EAT: XUAN BANH CUON, SUNSHINE

There are several places in the westside that you can count on for a good Vietnamese feed, and Sunshine's Xuan Banh Cuon is one of them.

Appearing in the name of the restaurant, it should come as no surprise that they specialise in banh cuon, a steamed rice noodle roll from Northern Vietnam. It's a dish that's not very common in Vietnamese restaurants in Melbourne, so it's good to know that I don't need to trek too far to sort out the banh cuon cravings I seem to frequently encounter. And it also happens to be one of the best apparently. I had only heard good things about Xuan Banh Cuon prior to my visit, and our experience certainly did not contradict. The rice roll component tasted silky light and fresh; the 'original' filled with a flavoursome minced pork and prawn and the 'plain' paired with pork meat loaf. The flavour profiles of both were further upped by their accompaniments of fresh Vietnamese herbs and a superbly balanced fish sauce.

My first visit to Xuan Banh Cuon certainly won't be my last. Those banh cuon cravings will surely hit some time soon, but I also spied a number of other tasty-sounding dishes on their menu...