HERE’S a tip for a visit to My’s Restaurant – check out the specials written in fluorescent liquid chalk on the mirror hanging on the wall before deciding what to order…

Then make sure you select the lively and ever-so-good-for-you green paw paw salad, which came with several big fat prawns ($18.90). And also order the vibrant, plump chilli mussels ($18.90).

I can’t take initial credit for this tip. It came from a colleague of a friend, but I’m glad I took it seriously since both dishes were winners (except not all mussels were properly beared, which some diners would definitely take exception to, if not be horrified by).

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Photos by Silas Brown.

My’s specialises in Vietnamese and it’s been part of Weston’s dining scene for some time. The menu mixes traditional dishes with some modern ones, and the prices are great, with mains hovering around $16.90, except for the more expensive seafood and lamb options (remember when lamb was a steal at your local butcher?) that top off at around $21.90.

The menu has a typical structure for this type of eatery, featuring soups, laksa, stir-friend noodles, meat dishes, fish and seafood dishes and desserts (primarily ice cream for $5.50 – nothing too inventive).

My’s is a popular spot – indeed, a well-kept secret in many ways – and it wasn’t long before most seats had bums on them.

We enjoyed sharing the rice-paper salad rolls with pork and prawn (two for $6.50), always a fresh start to a meal. We moved on to the salt and pepper crusted calamari ($18.90) featured on the house specials list. Not the best I’ve had by any stretch. Next time I’ll give the salted prawns with chilli and shallots a go (with or without the shell, for $23.90).

One of our party was vegetarian and she got stuck into yummy curry vegetables with coconut cream ($13.90), which I sampled and would order again.

There is nothing super fancy about My’s décor although the place is comfortable enough, with a few images of life in Vietnam scattered about and a deep wine-coloured feature wall near the front. The aim here is to concentrate on chowing down, which is what we did.

We enjoyed a warm welcome on arrival, but the table service was sporadic at best. Several requests were never filled or were very slowly filled. For example, our campfire beef never arrived, which is a shame since I love the tactile process of making your own rice-paper rolls with thin slices of tender beef and veggies and mint, and then dunking them into a dipping sauce. Perhaps next time.

My’s Restaurant, 35 Brierly Street, Weston. Call 6288 6565. BYO. Open lunch and dinner daily.