We’re almost out of winter here in Sydney, so cast your minds three months back and you’ll remember that the first week of winter in July was accompanied by a polar blast. If that set the tone for the rest of winter we’d all be certified polar bears by now. It didn’t though and we were left with a rather mild winter (as the meteorologists promised). During that first week, K craved phở. What better time to eat noodles in hot soup than cold weather?
The restaurant is packed at lunch time and a far cry from the tiled spaces with plastic chairs and tables you get at some of the more typical Vietnamese restaurants. I’m a firm believer that those are the restaurants you want to go to, if you want authentic Vietnamese food outside. That aside, I’m always happy to try new places: Mama’s Buoi in Surry Hills.
I’m not a big fan of phở, and I always find it hard to go past crispy skin pork belly, so I order Vermicelli Noodles served with a traditional salad mix and fresh herbs and roast pork and crackling ($14.00). Doesn’t it make a pretty picture?
The pork crackling is beautifully crispy, and the roast pork is juicy. There’s a super generous amount of salad, which is at the expense of any vermicelli noodles, unfortunately. I got only a sprinkling of noodles. While I love pickled carrots and find it essential to every mouthful, so are noodles! Other than that, though, the flavours were satisfying and spot on.
And to wash it down, I had a Vietnamese Iced Coffee ($4.50). It was a sweet and milky coffee, with just the right notes of bitterness.
Mama’s Buoi is located at 116 Devonshire St, Surry Hills NSW 2010.