Hiding amongst the city skyscrapers, you’ll find a modern Vietnamese café. Lunch-y things like rice paper rolls, noodle salads, noodle soup bowls and Vietnamese baguette rolls are on the menu – with a focus on flavour and value.
Owner and Head Chef Che Tam Nguyen is influenced by many trends and cuisines – from the dude food he used to cook in his delicious Butty’s Food Truck, the modern Australian cuisine he used to plate up as part of the Australian Culinary team and now his popular Vietnamese Urban Bowl eatery, just off St Georges Terrace in the CBD.
Tam invited me in for a spot of lunch. The last time that I worked in the city was 2004, so I relished the opportunity to walk down the bustling terrace at noon. I really miss having the city’s takeaway and lunch spots right at my finger tips!
A Quick n Tasty Lunch
There’s a lot of choice on the menu, I ordered the Vietnamese pork noodle bowl ($9.90). The dish came out in no time and was super fresh, which is the thing I love most about Vietnamese cuisine. The dish was loaded with rice noodles, fresh salad and herbs. The sous vide cooked pork was deliciously juicy and tender. I’m obsessed with spring rolls. This was perfectly crisp on the outside and bursting with tasty veg.
At Urban Bowl you can also grab an Urban Cup of coffee or their own house blend tea. On a previous visit I had a cup of pineapple and chamomile, which I’d never tried before. I enjoyed the sweet and smooth tea.
Urban Bowl is a great little café. A hop, skip and jump from St Georges Terrace (on Sherwood Court, opposite Lalla Rookh). It’s perfectly placed for popping out of the office to grab a very tasty lunch!
