2023
Tân Việt Noodle House has long been known for gà da dòn or Vietnamese crispy fried chicken and claims to be the ‘first to reinvent the original Vietnamese crispy skin chicken dish, from serving a whole fried chicken to just the maryland piece’. While its original store is located in Cabramatta, its store in Eastwood has always had a long queue with tables filling up quickly shortly after opening.
Cơm Gà Da Dòn ($18.00), or crispy chicken with tomato rice.
The maryland is the most succulent part of a chicken and it was fried to delectable perfection here. The skin had a savoury flavour and was light and crisp without being greasy, while the interior was juicy and flavourful. The tomato rice had a subtle tomato sauce flavour, and while dry on its own, was perfect when paired with a bit of the nước chấm after dipping the chicken. The accompanying chicken soup was refreshing and light to cleanse the palate after the fried chicken.
Mì Gà Da Dòn ($18.00, top), or crispy chicken with wet egg noodles, and Hủ Tiếu Mềm Gà Da Dòn ($18.00, bottom), or crispy chicken with wet rice noodles.
These were the same crispy chicken with the rice swapped out for noodles in chicken soup. The chicken soup was the same as that accompanying the rice dish, and while it was pleasant enough to drink, it wasn’t sufficiently flavoured to carry the otherwise unflavoured noodles. We preferred the tomato rice.
Tân Việt Noodle House does crispy fried chicken remarkably well, and we’re delighted to include it in our rotation of foods in Eastwood along with the honey chicken from BBQ One. Many tables were also ordering their phở, so we may be tempted to try it ourselves if we can pass on ordering their perfect crispy fried chicken.
Tân Việt Noodle House is located at 209 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122.
2024
We were regular patrons of Tân Việt Noodle House in Eastwood until the store closed and changed ownership, adopting a different name, Dai Viet Noodle House. While in Cabramatta, we took the chance to visit their original store. Given the long lunchtime queues, we opted to wait until late afternoon, around 3 PM, to avoid the rush.
Cơm Gà Da Dòn ($19.00), or crispy chicken with tomato rice.
The fried maryland maintained its juiciness without being overly greasy; however, the skin lacked the even golden color, lightness, and crispness found in the previous Eastwood store. Although the rice portion was more generous, a smaller serving would have sufficed, and it was a bit dry, needing some nước chấm for moisture. The pickles, with their vinegary sweet and lightly spicy chilli notes, cut through the richness of the tomato rice and any lingering heaviness from the fried chicken. The accompanying chicken soup provided a refreshing and light conclusion to the meal.
On a weekend, the Cabramatta store proved to be very noisy, prompting memories of the more serene ambiance at the smaller Eastwood store. Perhaps we should visit new Eastwood store given the possibility that they retained the old cooks since they continue to serve the same dish.
Tân Việt Noodle House is located at 2-3/100 John St, Cabramatta NSW 2166.
Tân Việt Noodle House is located at various locations in Sydney, Australia.