As they say, word of mouth spreads like wildfire. When it works in your favour, it can be a great thing. But when it doesn’t, it can be enough to ruin your business.
Darlinghurst’s trendy Vietnamese eatery, Phamish is unique in that I’ve heard both extremes – while some adore it, others wouldn’t dream of going back. It wasn’t until my first visit there that I realised why.
Papaya and Beef Salad - $16.50
Shall we start on the bad?
I have a pet hate for restaurants that don’t take bookings. Phamish is one of these restaurants. The first time I visited Phamish, my girlfriends and I arrived 15 minutes after opening and missed the first sitting – which meant that we had to wait an hour before getting a table. The second time, Mr. Taste and I made sure we were there 6pm on the dot. We figured it was worth killing ourselves to get there on time than face the agonising wait.
Front Counter
Both times I’ve visited, the service was unfriendly. I’ve also heard horror stories of customers getting screamed at for missing their spot in the queue. The staff don’t take orders, so you have to line up at the counter to place your order (on most nights, the line is as long as the restaurant itself). While the food does come out quite fast, you’re also expected to vacate your table just as quickly. Dishes are cleared almost as soon as you take the last bite.
Duck and Prawn Pancake - $14
Bad service or not, the food is definitely worth coming for. Some say Phamish is a mix of Vietnamese and Thai, but I think it’s more Chinamese fusion in that it takes a fresh approach to Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. The duck and prawn rice paper rolls here are sensational. These jumbo sized rolls combine duck pancake, banh xeo and rice paper roll all in one fascinating mix. They are definitely one of the first dishes to be taken off the menu on a busy night, so make sure you order these early!
Blue Swimmer Crab Dumplings (with dipping sauce) - $12
The Blue Swimmer Crab Dumplings are just as popular. These crispy wontons are stuffed with a crab meat filling with shitake mushrooms and corn. A word of warning, the dumpings are prepared fresh from the deep fryer, so be careful not to burn your tongue!
Papaya and Beef Salad - $16.50
The papaya salad is quiet mild in comparison to the ones Mr Taste’s aunts make. It’s still plenty tasty though, especially with the pan-fried beef slices.
Other signature dishes include the salt and pepper squid, lamb curry and the banana blossom salad.
Phamish
And one last thing….. For those of you who’ve been, what is up with the chairs? While I love the look, they’re awfully uncomfortable to sit on. After two hours on these seats, I’m in need a good back rub.
Phamish
Phamish
Shop 109, 50 Burton St,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
# 02 9357 2688
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7 comments
the chairs look like teeth!!
I have a pet hate for restaurants that don’t take bookings. In fact I’m going to try one out tonight too, if I can’t get in I might just walk away!
At least the food is well worth waiting for! The rice paper rolls look amazing!
Oooh! I was at Universal the other night and saw the massive line outside Phamish (which is just behind Universal), we wondered how good it was… Hehe now I know. Might give it a try.
And those chairs really do look like teeth! =T
hehe i agree the seats are really uncomfortable. i believe it’s so you actually don’t get too comfortable and don’t linger and stay around talking after you’ve finished. i haven’t come across bad service to date and i like how you order at the counter beforehand. it means when you finish you just leave and not have to worry about waiting around and asking for the bill. i like that system. Duck and Prawn pancakes are a must every time i visit http://simonfoodfavourites.blogspot.com/2009/06/phamish-vietnamese-darlinghurst-23-june.html
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Very ordinary fare with Double Bay price tags. Spent $65 for 2 people and I was still famished (pun intended)… the only highlight is that the food was fast, service is much tolerable than noted above. Price tag is not an issue as I normally order degustations on most restaurants but I just can’t place the value for money for a fast food restaurant.
Four of us we arrived Saterday night and sat down at one of the free tables. We opened a bottle of wine and our partners stood in the que to order food. To our surprise a woman the manager approached us and asked us to leave the table as we had not been told that we could sit there. We explained to her there was no sign saying wait to be seated or anyone at the entrance to greet us as we arrived. She then proceeded to yell and abuse us telling us to leave. So rude with no customer care – Dont bother eating there its just not worth the bad service and terrible vibe.