cooked perfectly and not soaking up the broth when it's been overcooked. The meat (which includes sliced beef, meatball and tendons) was generous, soft and tender. The usual fresh beansprouts, herbs and lemon was also on offer to add as toppings to your pho. I usually taste the broth before I add the hoi sin sauce, soy sauce and sriracha, and I found I needed so little (in fact maybe I shouldn't have added  any since the broth was so nice but its just my habit). However I always have to squeeze a little lemon, thats my preference. 

After our meal I finished it off with the Vietnamese iced coffee, which I swear tasted like liquid Kopiko (a coffee flavoured candy I loved as a kid). No complaints here it was really yummy.

I highly recommend this place. When lock down laws lift I hope you get to try this amazing food and support your local small businesses and spread the word. 

Stay Safe everyone x