With a broth-dipped finger in the air, we would guess that 95 per cent of Sydney pho shops specialise in the Saigon style of spice-heavy pho with its sprightly garnishes, so when a new eatery championing Northern Vietnamese cooking opens in the city, it’s a good reason to jump on a train and alight at Wynyard.

An An is an uncluttered brick-and-timber space, with plenty of outdoor seating for larger groups and a menu pitching “the most authentic Northern Vietnamese cuisine in Sydney”. This means cha nem (deeply bronzed pork and prawn spring rolls) and pho cuon (lettuce and stir-fried beef rolled in thick noodle sheets). It also means no basil, sprouts and Sriracha with your soup.

Northern-style pho is more austere and savoury than its sweet and heady southern cousin; the beef and bone flavours, more defined. It’s spring onion-loaded at An An, as tradition dictates, and available with beef options including wok-fried, rare, stewed, and intimidating short rib.

But as invigorating as the pho is, we like the bun cha even more. Pork patties (gently grilled, tremendously juicy), come with a sweet-sour fish-saucy broth, rice noodles and some of the perkiest leaves in the CBD. All aboard.

Good to know: That garlic vinegar on the table is there to brighten and balance your bowl.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.