tastebound.com

Last night we had an early dinner at a favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood called Nón Lá, which, we were told, refers to the cone-shaped reed hat common to traditional Vietnamese dress. This place is unassuming but fantastic. Not quite a hole-in-the-wall, but tiny, and almost always packed. In fact, you’d easily miss it walking by as it presents as just a simple glass fronted space.

The restaurant is small, about six tables, so it is highy suggested that you make a booking. We got there about 6:00 and were told we’d have about 45 minutes to eat and move on if we wanted a table (having not followed the above advice of booking). That was fine by us, as we don’t tend to linger after a meal as is the custom here down under. There service was quick and polite and the remaining tables filled as we waited for our entrées. Unfortunately I forgot to bring our camera, so the pictures we have of the evening were all taken with my trusty mobile phone. Although a bit grainy, the images give a good indications of wonderful meal we had.

One of the menu items is basically a “make your own” spring roll. They bring out the softened rice paper wrappers and all of the ingredients so that you can roll your own. A great idea for a large party, as it is quite fun and very social. We left the rolling to our hosts, but the result was no less fantastic. The Spring Rolls were moist and full of flavour, and the dipping sauce a perfect complement.

Gòi Cuốn (Fresh spring roles with spicy dipping sauce)

Whenever we go to a new Vietnamese restaurant, we frequently try the Phở or Bún, or both. This time we settled on the Bún Thịt Nướng. The pork was marinated and grilled to succulence and was balanced by the sweet and sour dressing. It is such a simple dish, but like Phở, is more akin to ‘comfort food’.

Bún Thịt Nướng (Rice noodles with grilled pork and a sweet and sour dressing)

But the real treat this evening was the Heo Kho Tộ, which is a pork dish that is baked in an earthenware pot until the sauce caramelises onto the meat. This is the first time we’ve had this dish, as well as the first time we’ve even heard of this dish. It was extremely complex in flavour and quite rich. The caramelisation lent much more a ‘toasted’ flavour than a sweet one – a la the crust on a crème brûlée. Served with steamed white rice, it made a fantastic counter to the more simple flavours of the Bún. I would recommend that this dish be shared, as it is almost too much for your only taste sensation of the meal. Angela best described it as being licorice-salty and sticky. I’ll leave it at that.

Heo Kho Tộ (Caramelised pork in earthen pot)

All in all, one of our favourites. Be sure to stop by a bottle shop (there’s one conveniently located on the corner) to pick up a bottle of wine or some beer for your meal.

Nón Lá
Entrées $7.50-$15.00
Mains $12.50-$19.50
BYO
Popular with locals, reservations highly recommended

59 Fitzroy St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: (02) 9332 1050