Peanut butter and jelly. Black rims on a white car. Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.  None of these combinations seemed like they would taste. The point.. please eat your Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls with the lettuce!

WITH every public holiday, it is tradition that my friends and I head to either Victoria Street in Richmond or Footscray for some Vietnamese spring rolls, Pho and mixed ham rolls. Also the fact that Asian stores and restaurants are the only ones that are trading.

Boys being boys, we thought we could spice up this old tradition and go to both locations. We had nothing else to do apart from rubbing in this wondrous day off to our Sydney peeps anyways. Why?! The girls asked. This is where I used my cat attack card.

So I proceeded to tell them that Creamy’s nails hadn’t been cut lately and are pretty sharp indeed. So should I happen to ‘accidentally’ rowdy her up towards their pair of Jimmy Choo shoes… Without hesitation, the girls in the group magically changed their minds as they clung onto their shoes like a child to his blanket – the fellas however, were giving me the thumbs up. What sort of persuasion power would I have had I owned a dog?! Just imagine the possibilities…

Stop #1: Thanh Ha 2

Details: 120 Victoria St Richmond VIC 3121 Phone: 03 9421 6219

Surroundings: Casual, room length mirror highlighting specials on offer reflecting back the odd number of patrons using their toothpicks in full view. Eeew!

Entrées: Pork Fried Spring Rolls: Generously filled, the juicy minced pork filling was full of flavor complimented by the fresh lettuce and tangy dipping sauce. The sauce was especially good with the evidence of fresh garlic, the right amount of sweetness and wasn’t not to fiery with the chili. Oh, and although hesitant at first, my friends are now adding the leaves. About time I say.

Use that lettuce leaf!

Prawn Rice Paper Rolls: Large in size filled with the biggest possible prawns that can possibly fit inside without tearing the rice paper, mint, coriander and vermicelli noodles. Don’t you love that!?  I tend to mix the sauces from the fried and rice paper spring rolls.

I tried making these once, but was a little to eager with my King Prawns…lesson learned. Wanna have a go? Check out the below video.

Mains: Steamed rice paper with prawn, pork slices, mung bean pie with bean shoots, cucumber and mint served with a chili compote. If not, just use the handy jar available on each table.  This was superb. The point of the dish is to combine all the ingredients as you experiment your way through the various elements and different textures-  from the encased mung bean crunch to the slippery rice paper and the dense pork slices. I suggest cutting up the pork slices for the ease of your devourement.

The rice paper rolls are silky and soft to the tongue. It’s actually quite enjoyable eating this dish as you try and hold it all together with the chopsticks! My skills need sharpening. The chili surrounds the crisp broken mung bean pie concluding with the fresh neutralising salad complimented by the sweet and tangy fish sauce dressing. This is the point where I start to blow my nose from all the spices then hopping back in to continue the fight.

The mash up.

Dessert: Avocado Smoothie. A little too thick as I struggled to draw enough breath to sip. But was happily scooped up by the humble spoon who is always there to help you out- especially in the middle of the night as you go for the ice-cream tub.

Bring a date here? I’d consider this a place to get together with friends as opposed to a date. The kids running around and noisy crowds can dampen the romantic outing.

Night out with friends here? For sure.

Service: Courteous and friendly.

$$$: 36

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

Stop #2: Nhu Lan Bakery

Details: 116 Hopkins St Footscray, VIC 3011 Phone: (03) 9689 7296

Surroundings: This place gets packed as an ants nest. I’m surprised they don’t pre-prepare all the rolls but am glad they don’t.

Made fresh in front of your beady eyes, you will need to make your decision on ingredients quick snappy. Like the soup nazi on Seinfeld, don’t waste their time ‘ooohing and aaahing.’   Stand at the back of the line and select your ingredients or just order the stock standard from the menu.

When my friends and I are craving for this crunchy meat filled goodness, it only takes 1 SMS with the subject line ‘viet roll?” to get us all excited speeding all the way to Footscray. Usually occurs on a lazy Sunday.

Mains: Mixed Ham Roll

Over the last 15 years, I’ve just about tried out all the Viet Rolls on Victoria St, Springvale and Footscray and by far, Nhu Lan takes the crown. It could be the sinful mouth watering butter, the fragrant pork pate, the pickled carrot blended with the fresh coriander or the fact that each time I’ve had it; the rolls have just popped out of the oven.

With the bread still warm, this is eaten on the street as we walk around the shopping strip, laughing at each other as bread crumbs litter the floors of our city. Such grotts I tell you. Oh well, the birds will eat it? Conscious is clear. Right?

Bring a date here? Take it…and go.

Day out with friends here? Hmmm, as above.

Service: Friendly but don’t waste their time.

$$$: 3.50. Cheap Eats!

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

Feeling rather lazy to cook, what do you eat on a public holiday?

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