There’s no need to travel to Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi for a good bowl of pho, or your favourite banh xeo Vietnamese pancake. Singapore now has plenty of Vietnamese eateries with a range of food offerings from across Vietnam.
Take your pick from salads and spring rolls, to noodles and banh mi, as well as other main dishes and desserts.
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You might be tempted to order a regular bowl of pho bo while you’re here, be sure to make a bee line for their tapas dishes.
Among the Viet Tapas (all $10++), Pig On A Stick boasts juicy, moreish pork balls. With the Soft Shell Crab Sliders, crisp pieces of the crab are tucked into perfectly greaseless, deep-fried mantou.
Bun Rieu ($15++) is swimming with umami and not as spicy as the menu description suggests. Floating in the thick tomato broth are soft crab and chicken meatballs and strips of beancurd puffs (taupok). Thickish rice noodles complete the dish
Also very good is The Signature Pork ($15++), with strips of expertly charred pork that boast crisp edges and juicy meat. The yuzu nuoc cham tastes faintly of the Japanese citrus, but the regular fish sauce dip would do just as well.
For drinks, Coco Pineapple & Mint ($3++), a mix of coconut water and pineapple juice with crushed mint, is endlessly cooling.
14 Ann Siang Road
Saigon Alley at Novena Gardens is another place to get acquainted with Vietnamese street food through its salads, spring rolls, noodles, banh mi and main dishes.
With an almost entirely Vietnamese staff both in the kitchen and in the dining room, you will feel like you are eating in Ho Chi Minh City – except that English is much better understood here.
The beef pho broth here is rather light, more like a chicken stock – albeit a tasty one – than a beef one. It doesn’t quite go with the toppings of Australian beef slices, beef brisket and beef balls in the Beef Combination Pho ($14).
The Spicy Australian Beef Noodles ($14), however, is a better bet. This is a Hue-style noodle dish from central Vietnam and, despite the name, is not very spicy. The broth has a fuller flavour and the hint of spice makes it very comforting on a rainy day. It comes with generous toppings of sliced beef and brisket, as well as fresh herbs and vegetables such as mint, basil and beansprouts.
The other beef dishes are good too.
Try the Northern Vietnamese Beef Salad ($12). There is a good amount of tender grilled beef tossed with salad greens, julienned carrot, crunchy raw onions and local celery in a spicy fish sauce dressing. The flavours of salty, sour and spicy are more subtle than in a Thai salad and yet distinct enough to stand out.
For dessert check out the Vietnamese Coffee Jelly With Ice Cream ($6). The springy jelly is infused with the aroma of the strong coffee that Vietnam is known for and goes well with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Fried Banana Stuffed With Ice Cream And Topped With Mixed Fruits ($5), is good too. It’s rolled in a spring roll wrapper and deep-fried to a crisp, which makes a nice contrast to the soft banana inside. The ice cream is not stuffed, but scooped over the rolls, which remain crispy longer that way.
#01-06, 273 Thomson Road, Novena Gardens
Grandlink Square, a small shopping centre and residential complex at the end of Guillemard Road, is one of those buildings you are not likely to notice.
There is nothing particularly enticing about this dimly lit, blueish-grey building with glass panels. The eclectic mix of tenants includes food and beverage outlets, a dance studio, a karaoke bar and snooker parlour, and retail shops such as one that specialises in laminate and vinyl flooring.
One establishment that draws in the crowds is Little Vietnam Restaurant & Cafe, a charming eatery whose patrons are as colourful as the mall’s tenant mix.
The deep-fried spring rolls, or cha gio, here are fantastic.
For $5, you get five fat, tasty rolls that have been fried to a crisp, each generously filled with chicken, glass noodles and vegetables.
These crusty treats are great with beer, but to drink alcohol, make sure you get a table inside – the restaurant does not serve beer outdoors.
Other appetisers include chao tom ($5), minced prawn and pork served on a sugarcane stick; and goi ngo sen ($6), a salad of lotus stems, prawns and chicken tossed in a tangy dressing and served with rice crackers, peanuts and fried shallots – all are delicious and good value for money.
There is also crispy deep-fried quail ($15), cockles in various types of sauces ($6) and a light yet hearty chicken and beef pho (from $6).
#01-25, 511 Guillemard Road, Grandlink Square
Head to So Pho for a delicious bowl of Pho Bo Dac Biet ($10.80).
The version at the Novena Square branch is hearty but not heavy, and the noodles are topped with slices of brisket and beef balls.
#02-43/54, Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road
In the row of shophouses along Beach Road opposite The Concourse is a humble Vietnamese eatery called Mrs Pho.
Expect the usual Vietnamese staples of spring rolls, both fried and fresh, as well as chicken and beef pho. It also serves Bun Thit Nuong, or rice vermicelli with pork chop and spring rolls, and Hu Tieu Bo Kho or stewed beef noodles.
Highlights here include the stir-fried cockles ($6.50), tossed in garlic, chilli and plenty of lard. The cockles are full, plump and juicy. Dip them, along with cubes of crispy lard, into fiery chilli paste for a hit of spicy pleasure.
Wash the dishes down with a cold glass of Saigon Salty Lemonade ($2) or a fresh coconut ($3.50).
349 Beach Road
Tanjong Pagar may be a food haven, but it does not come readily to mind when you think of Vietnamese food.
So if you’re looking for beef noodles, head on here.
The noodles come with a decent amount of toppings, with choices such as sliced ribeye ($10.30), beef brisket ($10.30), beef balls ($10.30) or a combination of them (from $10.50). Those who do not eat beef can go for the chicken pho ($10).
The stock for the beef has good body and the accompanying plate of vegetables provides the crunch required to freshen up the dish.
There are good side dishes too, such as Deep-fried Spring Rolls ($5.10 for four) and Pho Stop’s Fish Cakes ($5.60 for five).
This is certainly a place worth stopping at.
The pork meatball ($7) sandwich is nothing short of amazing.
The petite baguette is crusty and light as air. Filled with moreish, tasty meatballs topped with julienned pickled carrot, cucumber and sprigs of coriander with a touch of mayonnaise, it is heaven in a bite. You need two to feel satisified.
There are plenty of other sandwich fillings to choose from including pork chop, fish sardine, roast beef , pork belly and ham, and garlic chicken.
The bun thit nuong or rice noodles with grilled pork and a spring roll ($10) is also very good. Essentially, the dish consists of room-temperature rice noodles, with pickled carrot, cucumber, lettuce and peanuts, served with warm grilled pork and a hot spring roll.
Dress the noodles with vinegary dipping sauce and tuck in. The dish is fresh and comforting.
93 East Coast Road
Text: Rebecca Lynne Tan/Straits Times