Traditional beef pho

Having walked past a few times before visiting there is something enticing about the entrance to Miss Chu. The model of having the takeaway at the front and the restaurant at the back doesn’t always work but in this case there is something comforting.

The fitout for this Vietnamese diner uses every inch of the long and tight rectangle room. It is funky and functional. The menu doubles as an order form immediately bringing memories of places like Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong. While we are here for soup, there are just too many enticing dishes to completely focus there.
So we begin with rice paper rolls. Beautiful, tight wrapped rice paper covers a generous roast duck filling. Combined with the rice wine vinegar based sweet chilli sauce you have way more than a snack. This could act as a light lunch.

Roast duck and banana flower rice paper rolls

Next we try the prawn and crab net spring rolls. Again, it strikes me that you can actually taste the prawn and crab through its generousity, which should be the usual case, but just isn’t in reality. Each bite is delicious and again the dipping sauce adds a hit of heat.

We now have our traditional Vietnamese pho filled with beef. The broth is great, but certainly no better than many on Victoria Street. What does set this pho apart is the noodles which are perfectly formed and have that elasticity and texture that puts them in the exceptional basket. The beef is tender enough, but still could be cut a little smaller in the kitchen. Put another way, it’s probably not a first date dish.

Prawn & crab net spring rolls

With a good selection of drinks available, Miss Chu provides a terrific dining experience. While you write your own order, the service is still interactive, and on this occasion, quick. For the price tag it is one of those experiences where you are already planning future visits as you slurp the last of those awesome noodles.