Cheap and cheerful.
That was the only stipulation I gave my girlfriends when deciding where to eat for our Friday night catchup: somewhere we could get a table without waiting and get change for a $50.
Xage (pronounced ‘Sage’) was our answer.
Hailed by many as the new Phamish, Xage is located on the ever accessible Crown Street gastrostrip. A small and cosy place with a handful of alfresco tables, Xage is refreshingly unpretentious. The service is efficient, friendly and very attentive.
There is a good mix of classic Vietnamese dishes, with a few bold signatures – such as the caramelised pork belly and beef curry.
Duck fillet bánh xèo summer rolls, hoisin peanut sauce $10
Crispy chicken spring rolls with nuóc chám $7.5
We order the crispy spring rolls and duck summer rolls as our entrees. There is something new and surprising in the flavour of these two dishes. I hazard a guess that it’s some form of celery. Both dishes are also accompanied with bright and flavourful dipping sauces, which is a nice change from the standard nuóc chám.
Like Phamish, entrees are Xage’s strong suit. However, also like Phamish, Xage stumbles a little when it comes to the mains.
My pork belly was tender and well balanced in terms of flavour but too ‘gooey’ for my liking. The chicken curry baffled my friend Miranda at first, but it slowly grew on her. Meanwhile the grilled chicken salad, although tasty, had too little vermicelli to satisfy my friends Jess and Amelia.
Caramelised slow-cooked pork belly kho $16.9
Càri gà chicken yellow curry, hot mint, sweet dried shrimp $16.9
Grilled chicken, cashew nut, herbs in lemongrass dressing $15.9
At the end of the night, we had all eaten more than our fair share of food. And for only $25 a head, it was a steal of a meal.
Xage
333 Crown Street
Surry Hills
# 02 9332 3344
www.xage.com.au
Open 7 days a week for dinner from 6pm-10pm. Open for lunch starting from March 2010.
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8 comments
i’ve been meaning to try this place out for the longest time! it’s always bustling when we pass by in the evenings, specially on the weekends. great post, now i’m definitely going to try it out!
Oh YUM – I love Viet food but it is difficult to find at a reasonable price in the inner city. Definitely going to give this place a try!
Cool, they’ve changed some of the dishes’ presentations, but they still haven’t managed desserts yet ….
I love the look of the pork belly kho. These dishes all look fantastic and at reasonable prices. I’ll have to look this place up next time I’m in Surry Hills.
good to see it’s still reasonably priced. did you ever get to try the opening $10 specials when it first opened. quite a bargain. although Phamish still make the best prawn and duck pancakes!
@ Mei – You have to give it a try next time. The place was buzzing when we left at 9pm.
@ Anthea – True true, not many places spring to mind when you think about it!
@ Joey – I was wondering that myself. Why wouldn’t they do a desserts menu?
@ Mark – Totally agree. It’s hard to find good value in Sydney.
@ Simon – Hell yeah, even the super uncomfortable ‘tooth’ seats aren’t enough to stop me from those duck pancakes!
Oooh another Vietnamese to try and the meals look really good. Great prices as well
The food looks decent, similar to what we have at home. Did the cari ga come with bread to mop up the liquid? I love how Vietnamese food is started to gain some popularity; at first it was Chinese, then Thai..