After eating ribs all day, I felt like something light like Asian food. So after a few drinks at the Miss Kitty’s Saloon and the Inglewood hotel we headed into Northbridge. We were planning on going to Uncle Billy’s for their pork belly claypot pot or Billy Lee’s for their sizzling beef but last minute decided to try the newish U & I 24 Hour Pho Cafe which is located where Vultures used to be.
It was close to midnight and there were a few tables inside & out filled with the Northbridge crowd looking for a late night feed. We decided on U & I because we didn’t want to get right into Northbridge and found a good parking right in front.
burger boy and I were greeted on entry and taken to a table for four although it was just the two of us. We ordered satay chicken skewers ($7 for a serve of two) to share, a dry seafood noodle for burger boy and I ordered a pho dac biet which is the Vietnamese noodle soup with beef & meatballs. We were keen to have our midnight snack quickly and go home, so we asked for everything to come out together.
My pho arrived first but I thought I would be polite and wait for burger boy’s dry seafood noodle to arrive. Good thing I waited too as turned out I was served someone else’s pho which I thought was mine until I was asked “have you had it yet” when I said no it got taken away to another table (mind you I did poke it with my chopsticks so the meat would cook).
Next to arrive was burger boy’s seafood noodle which was meant to be dry rather than immersed in broth. Normally I would just have it as is but burger boy isn’t a fan of noodle soups. The same staff member who served me someone else’s pho, looked like he was hoping I would say we would have it when I told him the order was incorrect.
Shortly after my pho arrived, the satay chicken skewers arrived. The chicken breast was a bit dry but the satay flavour was ok.
The last straw was when I squeezed an already squeezed lemon which slightly put me off my meal as I felt like everything served was somewhat recycled. The pho was also ok, the broth was sweet and they were generous with the meat. This was probably the only saving grace.
burger boy thought the sauce on the noodles was tasty and his dish was ok. My apple custard tropical milkshake tasted just like milk, it was quite thin so I’d say there was very little apple custard used.
In terms of the ambience, the seating at U & I Cafe was quite spread out and it felt a bit stark. Naturally being midnight on a Saturday night, our entertainment included a fight outside which we watched through the cafe windows and intoxicated neighbouring diners
Although our midnight snack was just $36, I won’t be rushing back - I had high hopes but should have known better. I think the concept of a 24 hr pho is cool so I hope U & I Cafe does succeed. I’ll try them again once the service improves and perhaps on a week night before 9pm.
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*sigh* How I miss Vulture’s Poor Boy….
I know - I think we use to have steak at Vultures
What a disappointing meal. Maybe it was a bit too late night for them to get your order right!
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Possibly - will try again in 6 months or so down the track to see how the service is then.
We stumbled across the Cafe Friday night. Service was very good that night however the food was so so. Fresh ingredients are so important.
On the positive side it was nice to sit outside with a beer and chat away late on a Friday night. A few years ago only night clubs and seedy bars consumed Northbridge, it’s great to see it is opening up other options.
Yea I like the concept and yep completely agree, Northbridge has evolved so much - so many options. Gone are the days of just kebabs after a night out! It’s interesting as there seems to be mixed reviews on food at U&I, my bro and his Vietnamese gf love the food - I’m with you Leanne, it was so so.