When I first heard American singer SZA’s most recent release – and its “good days on my mind” mantra – it awoke something in me. Something hiding in plain sight. Something I think about too often to even realise I can’t stop thinking about.

I can’t speak for her, but the Good Days on my mind is a snug, vegan-friendly Vietnamese joint on Sydney Road in Brunswick, with one particular dish that lives in my head rent-free.

Owner Nam Nguyen’s Vietnamese chicken rice is unfaultable – and undoubtedly the reason I can’t delete the Deliveroo app from my phone (despite my best efforts).

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

All I can say is: bless the Brunswick-brewed lemongrass ale from Inner North Brewing Co that’s on tap at Good Days. It’s my only saving grace. Otherwise, I’d likely forget to come up for air in-between mouthfuls and end up Augustus Gloop-ing the whole damn thing like a man-child possessed.

Allow me to break it down for you. Milawa free-range chicken is a chopped and charry crown for a bed of chicken-fat-doused broken rice. But a semicircle of accompaniments sends this dish into the stratosphere: a handful of crisps (I approve), punchy shredded pickles, fragrant Asian herbs, and a bowl of gingery nuoc cham to christen it all with.

And then there’s the “green sauce”, for which I’m an absolute sucker. It looks like avocado; it ain’t. But what is it? Transcendent. Essentially, a shit ton of shallots are whizzed up to form a dollop of pure salty-sweet deliciousness. Why I didn’t buy a jar of the stuff when I had the chance is beyond me.

I imagine this is what Aristotle had in mind when he coined the phrase, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Because wielding a fork and going to town on this dish – Mixmaster-ing all the elements together – really gets me hot under the collar.

Good Days’ chicken rice is available to take away during Melbourne’s lockdown.

good-days.com.au

“I Can't Stop Thinking About” is a series about dishes Broadsheet’s editors are obsessed with.

This article was updated on March 4. An earlier version incorrectly stated the dish was a take on Hainanese chicken rice.

Melbourne is currently in lockdown. Masks are mandated in public spaces, public gatherings are banned and minimal social contact is recommended. If you have concerns about visiting businesses or public spaces, or questions about self-isolation or coronavirus testing, check out the latest updates from the Department of Health and Human Services.