• Pho An Restaurant – Bankstown
  • By Mr. Taste

    My family used to come here at least once a week to briefly forget those cold winter nights. Going to ‘Pho’ was synonymous to going to ‘Pho An’. When I was really really small, this phrase was thrown around so much that I actually believed Pho An to be ‘the’ original pho, the mother pho from which all other inferior Pho’s were derived and then spread across the world, developed after years of research by a brave visionary in a Bankstown kitchen who came up with the ingenious idea to put some beef and noodles together into a soup enriched with the secretest herbs and spices, creating the greatest food known to man.

    Pho Tai

    Large Pho Tai (Rare beef) $13

    Sad to say, we haven’t been very often in the last 7-8 years because of the price jump ($13 a bowl). Plus, parking in the giant carpark next door can be a pain (no matter what time we go, we have to park on the roof). But still it is always the first port of call after an overseas journey and the fond memories of the great meals we’ve had here always draw us back, regardless of the price or whether our last visit was nowhere near as awesome as how we imagined it would be.

    Pho An - Bankstown

    Pho An - Bankstown

    The service at An Restaurant is unparalleled to any restaurant in Sydney. The mechanical efficiency in which the restaurant is run is an engineer’s dream (as opposed to the café system, which is an engineer’s hell). Aptly nicknamed ‘McPho’, every process you can imagine has been refined down to the n-th degree. The experience of dining here feels like being a minuscule cog in a perpetual machine designed to take in the hungry, feed them and then get them out of there as quick as possible. Rarely do you need to wait for a table here – you sit down and order, your pho comes less than a minute later (not joking here), you be quiet and slurp down your delicious noodles as fast as you can and then get on your way.

    Bean Sprouts, Mint, Lemons and Chilli

    Bean Sprouts, Basil, Lemons and Chilli

    The pho here is beyond unique. The peerless quality of the stock comes from hours of simmering with herbs and spices, which work to release all the wonderful flavours that put Pho An’s soup distinctly ahead of others. And with only Pho on the menu, you certainly know where Pho An’s priorities lie. Regulars don’t come here for the service or the convenience, they all come here for the delicious pho, and only the pho, which this place has refined to near perfection.

    Pho Tai

    Pho Tai

    Pho An Restaurant
    27 Greenfield Parade
    Bankstown NSW 2200
    # 02 9796 7826

    Monday to Sundays from 7am – 9pm

    Map powered by MapPress


    COMMENTS / 9 COMMENTS

    [...] A hot bowl of overpriced pho at Pho An 2. The incredibly satisfying tamarind prawns at My Canh Taramind Prawns at My [...]

    My Canh – Bankstown | tasted by two added these sweet words on Sep 07 09 at 9:27 am

    I’ve only been here once but I think I got a engineering breakdown day. My soup was lukewarm – not hot enough to even remotely cook the beef. But some Vietnamese friends love it. Will have to go back and give it another chance..

    Forager added these sweet words on Jun 26 09 at 11:23 pm

    I love it here. I crave it! They always have the best tasting soup. The combination beef is my favourite because you get all the lovely different textures from the meat, tendon and tripe. I love to make a day trip out of it, getting pho, then pandan waffles and sugar cane juice round the corner and take away banh mi for dinner! I agree though, the carpark is a total pain.

    Steph added these sweet words on Jun 26 09 at 11:32 pm

    Ooh, I still haven’t been here! I’ve wanted to try it for so long! Might actually go this weekend, the weather certainly calls for it!

    Betty added these sweet words on Jun 27 09 at 12:30 am

    I think the price jump coincided with bowl size reduction too, not to mention beverages are quite pricey.

    Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before you blogged about Pho An haha.

    Wilson added these sweet words on Jun 27 09 at 10:34 am

    it’s been a while since i’ve been to this one. it’s a pity the prices have gone up so much. i remember they charged us $3 for an extra empty bowl to use so my parents could share being not very big eaters which I think is a bit mean.

    Simon Food Favourites added these sweet words on Jun 28 09 at 10:55 pm

    Hi Forager! Sometimes it’s not so great here, but it’s so good when it is. Not sure the science of it but some of my friends swear that the time you go affects the tastiness of the soup. But then again, some of them swear to never ever come here because of the price and inconsistency.

    Hi Steph! Ms Taste and I always get the plain rare beef, never the combination or the chicken – we are so boring haha.

    Hi Betty! Let us know how you went!

    Hi Wilson! I knew it. It won’t be long before it is just a tiny bowl with 10 strands of noodle. And the diehards will still be eating there every 7am.

    Hi Simon! I’m surprised they haven’t started charging for a second chopstick. We better not give them any ideas…

    Mr. Taste added these sweet words on Jun 28 09 at 11:19 pm

    The price rise is dissapointing, but even in Cabramatta the prices have gone up … though not to the same extent. I’m so use to paying $10 or less for a Vietnamese or Chinese feed in Canley/Cabramatta though!

    Howard added these sweet words on Jul 05 09 at 9:36 am

    Like a previous comment when I went here the broth in my pho was not as hot as what I was expecting. However, the taste of the broth was pretty good though. this place is great if your hungry as the food comes out so quick!

    clekitty added these sweet words on Jul 21 09 at 1:00 pm

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