Phuc Deli Viet

Phuc Deli Viet is a cool contemporary Vietnamese street food bar tucked away in South Brisbane’s bustling SW1 pedestrian lane.

All seating at Phuc Deli is undercover, either al fresco on the terrace or in the high-ceilinged concrete interior, where oriental wallpaper with wall lanterns and bamboo blinds add interest and warmth and above the entrance sits a striking 6m wide handpainted work by a Sydney-based artist.

The menu features mouth-watering hot and cold hawker style staples inspired by the cart vendors and pop up kitchens of Saigon, Hanoi and regional villages and towns of Vietnam, as well as an interesting east-meets west bar menu which includes Asian craft beer, Shochu, frozen cup sakes, Japanese whisky and fresh fruit cocktails.

Presented beautifully, the food at Phuc Deli Viet tastes as good as it looks. Choose from Grazing options such as Sugar Cane Prawns, Crab Spring Rolls or Ginger Chicken Gyoza; Rice Paper Rolls (prawns, lemongrass beef, BBQ roast pork, honey ginger chicken or caramelized fish tofu) and Banh Mi (try the Classic Viet roast pork belly, garlic and black pepper pork sausage).

A great range of traditional soups include Cart Soup (simmered in ginger chicken stock for 6 hours, with glass noodles or egg noodles), Wonton Soup or generous steamy bowls of Pho. The latter comes in 3 flavours of Beef (Rare Sliced Beef; rare Beef, Beef Bricket & Beef Meatball or Rare Beef, Beef meatballs, Brisket, Tendon and Tripe) as well as Steamed Chicken and is served with a Viet Table Salad of mint, bean sprouts, lime and chilli.

In addition there’s also a Viet Laksa (turmeric and blue ginger coconut broth with either fresh Hokkein noodles or Rice Vermicelli) – Chicken, Seafood, Vegetarian Tofu or Combination.

Viet Mint Salads are highly recommended and include Lemongrass Beef, Grilled Caramelized Pork, Soy Glazed Fish Tofu, Pork & Garlic or Grilled Sugar Cane Prawns.

Equally as delicious is the Viet Village Rice (smoky grilled meats with salad pickles and rice) – try the Crispy Skin Five Spice Chicken, Grilled Garlic Pork Loin Chop or Lemongrass Chicken with sriracha garlic dip.

A signature dish at Phuc Deli is the Hainanese Chicken Rice (chicken steamed in its own juices, with fragrant garlic rice) and also worth a try are the Viet Curries (lemongrass & blue ginger chicken or Turmeric coconut fish) served with steamed rice and crispy baguette.

Otherwise there’s Viet Lettuce Wraps (lemongrass beef, honey & ginger chicken, caramelized ginger pork or grilled lemongrass sugar cane prawns), a small dedicated Vegetarian Section of salads and soups and a couple of traditional Ice Desserts - Malaysian Ice Karang and Rainbow Ice (rose jelly, sweet red beans and coconut milk).

To drink, as well as the Frozen Sake Cups, Shochu, Cocktails (think Lemongrass Mojito and Julep Goddess), whisky, Asian beers and quality wine by the glass, there’s non-alcoholic options such as Fresh Fruit Jam Jar Frappes (try the Saigon Sunshine or Pink Lotus Blush), Chill Juices (such as whole green young coconut), Iced Tea (lime or lychee), Iced Vietnamese Street Milk Coffee and Viet Bubble Milk Tea.

Nice to know – All food items are available as takeaway.

In a nutshell - Phuc Deli Viet is a great place for an express lunch, cocktails and Vietnamese snacks at sundown or a delicious dinner and drinks without breaking the budget.

The menu may have changed since our visit.