Tudo Restaurant, O'Connor

I have to admit I have always been a fan of Tudo Vietnamese restaurant in O'Connor. Simple Man and I went there when we were courting. I memorably, ordered the special chicken soup. When it arrived, I discovered special chicken meant a chicken leg, mostly bone with a skerrick of meat on the outside and crispy skin. What made it memorable was the fact that as I was about to chow down, I kid you not, a small three legged dog stopped by the window and looked up at me mournfully. It was too awful even to laugh.



Simple Man, who had at this point kept hidden his general aversion to chilli or spice, ordered the blandest thing on the menu much to my horror (back then he also let me put olives in everything without telling me he hated olives. Oh the things we do in the courting phase that we would never do for each other now!)



Simple Man and I did not intend to go out tonight - in fact it was dedicated eat all the bits of fresh veg left over in the fridge night. But I had an uncharacteristic washing disaster this evening that sent me to the after hours chemist for a product to remove the blue that has infiltrated every white possession I once owned. The chemist being conveniently located right next to Tudo, we couldn't help but be side tracked.



After an initial argument over what type of spring rolls to order (I wanted fresh, he wanted deep fried - he won), we selected the satay chicken with vegies and the red beef with steamed rice on the side. The satay at Tudo is somewhat legendary, rich but with enough spice to lift the flavours and add a bit of life. Tonight didn't disappoint.

I hadn't had the red beef before. It is a very fragrant dish, almost a cross between a curry and a casserole. The flavours of cinnamon and star anise reminded me pleasantly of pho and the slow cooked beef was amazingly soft. This was a big hit with the chilli averse Simple Man, although I probably wouldn't order it with the satay again - two rich dishes at once left (not to mention the deep fried spring rolls!) left me feeling a bit too full for a hot summer night. Dare I admit that we picked up a couple of Freddo Frogs for later in the night?

To my mind, Canberra is short on good restaurants like this - fresh tasty food that doesn't cost a fortune. Hurrah for a place that does casual dining well - we'll definitely be back again.

Tudo Vietnamese Restaurant
7 Sargood St
O’Connor
Ph: 02 6248 6030

Service: Efficient
Crowd: Included some Vietnamese (surely a good sign??)
Money: $

($ = mains 15 and under; $$ = mains 25 and under, $$$ = mains over 25)