Than Nuong Vietnamese Restaurant And Bar - Review

Vietnam is quite the trendy place to visit these days, but since I'm not heading there in the foreseeable future, it was pleasant to have an invitation to dine here at Than Nuong (meaning Charcoal) recently.  I chivvied Mr P. and Princess Pia into coming with me, not that it took much persuasion.  Princess Pia has travelled there in recent times, so was happy to check this restaurant out.  Mr P. of course always loves a good nosh-up (plus he was the designated driver.)  

exterior

It was a chilly night, but there were a fair few diners regardless.  And even though it is on a busy road, the atmosphere was warm and inviting.  Menus were handed out, and water brought out promptly.  

loved the pretty lights on the tables

I can never go past a fairy light, and these were so pretty in the glass jar.

Princess Pia had a nice glass of Heirloom Coonawarra Cabernet $12

Princess Pia was very taken with this red wine.  She loved it, and said it was delicious.  Yep, I tried a sip even though not a red wine drinker - pretty darn tasty.  Hubby enjoyed his soft drink (bringing back the childhood memories.)

sarsaparilla for Mr P.

I had a glass of La Maschera Rosé ($8).  Oops, no photo.  It went well with the food, as it is a light wine, and doesn't clash with the spicy flavours of the food.   

veg. spring rolls $9.20 for 4

Mr P. was very enamoured of these rolls.  He said they were the best he'd ever had.  Very fresh and zingy with the herbs and the chilli sauce.  Crispy, golden casing and a tasty filling.  I had a bite and liked them too; perhaps not as much as he did, but they were good.

soft-shell crab $11.70

This was a delicious plate of crispy, deep fried, tempura-battered crab.  Silly me, I hadn't realised how large this entrée plate would be.  Neither Princess Pia nor Mr P. eat crab so I had to eat it all by myself!  I think the Princess was a wee bit horrified about eating it shells and all, especially the legs:=).  She bravely tried a bit - "without legs."  This dish had great flavours and textures, and was a generous size - great value for money.    

Hoi An Pho $18.80

Both the P's chose pho for their mains.  Hubby had the house special in a medium size (still gigantic), while the Princess had a medium-sized rare beef pho ($17.60).  She loved it!  Well, they both did.  The Princess said it tasted as good, if not better than the ones she had had in Vietnam.  Mr P. being a pho virgin, thought it was fabulous.  His dish had beef brisket and the shredded beef.  It may not have been very photogenic (he said), but it tasted "gorgeous, tender and spicy."  They loved the spicy scent of star anise.  The owner told us that the beef broth is cooked for eight hours, giving it a wonderful depth of flavour. 
    

pho accompaniments

Mr P. said the broth had such depth of flavour, that when you added the herbs and sprouts and the sauce, "it just exploded in your mouth.  And you couldn't stop eating."

lemongrass chicken with vermicelli noodles $22.40 

You can choose vermicelli noodles or rice or rice paper with your mains.  I chose the fine noodles, which come out like an incredibly thin pancake.  The peanuts and fresh herbs added a lovely bit of texture and zingy flavour to this dish.  

with chilli sauce accompaniment

I enjoyed adding a fair whack of the chilli sauce to my chicken.  This dish was a leetle bit bland for my tastes, but very tender.  I found it just a bit limp, sadly.  I was expecting a crisp coating on the chicken, but that's my misconception really.

a sampler of desserts to share

Not sure what these desserts were.  Clearly there is red dragonfruit, which was pretty and refreshing.  The tart on the left had a condensed milk and passionfruit filling I think, which I really liked.  The pastry crust was very hard, and not easy to cut with our spoons.  The soil/crumb had a wonderful taste, though I'm not sure what it was - pistachio maybe?  The latticed pie on the right had a raspberry and perhaps coconut filling.  We all enjoyed a sweet treat after our mains.  

We had an enjoyable (and tasty) night courtesy of the friendly owner, who sat and chatted to us about life and restaurants and Vietnam.


The Pickings' Verdict: 8.5/10

Great flavours, friendly service, good atmosphere, generous servings.


(Sherry's Pickings was invited to try out this restaurant.  All opinions remain my own.)

come inside folks

Open till late Tuesday to Sunday.  They also do deliveries via Uber Eats and Deliveroo.


Ph: 07 3036 2630

Shop 5/159 Logan Rd., Woolloongabba 4102