Thy Thy 1

142 Victoria St, Richmond
Ph: 9429 1104
Open: lunch and dinner, daily

Trying to pick the best place for a feed of Vietnamese in Richmond’s Victoria St is like trying to find that illusive needle in the haystack. Every Melbournian worth their salt has an opinion and it’s not often that two people in the same dining party agree.

For me (after much research I might add) the cream of the Vic St crop are places like Quan 88, Minh Minh and Dan Hung. But last night I decided it was time to branch out and climb the stairs to Thy Thy 1 – a place often recommended but one I’m rarely impressed with.

I think I was hoping for the third time lucky rule to kick in, but unfortunately it just didn’t. Yes, the service was quick. Yes, the place was packed (always a good sign). And yes, it was dirt cheap. But for me, the food just didn’t kick goals.

The vegetables in the san choy bow ($3.50) were undercooked and the meat had a weird, strangely spicy flavour - and not in a normal way. The Mongolian beef ($9.90) was seriously lacking sizzle, in fact it was lukewarm. And the prawns with snow peas ($9.90) were in the gluggiest, most flavourless sauce I’ve ever had the displeasure of eating. The fried rice was ok and thankfully the spring rolls were tasty and served with plenty of fresh iceberg and mint but, let’s be honest, if a Vietnamese restaurant can’t do spring rolls well, there’s bigger issues at hand.
Anyway, I can almost hear howls of dissent at the fact I dare criticise Vic Street’s most loved eateries but for me, Thy Thy 1 has used all of it’s chances.

So my advice is, if you’re one of Thy Thy 1’s many local customers perhaps pop your head into one of the other Vietnamese gems along the strip and see what else is on offer.

Trust me, while Thy Thy 1 is passable, there are better options out there.

5/10

- zoe

Quan 88

88 Victoria St, Richmond
Ph: (03) 9428 6850
Open: Sun-Wed 11am-10pm, Thu-Sat 11am-11pm

LIKE an old friend, Quan 88 is comforting, loyal and reliable. The only restaurant listed in my mobile phone, the Victorian street Vietnamese legend is a regular haunt.

Not much has changed with Quan 88 in the decade I’ve been visiting for shared dishes with friends and family in a noisy, relaxed setting.

Since I live almost on its doorstep, Quan 88’s kitchen has supplemented ours, especially during recent kitchen renovations.

A combination vegetable and beancurd ($10.50) has been a regular takeaway order, to the point where I’ve overdosed on it’s goodness.

Well it was months since I’d dropped into Quan. My sister was craving Vietnamese, and being tied to her six month old baby and his wheels, a lunch session was going to work. Quan is surprisingly empty on a Monday lunchtime. So no problem with prams and a baby who has just found his vocal chords.


A pot of green tea was served up immediately by Quan's efficient waiting staff. There’s a lunch special of combination sizzling hot pot dishes at ridiculously cheap prices. ($7.50). A choice of chicken, pork or beef with Mongolian, sate, black bean, lemon grass, chilli, sweet and sour or oyster sauce on fried egg noodles, steamed or fried rice or vermicelli noodles seemed good value.

But we tucked into our favourite - vegetarian rice paper rolls. At Quan they are a crunchy mix of vegetables, herbs and vermicelli rice noodles wrapped in beautifully soft rice paper. They are super fresh, served with a tasty peanut dipping sauce. One serve costs $6.50 for six.

The rice paper rolls became our main meal as we tucked into a second serving. The crunchy vegetables contrast beautifully with the soft rice paper.

We then got stuck into a serve of grilled chicken with lemongrass and chilli ($12) on a sizzling hot plate. Not bad. It was tasty, powerfully aromatic and filling.

Quan is BYO and accepts bookings, which are recommended for large groups. It has daily specials, and a very extensive menu with all the Victoria St favourites: salt and pepper squid, sang choi bao and fried combination seafood egg noodles to name a few.

But it's the rice paper rolls we love. And we returned the next week for more, shirking the rest of an extensive menu. We found consistent good quality and freshness.

7.5/10 (but 10/10 for the rice paper rolls!!)

- Kate