Minh Minh

After the memorable experience i had at Hung Vuong. I was pumped up for another pho experience, this time i headed to Melbourne's other Vietnamese enclave- Richmond.

Richmond (Victoria Street) is home to a great number of Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant. Quite a number of them, were/are recipients of The Age Cheap Eats Guide. I have tried a some of them myself, they were all pretty decent.

So we set off that night to Victoria street for dinner. Not really knowing where to eat yet, we strolled from one end to the other end of Victoria street. I was pleasantly surprised at the great abundance of restaurants there, I never knew there so many. I have to admit though variety was minimal, most of the restaurants are straight Vietnamese or Vietnamese- Chinese.

After mulling for a while we decided on having Minh Minh.

Ironically it does not serve pho (more on that later). Anyways, two things drew us to Minh Minh.

One- the multiple awards that were plastered all over the glass walls of the restaurants.

Two- the restaurant was very crowded and a crowded restaurant usually means good and fresh food.

We were promptly greeted and shown to our table, it was a little table on the corner. I was in no position to complain cause, it was full and I did not make any reservations. Tea, cutlery and menu then came quickly as well. The efficiency of this restaurant is really frightening.

So expecting pho for dinner, we scanned through the noodles section. To our surprise, there wasn't any phos, on the menu. ( We misread the menu that was pasted on the menu) It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Among the two of us, we ordered 3 dishes. First of which was, Sugar Cane Prawns. It was on special that night.

The delectably named Sugar Cane Prawns ($9.50)

The prawns were rolled and was served "satay" style, sugar cane is used here instead of regular bamboo. The dish came with fresh lettuce, vermicelli, fresh vegetable and the ever present Vietnamese sauce. I really like how all the different flavours come together, the lettuce, vermicelli, nuts, it was brilliant. A definite must have.

Vermecelli with shredded pork ($9)

The best bun cha in Melbourne? A very big claim. However, this is definitely way better than those you get elsewhere, the pork was smoky, juicy and flavourful. The bun cha here makes other bun chas in Melbourne taste mediocre.

Broken rice with grilled and shredded pork, fried egg ($8.50)

This dish is another testament of why the food at Minh Minh is top notch. This broken rice dish feels so authentic. I mean the broken rice, it was really broken, amazing! I have imagine, a Vietnamese native will be happy to chow this down on the busy streets of Hanoi. The pork was seasoned and grilled beautifully. It was juicy, really gorgeous.


Food for thought: Order the shared dishes when you are here, they were served to neighboring tables and they look terrific. Also, the restaurant noise level is deafening, so prepare your earmuffs in advance. I will also recommend making a booking first if you come in a big group.

Minh Minh
94 Victoria street
Richmond VIC 3121
Ph: (03) 9427 7891

Tues 4pm-9pm
Wed -Thurs 11:30am -10:30pm
Sat 11:30am- 11pm
Sun 11:30am-10pm

$8.50-$25

Score: 3.25/5