Cabramatta offers an endless array of Vietnamese restaurants, and while we have our favourites, we decided to try Tân Bình Minh, a restaurant known for its tasty food, generous portions, and affordable pricing.
Bún Chạo Thịt ($16.00) ‘sugar cane prawn and grilled pork sliced’.
This dish had a variety of toppings in a good ratio to the vermicelli. The grilled pork was tender and well-seasoned. The sugar cane prawn was fried fresh to order, and although not as soft or rich in prawn as the version from Phú Quốc, it was still tasty. The mix of herbs, pickles, and peanuts harmonised with the silky vermicelli, providing the dish with a delightful range of textures, flavours, and temperatures.
Bún Riêu ($14.00), ‘crab meat and tomato vermicelli noodle soup’.
This was our first time trying this dish at a Vietnamese restaurant. The broth could have had a richer tomato flavour and a deeper fish flavour. As it was, nước mắm seemed to dominate the flavour and was evident in the aroma. Despite the broth, there was a generous variety of toppings, including crab meat, fried tofu, pork hock slices, chả lụa, bean sprouts, fresh tomato, and blood jelly. Most of the toppings were enjoyable, except for the crab meat, which had the texture and appearance of oversteamed egg pudding, and the blood jelly, which tasted of blood like liver but with a smooth rather than grainy texture. As with the previous dish, the silky smooth vermicelli made it very enjoyable.
Overall, Tân Bình Minh provided excellent value for money, with prices staying accessible even amid the inflationary pressures of 2024. We would eat the bún chạo thịt again, though we are inclined to explore other items on the menu first.
Tân Bình Minh is located at 3/42-44 Arthur St, Cabramatta NSW 2166.