My first stop on my Food Adventure is Vietnamese at Thien An. Although it is not the most “adventurous” cuisine choice per say, good food and good prices make this a regular for me that I want to share. With so many Vietnamese restaurants in close proximity to central Footscray, competition is fierce and value is rife.
Getting stuck into the complementary green tea we ordered Vegetable Spring Rolls . Thankfully they are free of the excess oil and grease that made me gawk when these where ordered for entrée. Crisp and tasty these leave your standard fish and chip shop spring roll for dead. Self wrapped in fresh lettuce and flavoursome Vietnamese mint prior to a dunking in the sweet and chilli dipping sauce, theses proved to be a delightful fresh combination. (I can’t resist good hands on food.) I may have just been hungry, but these are something I will definitely order again.
For main we ordered Chicken With Chilli And Lemongrass. Served with rice, the stir fry of chopped moist chicken and sliced onion was rather sweet, but flavoursome none the less.
The most adventurous dish of the ordering was the Vegetable Pancake. Not sure what to expect where greated with a large flat very yellow pancake. A mix of stir fried tofu and vegetables placed inside. The accompanying serve of mint, lettuce and some lightly pickled vegetables helped a little to counter the too oily pancake.
The Dry Rice Vermicelli with Beef was a mix of bean shoots, sliced carrot and mint to balance the rice noodles. I avoid the few dry, uninviting looking thin strips of beef on top. The accompanying sweet, vinegary sauce with a dash of chilli made the dish.
And we also had an old staple, Broccoli in Oyster Sauce.
Make sure you try the Avocado Smoothie. Yes, what your imaging may be close, but it works oh so well. The mix of avocado, condensed milk, ice and some mystery powder is a delight. Don’t let the the green colour put you off!
The restaurant moved across the road to its current larger and sparklier location last year. Thien An is trying to position itself as a “classy” Vietnamese option, (and I am talking Footscray standards here!) Alot of effort has gone into decorating the open light and spacious, clean surrounds. It is a bit Vietnamese kitsch, but is very close to the border of gaudy.
Consistent, tasty and clean and worth a trip back to!
Your local want-to-be Adventurer, Georgia
