Amanda and John Scott opened Phat Greens to address a few problems. The first involves the couple’s 2021 success story Oh Boy, Bok Choy!, which had been inundated with an increasing amount of takeaway business since opening in June, to the point where the Stafford Road eatery’s kitchen could no longer keep up with community demand. The second conundrum is one that sits a little bit closer to home. The Scott’s count a vegan, a gym junkie and a coeliac amongst its family unit – a familial composition that has often made finding an easy cover-all-bases dining option difficult. With Phat Greens, the Scott’s (along with executive chef Ben King) have solved both issues in one fell swoop, taking over a small tenancy between the group’s gelateria Miss Sophia’s and Oh Boy, Bok Choy! and turning it into a handy dispenser of nourishing options that tick all culinary boxes. The set up is purposefully small and streamlined – a lengthy cabinet and an assembly station houses much of the fodder needed for Phat Green’s offering, with a fully-equipped prep kitchen hidden behind shelves stocked with an assembly of Asian condiments. Though designed to facilitate grab-and-go custom primarily, a scattering of tables out front offer seats for those more inclined to dine immediately.
Originally conceived as a way to offer the community some of Oh Boy, Bok Choy!’s crowd-pleasing dishes, Amanda and Ben have elected to pivot towards a blend of Southeast Asian and Vietnamese-inspired options (that are vegan-friendly unless ordered otherwise) that could remain flexible and responsive to local demand. The chef-designed offering starts with a trio of sides – popular snacks from Oh Boy’s menu including corn riblets with sriracha butter, phat fries coated in chilli spice and crunchy eggplant chips with miso glaze and sesame salt. Phat Greens’ range expands from there to include banh mi (available from 11:00 am until sold out) filled with pickled carrot, cucumber, mushroom pate, coriander and smoked sriracha sauce, as well as your choice of kombucha-glazed barbecue pork, coconut-and-kaffir-lime-marinated chicken, and soy-glazed tofu. Those with a gluten intolerance will be please to know that the Phat Greens team is hard at work perfecting a gluten-free roll for its banh mi. Guests can also select from a range of bowls, with base options like the green papaya rice bowl, the snow pea rice bowl, a vermicelli noodle bowl and a quinoa bowl available as is or topped with marinated grilled beef, five-spice tofu, avocado, kombucha pork and coconut chicken. The cabinet is also stocked with two salad options that rotate weekly as well as pre-made rice-paper rolls available with house-made dipping sauces. Three kinds of iced tea are available for those looking to take the edge off the heat of the day, with flavours including hibiscus, butterfly pea and lemongrass and ginger. While much of this spread is available from lunch through to dinner, Phat Greens will soon also launch a selection of nightly dinner packs geared to feed a family of four – think baos, pho and banh mi packs available with salads and sides.
Phat Greens is now open to the public – head to the Stumble Guide for more information.
