Pearl

Beef on the satay sticks were dry and chewy with minimal serving of only two sticks per plate. the stuffed chicken wings were under flavoured and under seasoned on the coating and needed a different crispy coating. The grilled pork vermicelli noodle salad and spring roll was missing peanuts and fresh chill that was requested. there wasn’t much dressing either and the service was average. We wouldn’t come again as we have definitely had better Vietnamese out there.

One day I planned a quick catch up with my friend Will, since I haven’t had a proper chat with him for a couple of months. He was keen to try the Pearl Vietnamese restaurant which is located along Riseley St, just across the Red Rooster. I made a booking two days before our catch up night.
The restaurant looked small from the outside but when I walked in it was quite spacious and able to fill a lot of large groups in it. There’s also a full bar of wine, spirits and beer available at the premise. After a quick browse of the menu I decided on the usual Phở Dac Biet while Will chose the Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad. We also ordered the rice paper roll with shredded pork and fresh coconut. As you can see from the photo, the coconut was served in the shell and the staff provided us with a spoon to eat the coconut’s meat (superfood!).
We didn’t wait long for our order to be delivered. The rice paper roll was firmly wrapped and filled with a good amount of shredded pork.
Will’s Bun Bi Cha Gio arrived first. This dish was rice vermicelli served together with shredded pork & pork spring roll, crushed peanuts, nuoc mam sauce and vegetables. Will didn’t have a good impression of this dish especially since the noodle was quite sticky together and I’ve had better someplace else too. I was a bit concerned with what my main meal would be like after I tried his dish.
Fortunately, the Phở that arrived smelled really good, even Will commented that he should’ve stuck with his original Phở order. The beef broth was so good to slurp and I actually finished the bowl cleanly including all of the silky rice noodles. The beefy Phở Dac Biet came with medium rare wagyu beef, cooked beef, beef ball and beef tendon. Of course it was accompanied with the lemon wedges, heaps of mint leaves and bean sprouts too. For less than $ 15, it was a really satisfying main meal to have.
Pearl was a good Vietnamese restaurant to have around the south of the river area and it is best to book your seat in advance as we saw a good flow of people coming into the restaurant during a normal weeknight. The main meal price ranged between $ 12 – 18 and they have Wi-​Fi available at the premise.

I went to few Vietnamese restaurant, it is one of the best. as a Vietnamese my self I find the food very nice.
first thing to test in a Vietnamese restaurant is their phở and if it’s nice the rest usually nice as well.
the phở is very nice and even better than Viet hoe in Northbridge.
beef with fry rice the best ever tasted. beef very tasty and one of the best fry rice.
and you should try their white ice coffe
service is ok but a little bit pricy
now I don’t have to go to Northbridge to have nice Vietnamese.

If you’re a local to Riseley Street in Applecross, then you’ll probably notice the Pearl because it is like an ant’s nest full of people coming and going. And if you’re like me (I’ve been there twice), you are likely be dismayed. Why? Because in the last few years this location, the bricks and mortar, has been home to two different Indian Restaurants: first Cinnamon Cay, and then some other place whose name eludes me.
Both like ants too… have come and gone… but for a different reason. They were empty. People didn’t like the food or relate to the joints so they voted with their feet and wallets.
Fortunately, for me and Applecross, the Pearl has risen from the ashes and wow, what a difference. What a buzz.
I’ll tell you what I loved first about the Pearl: the people. Mixed ages, lots of smiles (you can bring your own wine and many did). Elderly couples and groups enjoying a night out. Young couples holding hands. I felt good to be there. It was social. And fun.
The next thing I noticed were the really colourful photographic murals which gave the place a somewhat trendy, ethnic vibe. I had to smile like the other «Cheshire cats». For a different reason. I knew they belonged to the previous Indian restaurant, though uncannily, they didn’t seem out of place in a Vietnamese restaurant.
The new owner is clever. He obviously has the good business acumen to keep what someone else has left behind.
As for the menu, it is like a pocket yellow pages… in size! Why do Asian restaurants deem it necessary to make you read a novel from start to finish, before you inevitably order the same beef stir fry you always do?
But in all seriousness, the food was more than ample in size. I joked with my wife that it had to be fresh, because it was impossible to freeze that much food to feed the constant stream of customers. And above all else it tasted pretty darn good too.
I loved the carafe of water on my table with the slice of lemon and orange. It tasted like water not tap swill. And hats off to the staff, they were attentive and fabulously quick with any query.
Pearl is a massively good addition to this mini-​restaurant hub in Applecross. A thumbs up from me.

First review! We walked in at close to 8pm on a sat night and the place was packed. We waited only a short couple of minutes and were given a table.
The service was exceptional and the staff all very friendly and attentive, despite the busy-​ness.
The food was amazing, full of flavor and huge serving sizes.
Will recommend this to grouos and couples