It’s been almost a year since we moved here and we’re still exploring the area. This time we wanted to try a Vietnamese restaurant on Stanmore road, close to the intersection with Enmore road. The place is right next to a laundromat (apparently owned by the same people) and is usually half empty. Still we decided to give it a shot, especially because we were craving a hot healthy meal.

The inside of the Ocean reminded us of Peruvian cebicherías. The place is big and looks clean, but has a general lack of charm. It almost feels like eating in a laundromat.

I assume their specialty is seafood, but I was craving soup. I ordered the Pho tai nam (rare beef & flank), and asked for no noodles. The soup arrived with the usual sides and the serving was big, although it didn’t have much meat. I’m not a Pho expert but I’d say it was ok. It certainly satisfied my craving.

Pho sides

Pho tai nam ($9.90)

Alvaro ordered the ginger chicken. The description was very vague: stir-fried chicken with fresh ginger and vegetables, so we expected the usual broccoli/cauliflower/carrot stir fry. We were surprised to see that the vegetables included onions and celery, which made us think they just used whatever was left from making stock. The sauce wasn’t very gingery.

Ginger chicken ($13.90)

It wasn’t a bad lunch but I don’t think it was good value for the money. I would go back if there were no other Vietnamese options around.

Ocean
37-39 Stanmore Rd
Enmore NSW 2042
(02) 9517-4836