I LOVE Vietnamese. I’m a pho addict, so no surprises that when I found out Than Nuong Vietnamese restaurant opened up in Woolloongabba right by my work, I quickly locked in a lunch date with my colleagues to check it out.
You can smell the restaurant before you get there, the beautiful charcoal smell wafts around. Than Nuong translates to ‘Charcoal’. There’s a great outdoor area which will be perfect with a beer in Summer for lunch too.
We shared the prawn rice paper rolls and soft shall crab to begin. Both were fantastic. The soft shell crab was complimented by the fresh herbs and vegetables and the rice paper rolls were classic Viet-goodness.
I had food envy over my colleague’s dish, the prawn and papaya salad. It looked phenomenal and she said it tasted amazing. My other colleague loved her chilli, coriander pork pork salad, it looked really fresh.
No surprises for what I ordered, the pho! I love pho! I had the medium size and it was still very generous, particularly with the fresh ingredients to put on top and there was a generous serving of meat too. The broth was lovley, a few hints of spices that were subtly different. The noodles weren’t what I expected, still rice noodles but thick ones. I asked if it was a regional thing but the owner said it was just a preference of his. I quickly forgot about that and it was devoured it!
I’d like to go in for dinner and try something that really showcases the charcoal flavour on the meat, it smells supreme!
While this dining experience was complimentary, this review is true and authentic.