The Proud Peacock, Mt. Waverley MELB

When one is on a tight budget, sourcing out for the most economical meal is top priority and even better when it's located nearby (save up on petrol/ public transport costs!). I have been diligently exploring new restaurants and cafes in Glen Waverley and so, it was no wonder that I decided to venture a little further to Pinewood shopping centre, located approximately 5 minutes away by car.

Having been to a few Vietnamese restaurants/cafes in the past, I am aware of what to expect in terms of service, food portions and costs so I wasn't completely shocked when I was squashed into a tiny corner of the restaurant. The restaurant is very small and from memory, could only fit about 20 patrons, taking into account that you are going to be rubbing shoulders with the person on the next table.

Soft drinks are available free of charge but it is only a selected few flavours. Food did not take long to arrive at our table so that's a plus point too.

Combination broken rice ~ this was more than enough for me, that's for sure. Pork was cooked well aka still retained a lot of it's juices and gosh, I had a generous serve of the dipping sauce to drizzle around my rice. The waitress offered me a bowl of soup and when it arrived on my table, it was a massive bowl of beef soup that has about a ladle full of thinly sliced beef in it.

You can bet that I was over the moon at this point.

Pho with beef slices ~ Broth had a slightly sweet taste to it and was piping hot when it arrived at our table. Noodles had the right consistency in terms of texture (not too soft but not too hard - it is a tricky balance to achieve!).

At the end of our meal, the waitress gave each of us an ice cream popsicle at no extra charge and apologized for being patient with the serving staffs' service. Honestly, we were not bothered by the service at all, noting that there are not many staff on duty and the rostered staff tried their best to accommodate every customer. 

I rarely encounter this sort of gesture, especially when I have not complained/ expressed any form of dissatisfaction. A rare gem of a restaurant and I wouldn't mind heading back here again for it's good, affordable food and lovely service:) Two thumbs up from me!