This event is about showcasing great food from local Cabramatta restaurants.  The concept is simple: serve up 12 dishes from different restaurants in Cabramatta, kinda like a tasting plate of the restaurants in town.  And serve it in Freedom Plaza in the heart of Cabramatta.  Luke Nguyen is the draw card and promote it as part of the Sydney International Food Festival.

Pho and Vietnamese Fresh Roll

The pho (above left)  comes in a small bowl as a taster. The soup is sweet and hot to cook the raw beef.  Goi cuon or Vietnamese fresh rolls (above right) are cut into bite sized pieces, fresh ingredients and looks stunning, especially with the prawn halves showing through the translucent rice paper.

Cabramatta Long Lunch

Peking duck (above top left) is sliced a little too thickly and served with a sweet hoisin sauce that’s made with five different ingredients to be wrapped up in pancake.  Beef green mango salad (top right) has all the trade mark of Bau Truong, strong flavours, contrasting textures that stand out but never seem to clash. Suckling pig (bottom right) is Iron Chef’s specialty, crispy skin, soft juicy meat.  Char grilled fish (bottom right) tastes delicious with light lingering influence of banana leaf.

betel leaf pork

Betel leaf pork is another Bau Truong specialty.  The pork is already tasty, but gets extra flavour from the betel leaf that’s wrapped around it.  A fun, interactive dish, you’re meant to wrap all the ingredients including pork, vermicelli, pickles, bean sprouts, so many different types of mints in rice paper and dip in Vietnamese chilli fish sauce.  Just about no one does a better betel leaf than Bau Truong.

Vietnamese Bo Kho

Bo Kho or slow braised beef brisket is as traditional as you’ll get.  A salty casserole where everything is cooked until it’s tender and absorbs all the flavours.  Today it’s served on its own, but best eaten with Vietnamese hot bread roll or rice noodles.

Fruit platter

An exotic fruit platter that includes paw paw, kiwi fruit and some lovely hard fruit jelly cubes.

Luke Nguyen’s Long Lunch Menu, Cabramatta Freedom Plaze
Pho – Ngoc An Restaurant
Fresh Vietnamese roll – Ngoc An
Peking duck – Iron Chef Seafood Restaurant
Betel Leaf and sliced char grilled pork – Bau Truong
Char grilled fish in banana leaf – Bau Truong
Suckling pig – Iron Chef
Slow braised beef brisket – Ngoc An
Fried water spinach (not pictured) – Ngoc An
Mango crepes (not pictured) – Iron Chef
Custard tarts (not pictured) – Iron Chef
Fruit platter – Iron Chef

Here’s my interview with Luke Nguyen

noodlies, Sydney food blog was a guest of Luke Nguyen, Fairfield City Council and Sydney International Food Festival.