MELBOURNE | One of the things that I really missed during lockdown was the ability to pop into food places at a whim, without any plans or forethought.
Take last Saturday, for example. Lauren and I needed to grab a few things from Ikea, and realised we hadn’t turned our minds to lunch. Being on Victoria Street, Vietnamese made a lot of sense (although I did spot a new Singaporean hawker spot – next time).
I’ve got a few go to spots for Vietnamese food on Victoria street, but when I spotted Co Do, with the words “Bún Bò Hué”, in their logo, the decision of where to eat made itself.
It might have been my first visit to Co Do, but it’s certainly not new to the street. In the front window are numerous newspaper clippings spanning over a decade, including a faded Matt Preston Epicure review from 2009.
When a venue advertises that a certain dish is a speciality, you order it. Bún Bò Hué is one of my favourite Vietnamese soups. I first tried it in Huê back in 2013 and was immediately hooked. It’s a joyous beef bone, pork shank, lemongrass, and fermented shrimp sauce broth filled with vermicelli noodles, sliced beef brisket, pork, beef loaf, pork loaf, and cubes pig’s blood. The version at Co Do is very good, with a wonderful balance of spicy, salty, and umami in each bite.
I also went for some Gòi Súa Tôm Thit. It’s a fresh, zesty salad with shaved veggies, fresh herbs, pork, prawns, and jellyfish. Really, really good.
To drink, some Soda Sua Hôt Gà. It’s soda water with beaten egg and milk. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, kind of like an airy, light egg nog, in soda form. I’m a fan.
Co Do
196 Victoria Street
Richmond
Victoria 3121
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9421 2418
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Sun – Sat: 9:00am to 10:00pm