Pho Chu Le, Springvale MELB

Quite often, I find myself craving for a certain type of food and unknowingly, wanting to have it for at least a few days or weeks. Pho so happened to be one of them considering the cooler weather and the thought of a comforting bowl of pho after an intense week sounds promising.

With a myriad of options to choose from at Springvale, I am slowly but surely getting to know most of the restaurants and bakeries in the area. Oh, and not to mention the many little grocery shops tucked into every corner of the street.

Service is always fast at most Asian establishments and it was no exception here. Ranging from small to medium and large, there is a bowl of pho suited to your needs, be it extremely peckish or if you are just eating for the sake of it.

Vietnamese iced coffee - I lean towards lighter types of coffees such as lattes on my good days and when in need of an extra caffeine pickup, the stronger version wins hands down. This colour of this coffee says it all - intense when you need it the most, with a slight tinge of sweetness to tone the intensity down by a notch.

Beef pho served with freshly sliced beef pieces and meatballs - broth was moderately packed with flavour and there was enough meat and carbs in this small sized bowl to fuel me for the rest of the day. Not a single fault although in my personal opinion, the dry chilli served here is a little too watered down (yes, I like fire in my chilli).

My Cambodia, Springvale MELB

I love trying out new cuisines at unfamiliar places, be it suspicious looking or not, and whether I walk out knowing that I have discovered a hidden treasure is entirely a different part of the story. The thrill seeker in me would still be glad to have at least ticked another place off my books.

Among the three of us, I was the only one who had not been to Cambodia and so, was probably the one who should be the most curious at the menu. Sadly, my companions disappointed me by not knowing much about the local cuisine despite having visited the country prior. Oh well, so that makes three of us on a new venture then...

A mix of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai cuisine is evident in their menu, with a few simple Chinese dishes such as fried koay teow and chicken rice. Staff were very friendly and prices were quite affordable.

Avocado smoothie - very milky and could improve with more avocado incorporated into it.

Prawn spring roll - a little greasy but served us well as entrees.

Three colour drink - one of my favourites in Melbourne by far. Reminded me of a Malaysian shaved ice dessert but only loaded with beans, sweet potatoes and yams. Bliss.

Phnom Penh noodles - interesting how this arrived unexpectedly loaded with the other organs of which, I did not really touch and passed them on to my companions. Probably not my cup of tea but still worth a try if you prefer simple, unpretentious meals.

Combination broken rice - one of those staples that is hard to mess with. Crisp and juicy pork served with a side of acidity to cut through the fatty sensation, all served atop a bed of broken rice that had been slightly soaked in the fish sauce dressing.

Cambodian vermicelli green curry fish soup - the highlight of our meal. It is certainly an unfamiliar taste for us although my companion did mention that it is decent tasting. Again, I cannot comment having never tried it before.

Thanh Nga Nine, Richmond MELB

It has been such a long time since I last had Vietnamese food and fortunately, the sister and her male companion were easy going enough to bring me to Richmond and get my fix. We randomly walked into a what appears to be a busy restaurant and had our eyes fixated on favourite go to dishes on the menu.

Iced coffee - no coffee for me this late but it did look good :)

Three colour bean - my go to drink at a Vietnamese restaurant. Would have liked more red beans in the concoction and perhaps for the ice to be shaved slightly finer (imagine all that yummy goodness easily slipping through the shaved ice).

Combination spring rolls - slightly smaller than what I anticipated it to be. A little difficult to distinguish between the different types of meat as everything was finely minced.

Pho - as with most Vietnamese restaurants, the serving size is generous.

Combination broken rice - served with an assortment of meat side dishes and all very tasty and juicy. Highly recommended for the carnivores out there.

Vermicelli with grilled pork - me being the adventurous foodie decided on a fresh take and ordered this without a second thought. Pork pieces had a lovely charred aroma to it and perfectly balanced in terms of sweetness and saltiness. The sister and her companion questioned my semi-vegetarian order tho!