Phamish

Shout Out to Alex & Patrice!

So I don't do restaurant reviews on here, but maybe will start with some anecdotes about the places I have tried around the traps.

I had dinner at Phamish on Friday night.





Phamish is not exactly a new destination for me: I have been a big fan for a couple of years now, and I'm sure many of you are familiar with it.

It serves wonderful Vietnamese food . . . my mouth waters just thinking about it!

It is BYO, and doesn't take reservations. Unless you fluke a table first-up, what usually happens is you put your name down, wonder to the East Village Pub 100m down the road, and when your table is ready they give you a call. It is usually no longer than a 15-20min wait.

This is not a sit & linger place: if you want a romantic meal w/ lots of gazing into eyes you would want to re-think this as your destination. If the staff feel, once your plates have been cleared, that you are dordle-ing, they have no problem asking you to either hurry along, or, failing that, leave.

I know some people find this rude, but I don't. If you want to sit & chat, head someplace else. This is amazingly fresh, good food, and they rely on high table turnover.

It is important to note that I have never felt rushed here though: they walk that fine line quite well. I have always felt we were given more than enough time to finish our meal, relax a little after, and then be on our way.

One of the reasons their food is so amazingly fresh is that they rarely have 'left overs'. That is because they prepare X versions of any dish per day. The man taking the orders has a sheet w/ the number of serves available per dish. As you order, you will notice he makes amendments to this list. When they run out, they peel that dish off the magnetic menu-board.

The most popular dishes frequently run out, so do your best to get there not much later than 7.30 / 8pm, especially on the more popular nights.

The things to order there (trust me on this, you won't regret it):

1) blue swimmer crab dumplings
2) salt & pepper squid
3) bo luc lac (beef eye fillet)
4) SA Snapper

Phamish Vietnamese Cafe

Shop 109/50 Burton St, Darlinghurst

But ignore the above, that is like a mailing address, you actually enter from Palmer St (head to 250 Palmer St & you'll see it, tucked in the corner of the 'L' shaped building. If it helps, Universal Restaurant is in the same 'complex').