PHD (Pho Hai Duong)

You don’t need a doctorate to know why punters come here. It’s all about the kickass pho. Bright red walls and smart wooden chairs and tables herald an upward shift from the formerly down-and-daggy Pho Hai Duong, but their signature pho remains unchanged. This Vietnamese noodle soup hits the spot at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and its restorative powers can’t be underestimated, especially when you’re feeling sick, seedy or hungover. Chirpy red bowls of fresh rice noodles are filled to the brim with a life-giving broth that is clear, sweet and not overly salty. There are eight kinds of pho to choose from, including plain beef or chicken (each $9), seafood ($10.50) and tofu with vegetables ($9). They even knock out a free range chicken version ($12). All you need to do is add your own mint, bean sprouts and squeeze of lemon. The menu runs to a massive 143 savoury dishes, including a very respectable bun rieu cua ($9) - a crab and pork noodle soup with bobbing cubes of cooked pigs blood and deep fried tofu. If the thought of pigs blood is too much to stomach, check out the bun cha tom mia ($11), a light and refreshing cold noodle salad with chargrilled sugar cane prawns.