VN City, Strathfield

I recently checked out VN City which is a new venue on the main strip of Strathfield.  VN City brings the tasty authentic Vietnamese food I have been craving! While I do enjoy some Modern Vietnamese or Fusion Vietnamese, there are times where I just crave some authentic Vietnamese food.

Upon entering the restaurant, I see all the sauces that bring Vietnamese food to life and it reminds me of my childhood.  VN City starts to fill up from 11am and by 12pm, the restaurant is full this particular Saturday. I pour myself some complimentary tea and look at the menu.

As it's a warmer day, I decide to order a cold drink. I order the Fresh Watermelon, lychee, mint fruit shake ($7) which is refreshing and chilled with crushed ice. Mr Weekend Food Escapes orders the Vietnamese Egg Yolk, Condense milk and Soda ($5). This is also known as Soda sữa hột gà. The flavours are unfamiliar for Mr Weekend Food Escapes but I think for those with Asian backgrounds or particularly familiar with Asian flavours - this is a typical combination of sweet, fizzy textures. Some people even compare it to a lighter version of egg nog.

The menu states that the signature at VN City is Crispy Chicken. I really enjoy Vietnamese Crispy Chicken and am eager to see how VN City delivers. I know the hungry people of Sydney will line up for Vietnamese Crispy Chicken if it's tasty enough. It's built up my expectations.

So I order the Signature - Crispy Chicken with thin egg noodles (Your choice of soup or dry with sauce and side soup) $16 with high expectations. I choose the dry egg noodles with the crispy chicken. The Crispy Chicken is really delicious. The skin is flavoursome, crispy and juicy. I take a bite of the chicken and quickly follow with some egg noodles. The noodles are really flavoursome. Mr Weekend Food Escapes smiles and says he really enjoys the chicken as well. The Crispy Chicken at VN City will easily rival any Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney and if word gets out - I predict lines waiting outside VN City. My expectations have been exceeded!

I also order the Pho (Rare Beef) $13.50, arguably Vietnam's national dish. I hold off putting any chilli or hoi sin so I can taste the base broth. The base broth has developed a depth - I anticipate this broth has been developing for several hours to get this level of depth of flavour. I then top up my pho with Thai Basil, bean sprouts, chilli and a dash of hoi sin. It's a bowl of flavoursome soup that warms up the soul. I can eat pho whether it's warm weather or colder weather due to my Vietnamese genes. The pho at VN city is of a generous portion and is hearty, tasty and easy to eat. I recommend.

Finally, Mr Weekend Food Escapes and I share the Banh Hoi Combination ($28) which comes with DIY rice paper rolls with fillings of sugar cane prawns, grilled pork, 2 pork spring rolls, vietnamese grilled meatball and lots of herbs and dipping sauce - share for two or three. Banh Hoi translates to the rice vermicelli noodles and I am particularly familiar with how to roll a rice paper roll. 

I wet the rice paper in the dispenser VN City have provided and start the process. I am quite happy with my roll as there's a balance of herbs, protein and texture from cucumber, carrot. Rice paper rolls are addictive, I eat one after the other. I quite enjoy the combination of flavours. This would be a great dish to share in a group.

Summary: Overall, I really enjoy my lunch at VN City, it's a great cheap and cheerful venue with delicious food. The signature of Crispy Chicken with egg noodles was my favourite and was incredibly delicious. The other dishes of pho and banh hoi combination also are highly recommended. 

Price: Most dishes vary from $13-16, bigger dishes $21-28

Location: 27 The Boulevarde, Strathfield

Opening Hours: 
Open Daily 10am to 10pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.