The sharp fragrance of leafy aromatic greens merging with the aroma of marinated grilled meats transports you to the humid heat and clamour of Vietnam. But the din you hear isn’t the sound of a Saigon street. It’s the clatter of an open kitchen over the buzz of conversation at Pho Bien, the always mobbed Vietnamese restaurant in Glenfield. Located on View Road (Korean Town), Pho Bien has a comfortably open design that steers clear of the ethnic bric-a-brac. Over the past five years, it has become a favourite with Asian communities as well as Kiwis, solely through word of mouth publicity. It’s easy to see why. The chefs are all Vietnamese, the manager Albert Yoon is a stickler for perfection, and there’s no dumbing down of flavours to cater for a pan-Kiwi audience. Their motto seem*s to be ‘Very Vietnamese’! Head chef Tron – who has been in the industry for 27 years – has introduced over 100 traditional dishes to New Zealand, and each one is worth savouring. Pho means rice noodles, the Vietnamese staple, and Bien is ‘sea’. So Pho Bien means a sea of rice noodles. Rice and rice noodles being the main feature, they appear in many dishes. The grilled chicken rice and pork chop on rice are just two of the amazing creations.