Man Vs Pho: Can you stomach the 2.8kg feed?

Last year’s Man Vs Pho winner finished the giant meal in less than six minutes. This year the prize has doubled in value to $3000.

Cabra-Vale's District 8, a restaurant offering south-east Asian cuisine, is hosting the second Man Vs Pho challenge this winter. Picture: Cabra-Vale Diggers

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District 8, a restaurant serving South-East Asian cuisine in Cabra-Vale Diggers, is hosting its second Man Vs Pho competition throughout most of July and August.

The competition will see about 150 people finish a 2.8 kilogram bowl of pho in the hopes of securing one of 10 spots in the finale.

Man vs. pho challenge at Cabravale Diggers on November 1

Winnalit Bhunthumwatchrarod won the competition last year by finishing the meal – 750g of noodles, 600g of beef, 1050g of pho stock, 360g of bean sprouts and 45g of Thai basil – in a record 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

The winner of this year’s finale will take home a travel voucher valued twice as much at $3000. Finale runner ups get a $100 District 8 voucher, while anyone who can finish the meal within 30 minutes gets a $50 District 8 voucher.

“I love seeing our diners really come for the fun of it all,” Stevenson Su said, executive chef at District 8.

“Some people come to take the pho eating challenge, and many also just come to share the huge bowl of delicious pho.”

This year’s pho weighs in at 2.8 kilograms. Picture: Cabra-Vale Diggers

Ordinary restaurant goers can buy the $35 bowl of pho to share during the competition period, but only the ten fastest solo eaters will secure a spot in the finale.

The first Man Vs Pho challenge proved to be an online marketing sensation for District 8. Cabra-Vale Diggers estimates about 100,000 people engaged with the contest by talking about it on social media and watching the finale live stream.

Competitors chow down pho at last year’s finale. Picture: Cabra-Vale Diggers

The 2.8 kilogram bowl of pho will be available from District 8 until August 28, while the finale will be held at 7pm on Thursday, September 5.