The cool space of Metta Sol is sneakily tucked at the back of 98 Goodwood Road, right next to the tram, so have faith and park as near as you can to the that area and you’ll have no trouble finding it. Goodwood Road is turning into a bit of a hot spot for plant based deliciousness, and the flavours of Metta Sol are the brainchild of siblings Cindy and David who grew up as passionate foodies under the tutelage of their chef father.
David trained as a pharmacist, but after a soul-searching stint of travel he decided that he wanted to be involved in something closer to his passions, and this collaborative effort with Cindy was born. Opening early for breakfast and lunch, the menu features classics like pho, dumplings, and cold rolls, and breakfast adds bespoke bread provided by locals Boulangerie. While Vietnamese food can offer a range of plant based options, meat-based stocks and fish sauces feature heavily so the team has worked hard to create their plant based equivalents which are made on site from scratch.
Their version of pho featuring these from scratch stocks, sauces and chilli pastes create flavours that are familiarly comforting and deliciously good. The other unique twist to this venue are the island flavours, particularly the addition of in house made condensed coconut cream with the noodle bowls. Plant based ‘fish’ sauce is a standard stir in for Vietnamese noodle bowls, but the addition of the coconut cream creates a delicious richness. The pickled veggies and marinated mushrooms were standouts on the daily menu, which also features regularly updated specials. The serving sizes are ample and reasonably priced for such dedication to creating food from the ground up.
The iced coffee and classic Vietnamese coffee with condensed coconut cream went down a treat, and the venue was buzzing with lunchtime diners. Takeaway coffees receive a discount with BYO cups too – what’s not to love about that?
At present, Metta Sol is closed evenings, however they do offer booked events for those times – hopefully demand will see them open evening more for regular trade then too.
If it’s not on your radar yet, take a trip down to Metta Sol for your next foodie catch up and enjoy these perfect summer flavours with Vietnamese island flair.
Review by Sarah List
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