Beneath the gleaming towers on Hunter Street in this towns financial and legal district is a hidden little gem tucked away in the basement venue known as Bar Hunter. It’s a bar that mainly attracts the corporate skirts and suits that work in the vicinity, settling in for a meeting liquid lunch in a dark corner or perhaps a tasty feed at Bò 7 Món Thanh Tâm, a Vietnamese restaurant I reckon is one of the better ones in this neck of the woods.
Sitting in the dark windowless space gives the feeling that it’s always after midnight and the chirpy guy running the show has a perpetual smile on his face as he shuffles around delivering his modern Viet meals to the hungry crowds.
The quail comes cooked two ways – salt & pepper or tamarind. I chose the tamarind and relished every sticky and sour mouthful of the tiny bird. There’s no glamorous way of eating this so forgo the cutlery and jump in, fingers and all.
The tasty spring roll vermicelli comes a little more puffed than usual and the grilled betel leaf is a flavour-packed finger-stub of mince wrapped and grilled in la lot. All washed down with an iced coffee that packs some grunt. I watched how these are made and am astonished with the inch of condensed milk and inch of coffee syrup in each cup, topped up with milk of course and frantically mixed with ice. A serious caffeine and sugar hit.
The classic crispy pancake with its innards of prawn, pork and bean sprouts is quite good as is the $10 meal deal of crispy chicken, tomato rice and fried wontons. The sauce with the wontons virtually glows in the dim light with its unnatural redness and its flavour is like watered down plum jam. Not sure about that one.
Luk lac beef cubes are always a favourite of mine and as tasty as they are here I’m not a great fan of using meat tenderisers. The fibres in the meat pieces were so broken down they barely required chewing and the thickened glaze gave them that Cantonese shopping centre foodhall appearance.
Grilled pork chop is another favourite that’s almost crusted with zingy lemongrass and a side of shredded pork, pickled veg and tomato rice. Let’s not forget that runny fried egg. Sadly there’s no pork cake but I’m more than happy with this one.
Coming at the peak of lunch trade may be a bit of a struggle as you queue for a table and endure a little erratic service but if you want peace and quiet and the whole restaurant to yourself, try the 1.30-2pm time slot.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d never even know to look for this place if it wasn’t for your post! I’ll keep this in mind for next time I’m in the city
Another hidden gem, nice! What a mouthful of a name though! LOL
Love those mini puffy spring rolls, although they look quite like, umm, never mind ….
I’m not at all a fan of that bar… but the banh xeo looks pretty temptingly good..! And quail too!
Nice lighting. Did you use flash for these photos?
Hi Genie – flashing is bad, very bad, for food photo’s and other diners trying to eat in peace. I just sat under any light I could find. If it’s too dark I simply don’t take photo’s
I never know where to eat around that area, thanks for the post! The food looks scrummy and decently priced. $2.50 for Vietnamese Iced coffee is a steal!
I’m also a big fan of this place, a solid plan b option when the laksa place next door is queuing out into the street
I love this place, though when I tell friends to meet me there, I call it ‘that Vietnamese joint downstairs at the Hunter Bar, you know, between the 7-Eleven and the Malay Chinese place?’ The crispy chicken and tomato rice is really good.
yum i could really go for that iced coffee right about now i need a arvo pick me up stat!
Great tip, I’ll find an excuse to not bring lunch one day and eat there. I’ve never tried quail with tamarind but it sounds like the kind of dish that I’d be interested in. That red sauce for the wontons look like a Photoshop trick, lol.
i believe they may have taken the iced coffee off the menu now but it’s a great plan B if malay-chinese is too busy. i like their pork and spring roll vermicelli salad now
but still trying to make my way through the menu.
in need of that ice coffee in this weather of mine! *wipes sweat off the forehead*
That wonton’s sauce really glows! Hahahaa.. but i’m not liking the colour though. Looks strange!
Bò 7 Món Thanh Tâm, looks like pretty good value for that side of the city. Wonder how many people truncate their long name down to just Bo 7?
What’s the small white bowl of, the one in the wanton & chopstick shots? They just dipping sauces?
Hi Simon, that’s a bowl of chicken broth, very heavy on the white pepper
The ice coffee sounds like a heart starter!
Looks like you’ve tried the whole menu here! Confused by the inclusion of deep-fried wontons for the meal deal – would be quite happy for those to be replaced by a glass of that attention-alerting coffee.
Ahh they’ve relocated here just as they told me. Their “bo 7″ extended name certainly sheds light onto their specialty: beef 7 ways (seven courses of beef), which, I hear is only available for dinner but really worth returning to with a group.
Actually, correction. You may want to call up to make sure about that. May be available for lunch also. Sorry. Regardless, it’s a must try.
This restaurant is so casual , but very very tasty, there entrees really are to die for , the chef boss (mrs) has the patiance love and care one would for there child.
Many times I’ve just popped into the hunter bar for a quiet beer and there she would be , hand making these extraudanary prawn spring rolls or mincing and marinating the meats, yummy yummy yummy.
Highly recommended , and the restaurant is situated in a location for those who really want to be heard and seen with there friends or family instead if watching the world go by.
A great relaxed atmosphere.
Regards
John
I have been trying to find Phil and Anh for a couple of years now. I was a regular at Riley St in the late 80′s I will haed down there next week Do they still do the venison ??