Max McFarlin (also known as Mac Oi) - an American YouTuber who specializes in sharing street food experiences. He has lived in Vietnam for more than 4 years and recently shared a video about his journey to discover Vietnamese cuisine in Australia.
During his trip, Max suggested to diners famous Vietnamese food places in the land of kangaroos, and expressed surprise at witnessing many contrasts in the way Vietnamese dishes are prepared in other countries.
Max started his trip at AN Restaurant in Greenfield Parade (Bankstown, Australia) famous for its pho which he said was more of a Southern Vietnamese style of pho.
In the video, Max shared: “The broth is rich and the beef flavor is distinct. The beef melts in your mouth.”
However, he also noticed some differences compared to pho in Vietnam: “Here people use yellow lemons instead of green lemons, and the herbs are not as complete as in Vietnam.”
In addition, instead of adding chili sauce, chili vinegar garlic or fresh chili to the pho bowl, people here often dip the beef in the pho bowl separately with a chili sauce described as Sriracha.
Another notable detail is Max's comment on the restaurant's service style: "The menu is simple, serving only beef and chicken pho, but perhaps the enthusiastic and dedicated service style makes this place special."
Next, Max visited Banh Cuon Kim Thanh, a nearby Vietnamese food place located on Chapel Rd (Bankstown, Australia).
The rice rolls here are described by Max as soft, transparent and handmade, rather than machine-made.
Max expressed his delight at the cake-making technique: “I was really surprised because the pieces of cake were very thin, you could see the filling but they didn't fall apart.”
Regarding the accompanying ingredients, Max praised the iceberg lettuce - a side dish not too common in Vietnamese rice rolls, but it creates a unique flavor.
With the accompanying dish, Max confided: "I was hoping it would be like Vietnamese cinnamon sausage, but it's not."
During the food tour, Max visited Ba Mien restaurant, where he decided to enjoy the giant Southern banh xeo.
In his video, Max describes the dish as a perfect combination of crispy crust and rich filling of shrimp, pork, squid, and scallops. He was especially surprised to see scallops - a rare ingredient in traditional banh xeo.
“This banh xeo might be the biggest I’ve ever seen! It’s actually flat like a crepe rather than the banh xeo I’m used to. I really want to see the pan they used to make it. It must be really big to fold this banh xeo!” - Max excitedly shared.
Max also commented that this banh xeo did not have as strong a coconut flavor as the Southern banh xeo he had tried in Vietnam, but he appreciated the balance of ingredients.
“I think the dough had less coconut, but everything else from the shrimp to the pork to the squid was cooked just right. Not overcooked at all, which is hard to find,” Max commented.
However, the male YouTuber expressed regret when he learned that this restaurant would close after more than 13 years of operation.
The owner said she decided to retire to take care of her health after her children grew up.
“I feel really lucky to have tried this banh xeo before the restaurant closed. This is truly an unforgettable experience!” - Max confided.
In addition to pho, banh cuon and banh xeo, Max also explored many other Vietnamese dishes in the area such as banh mi, bun bo Hue and congee long.
Max's video not only suggests places to enjoy Vietnamese food in Australia but also evokes pride in the diversity and richness of Vietnamese culinary culture in foreign lands.
