Residents of the Northern Beaches (/North Shore) don’t have to trek out to Marrickville, Enmore, or Cabramatta to have a fantastic Vietnamese Bánh Mì - there’s a place in Avalon that’s smashing it.
Wrap ya laughing gear around that! The photos and words don’t do it justice.
Located near the heart of Avalon shops (near the Avalon RSL - using landmarks for locals) Mekong Merchant is a little place that has some amazing Vietnamese dishes.
Menu (as of August 2019):
Crispy Pork Belly Bánh Mì ($12.00)
other filling options are: BBQ Pork, BBQ Chicken, Lemongrass beef or Marinated Tofu (all $10.00)
You get a choice of which type of Bánh Mì you want, but after a previous visit I know that I’ll only ever be ordering the Crispy Pork Belly one. It’s full of delicious crispy pork and crackling, along with your traditional Bánh Mì fillings.
The problem is, that about halfway through eating it you’ll experience a sense of sadness that you're going to be finishing it soon. You’ll briefly ponder if you can eat two without becoming sick but dismiss that as gluttony.
Check. It. Out.
Beef Pho ($16.00)
beef noodle soup
The pho is really great. Flavourful, fresh, hot, but one downside that my wife shared was that it doesn’t come with a lot of noodles. I definitely snuck 4-5 spoonfuls of broth joyfully.
Rice Paper Rolls ($4.50 each)
Choice of: BBQ Pork, BBQ Chicken, Lemongrass Beef, Marinated Tofu.
BBQ Pork rice paper roll
PROS:
Amazing Bánh Mì
Pho is delicious
Perfect food options for the beaches
CONS:
Only open until 3:00pm (wish they were open for dinner)
Food items can sell out towards end of day if popular.
You may experience regrets that you didn't order some as takeaway.
OVERALL:
We love Mekong Merchant, in fact when we were discussing where to eat in Avalon I counter suggested we get Vietnamese from here and we both agreed that was the best option.
DETAILS:
Address: 53 Avalon Parade, Avalon Beach
Phone: 02 9918 3547
MAP:
Bonus - takeaway
My wife was smart enough to order some rice paper rolls as takeaway, and I was very envious a few hours later when she tucked into them.
