Marrickville is nothing short of a pho-lover’s theme park, but on a stretch of Illawarra Road where you can’t throw a crusty roll without hitting an excellent banh mi shop, VN Street Food stands out for its cracking northern Vietnamese cooking and obscenely well-priced meal sets.

Your compact lunch is in delicious hands with the bento box, a customised five-in-one medley of stir-fried vegetables, salad, rice, soup and choice of fish or meat (for the latter, unctuous and caramel-sweet braised pork belly doesn’t miss).

Decor strikes a charming blend of kitsch and old Vietnam, with Hanoi-style French shutters and faux exposed brick. Outside, find patrons on tiny stools hunching over steaming bowls of northern-style pho and slices of smoky bun cha pork doused in sweet, tangy broth.

It’s homely dining that feels far from home.