I was on my way back to Sydney from visiting my partner in Wollongong, I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, and my fuel light was flashing. I was driving through South West Sydney to reach my home, and the Speedway petrol station in Mount Pritchard and its attached Vietnamese restaurant fulfilled all of my pressing requirements in one go.
2 Foodies in Mount Pritchard is a very small restaurant operation, offering up only a couple of dining tables and a bar that faces a window with excellent views of the attached petrol station. What little they save on decor and rent seems to go right into their excellent tasting food, with a limited but focused menu of pho and banh mi, along with suitable halal options appropriate for its geographic location.
I had a beef pho with everything ($16), a medium sized bowl of rare beef, beef brisket, beef balls, beef omasum, and beef tendon in a delicious rich soup. All the proteinaceous components of this bowl were great, with tender beef, a well cooked brisket, and balls that actually taste better than those from the Asian grocer freezer aisle. Coming in at just fifty cents more than the rare beef, brisket, and beef ball version, I truly believe that the full pho experience is only gained with the addition of delicious random bovine parts. The broth, a perpetual stew of beef, bone marrow, and choice spices and herbs including star anise and shallot, is extremely rich, with a deep complex flavour that shines far ahead of many of its competitors. All of this is finished with a large topping of fresh onion and shallot, aromatics that release their flavour when covered by the piping hot broth.
Though delicious, one unfortunate pitfall of this broth is its extreme oiliness, with a very visible layer of oil atop the soup that made me compelled to add all of the one small wedge of lemon to try and cut it.
COMMENTS
I found joy today in an incredibly unlikely place. Not only was the pho at 2 Foodies some of the best I’ve had in Sydney, I was also able to fill up my tank with unleaded 98 for 15 cents/litre less than the six other petrol stations I drove past on the way there. While communication, cleanliness, and decor could be improved, I’m almost glad that they focus all of their energy on the quality of their food rather than this other distracting minutia. You will definitely find me visiting again.
2 Foodies
2/348 Elizabeth Dr, Mount Pritchard NSW 2170
(02) 8786 0189