Bac Viet is one of those establishments that we had noticed for quite a while; located within the heartlands of Bedok, Bac Viet had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct RouteSixtySix at Blk 412 Bedok North Avenue 2 — a short walk away from Heartbeat @ Bedok. There has been some work that has been done to the space by the folks behind Bac Viet considering how the former tenants of the space was a gelato parlour; that being said, there are quite a few elements that one can still identify in the space left behind from the previous tenants — this would include the concrete-esque and brick walls within the establishment that gives the space somewhat of an industrial vibe, as well as some of the dining furniture as well. There has been some elements added by the folks behind Bac Viet that gives the space a Vietnamese vibe — this includes the mural that is painted on its feature wall, as well as some Vietnamese hats that can be seen hung on the wall towards the back of the stall. Whilst most Vietnamese dining establishment attempts to serve up a wide menu, Bac Viet’s food menu is kept surprisingly compact — the establishment does seem to focus on serving up a small selection of Vietnamese noodle dishes, whilst also offering fried / fresh spring rolls or the water fern cakes (i.e. Banh Beo) for those looking for something to share across the table. Beverages offered at Bac Viet would include a range of Vietnamese coffee, Vietnamese Herbal Tea, Homemade Iced Lemon Tea, or canned drinks — just to name a few.

Skimming through the menu for the list of dishes that they have to offer, the Banh Da Cua was a dish that caught our attention — a dish that can be translated to English as “Crab Rice Noodle”, the noodle dishes can be described as a specialty of Hai Phong in Hanoi, Vietnam and is quite an uncommon find in Singapore. Bac Viet describes its Banh Da Cua to come with elements such as red rice noodles, crab broth, minced paddy crabs, tiger prawn, pork wrapped in piper Lolot leaves and fresh herbs — we also noted the use of pork lard in the dish as well. We usually aren’t too big of a fan of noodle dishes that comes with crustacean broth but we must say that the crab broth used for the Banh Da Cua was something that our tastebuds were ready to accept — one thing of particular note is how the broth does come rich, sweet and umami from the use of crab, but one that isn’t necessarily as thick as it would be in the case of local-style prawn noodles so it isn’t necessarily as jelak for us. The addition of pork lard does add a crunch and an element of savouriness to the broth as well; we also found some chunks of soft tomato having soaked up some of the flavours the broth, which was in turn well-complimented by the inherently tangy notes of the tomato that was pretty refreshing. The red rice noodles used for the Banh Da Cua is thicker than the usual Pho; a bit of a rare find of its own here, the thicker texture also meant that it introduces a chewier texture as well. Tiger prawns added to the Banh Da Cua were fresh and delivered a good bite, while we liked the pork wrapped in piper Lolot leaves and fresh herbs which was pretty flavoursome without being particularly porky. The folks at Bac Viet also serves up a plate of vegetables on the side with every order of a noodle dish — patrons can add in the vegetables into the dish to go alongside if they desire. Whilst we aren’t able to tell how authentic the version of the Banh Da Cua from Bac Viet is given the rarity of the dish here, we do find the Banh Da Cua from Bac Viet being something which we would go for again if the cravings for the dish does hit.

Meanwhile, we also had given the Banh Beo a go — these can be described as thinner and stickier versions of the local Chwee Kueh (i.e. steamed rice cake) which the menu has mentioned to come along with dried shrimp, pork rinds and scallion oil — the dish also does come accompanied with a spicy fish sauce dip by the side. Whilst the steamed rice cakes do carry the slight fragrances of scallion oil and the savoury notes of dried shrimp and pork rinds when bad in it owns, dipping it in the spicy fish sauce dip adds yet a other dimension of deep, savoury notes along with a fiery kick of spice that would tickle the tastebuds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate level of spiciness due to the chili padi used in the spicy fish sauce dip. Given how we are already at a Vietnamese dining establishment, we definitely could not miss out on ordering the Vietnamese Drip Coffee (Hot); giving the Vietnamese Drip Coffee (Hot) a good stir to incorporate the condensed milk into the coffee, we really enjoyed the chocolate-y notes of the coffee that was a combination of a strong caffeinated kick in the Vietnamese coffee and the sweetness of the condensed milk that struck a good balance overall. Serving up a rather small menu, the folks at Bac Viet do seem to be pretty adventurous with their business — after all, not many establishments do seem to put their focus on dishes such as the Banh Da Cua since this is also a lesser known Vietnamese dish as compared to the likes of Banh Mi, Pho and Bun Cha that Singaporeans are less familiar with and also thus less likely to go for. Offering simply the Banh Da Cua, Pho Bo, Chao Canh and Bun Cha as the only main dishes available at Bac Viet, they do seem like an establishment with a niche that those whom aren’t necessarily open to try unfamiliar dishes would likely find difficult to relate to. That being said, having tried only the Banh Da Cua and Banh Beo during our visit to Bac Viet, our dining partner whom has been to Vietnam and given such dishes a try had found Bac Viet’s version of the dishes to be pretty authentic — prices of their main dishes start from $10.90 for the Bun Cha, with the highest-priced main dish being the Banh Da Cua at $14.90; still rather reasonable when compared to other Vietnamese establishments around. Overall, a spot worth heading to for those whom have been craving for, or wanting to give the Banh Da Cua a go; we probably would find ourselves returning to also give the Chao Canh a try — after all, the “porridge noodle” dish that is a specialty Nghe An province in Vietnam is also yet another uncommon dish to find around Singapore as well.