This place is a local for me, and my "I can't be bothered cooking tonight" default take away food…read more I have never dined in only ever gotten takeaway. They are lovely people (although a bit shy) and the food is always fresh and delicious. I recommend the BBQ beef in plum sauce and ask for extra veggies - very delicious.

I was a phene for pho in my university days - my housemate introduced me to my first bowl of…read moresteaming Vietnamese deliciousness at the tender age of 21. How I lived without it for all those years, I don't know. Thank gosh for friendship. Good Days is a hip new Vietnamese eatery in Brunswick that I wish existed in my neighbourhood. It's a cozy and welcoming reprieve from the bustle of the street, and a great mid-week dinner. I was catching up with an old friend, and we nabbed two bar seats which was a good life choice as you can watch the chefs prepare the food as you await your food coma. The menu is short and sweet featuring four Vietnamese classics (pho, rice paper rolls, chicken rice, and noodle salad) but with a point of difference. The impressive twist? Good Days is vegan-friendly and all the meat is ethically sourced - unheard of, I know! The free range pork is from McIver Farm Foods, the free range chicken is from Milawa Farms, the pasture raised organic beef is from Creighton Creek and Australian prawns are from North Queensland. Now for the real 'jump on your chair' moment - they have vegan pho! The aromatic vegetable broth (shiitake mushroom and kombu base) was exceptional, and the grilled and braised Asian mushrooms on top gave a 'meaty' vegetarian touch to the dish. My friend got the pork and prawn noodle salad with homemade rice paper rolls and we both agreed we could drink a gallon of the nuoc cham sauce it comes with. I have a weakness for rice paper rolls and highly recommend the mushroom and tofu vegan entree. The drinks menu features coconut water, Vietnamese iced coffee and jasmine tea. Speak to the staff if you're gluten-free and they will happily help you out. Good Days is an undersell - it's more like Great Nights and life-changing mushroom pho!

Disclaimer: I know Nam personally (the mastermind who created Good Days Brunswick). We went to…read moreVietnamese school together back in the "good old days" when you could get a solid Banh Mi for 2 bucks at lunchtime (sold out of an esky by a little VN granny). Long story short, Nam is a quiet achiever and nothing has changed. Continue to read my food review if you like. As I was visiting from outta town, I just had to skip my usual "benchmark dish" the Beef Pho and went straight to this mysterious Mushroom Pho. I must say I am converted. GDB use fresh succulent mushies. My fav is the innoki and the 2 slices of char grilled oyster mushroom cooked before me. The way it is beautifully presented reminded me of a scene from the 1985 Ramen movie "Tampopo." And just like in the movie, I caressed those 2 slices of oyster mushroom in that beautiful dark kombu broth and whispered "I shall meet you towards the end and eat you". One final note that sums up this dish is "delicate". I am not sure if pho from VN is delicate because of the portion size, the price or the way it is cooked. All I know is modern Aussie pho often lacks the subtlety of its motherland origins. In creating something unique, GDB is actually paying homage to an iconic dish. Pro tip: if you like the whole slow eating concept, I suggest you sit at the bar and kindly ask the chef to blanch your bean sprouts. This will help retain the temperature of your broth and you can savour every last drop, piping hot 'til you hit the spot. I also had the Saigon samurai beer which is ?locally brewed beer on tap. It is a light beer very similar to a 333 or Saigon bia (all it needs is some ice cubes and it's like being back in VN). Finally, I really wish someone else would create their version of this Mushroom Pho dish and battle Nam and his GDB team because then it would actually become something (just like in Japan you have different ramen based on different regions).

A great little Vietnamese place featuring 'street food'. Fresher and tastier than a lot of other…read moreplaces, with items on the menu we haven't seen since last in Asia. The pho was a bit too fishy for me, but my partner liked it. I had the vermicelli with roast pork and prawn spring rolls - flavorful and fresh! We'll return soon!

This relatively new restaurant is presented very neat a clean and has an easy to read and…read moreunderstand menu. The prices are fantastic! We were left feeling very disappointed with our meals however. The tendon in my soup was super chewy, rather than the gelatinous texture I've come to love and the spring rolls were unfortunately overcooked. The Pho broth was rather sweet but definitely not the worst tasting I have had. The Vietnamese Iced Coffee was pretty good though! We were excited to try the closest Pho shop we had found to our house but are likely to travel the extra distance to the known good spots in Preston or Lalor.

My partner and I shared veg spring rolls, veg fried rice and stir-fried chicken chilli &…read morelemongrass. Free jasmine tea. All the food was freshly prepared, cleanly presented and tasty! Service was friendly and prompt. A really pleasant experience.

Ended up going on a whim and it was the best decision! Extensive vegan options and everything is…read morevery affordable. The spicy Pho is so good and spicyyyy, rice paper rolls were huge and the peanut sauce was such a good compliment alongside, the vegan pad viet was to die for!!! Highly highly recommend, I could have had two serves! The place was cozy and very warm for winter nights, definitely recommend and would visit again!!

Saigon Soul is an effortless 4.2 for me…read more Gosh, I wish this was our local Vietnamese restaurant. It's a cute understated place with adorable food. It doesn't have stereotypical Asian decor, instead going for an engagingly quirky look that screams comfort and warmth rather than style. It's quite a sizeable place with a decent back area and we liked it very much. Today we chose prawn dumplings which were soft, flavoursome and lovely and very well made. This was our first introduction to the subtle spicing and seasoning in the dishes here. The dishes don't hit you between the eyes but rather creep up on you. The duck spring rolls were in the same style. Lovely and crispy with great filling and with that subtle flavouring that was by now really beginning to intrigue me. As if the entrees weren't good enough, the mains really hit the heights. The excellent East meets West dish consists of beautifully tender and flavoured grilled chicken. It's a really lovely dish with chilli, garlic, lemongrass and coleslaw topped with mixed herbs. I could eat chicken this good any time. Our dish of the meal though was Week to Week, which is a steamed barramundi fillet - a huge one at that - with caramel, soy, fish sauce and garlic topped with cilantro and pepper. This dish is off the charts good. The barramundi fillet was huge and just magnificently cooked. The flesh just fell away but was still full of abundant moisture. The spicing and seasoning again here was masterful. Delicate and understated yet lovely enough to leave that wonderful residual warmth on the lips. We adored this dish which is one of the world's great food steals for $19. We had a wonderful meal here. With places like Saigon Soul in Ascot Vale, Cochin in Richmond and Tien Day in Box Hill I'm pretty much convinced that the best Vietnamese food is off Victoria Street these days. We'd like to thank Thien for the kind invitation to dine here. Could you give higher praise than wanting Saigon Soul to be your local.

Really nice food,excellent and friendly staff. A place where you can dine to the early hours of the…read moremorning.