Vietnamese

I love Banh Mi Saigon that’s in AMK, and was very excited to see their sister brand, Miss Saigon open in Orchard Plaza, just a walking distance from my office yay!
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The tiny little shop is tucked on the 2nd floor - turn left after you get off the escalator or just follow the aroma hahaha (that’s really what my friend and I did btw 😂). For such a small space, they serve up their usual full menu of banh mi, alongside other mains of rice noodles and rice, as well as various sides.

I grabbed number 6, the Grilled BBQ Pork Banh Mi ($8.90) and had Vietnamese Spring Rolls to share. Their Banh Mi may seem a bit pricey, but they are also very generous in filling it up. The chunky pork was smokey and tender with a slight heat from the chopped scallions, while the fresh baguette was light and sufficiently crisp. Please dig in as quickly as you can for the best crunch. Skip the Spring Rolls as the skin was too tough.

The overall quality is pretty on par with AMK’s, though I think the original spot still does them the best in the balance of flavours, crunch of baguettes and speed of serving 🥹 Butttt I’m not complaining for this convenience and another good lunch option in town! Would recommend you to come by off peak meal hours.

📍Miss Saigon
Orchard Plaza, Unit 02-56

Something less commonly found around I think! The base here has more of a tang with a mix of herbs. Not as much my kind of thing, but appreciated the generous and fresh fried fish.

Chunky rolls fried to a crisp. The skin was thin and light, and both rolls were packed tightly with ingredients and small chunks of crabmeat. I personally expected just a teeny bit more punch in the fish sauce dip, but otherwise it was still a nice side to share!

A cozy little quaint spot for Vietnamese dishes and a big range of pretty unique drinks here at Le Cafe Vie 5. I don’t drink coffee, but if you’re a coffee lover, I think you’ll be spoilt for choice with their drip coffees, freshly roasted coffee beans, etc.

Loooved this Prawn Noodle Soup’s clean broth that carried a very comforting and light sweetness - a welcoming change from the usual heavier seasoned and thick broths. For $12.50, thought it had great portion - a mix of 2 types of prawns and lots of black fungus strips for that extra crunch. We’ll be back for this!

Flavours here are generally lighter on the palette, but the well-managed balance to allow the ingredients to shine, was what we really appreciated too.

Quite a bit of ingredients stuffed in here and flavour was decent. Bread was a pity though, as it could have been a lot more crusty. Was not too bad a portion for its price. Definitely better to have this fresh.

📍Ba 8
Happy Hawkers
Blk 632 Bukit Batok Central #01-134
Singapore 650632

Was disappointed with this cause we thought it would be the type of cheong fun with the ingredients wrapped in, like what they had in their menu’s photo, and what we had in Vietnam. It was rolls of cheong fun with slices of ham and meat, vegetables and a sweet sauce that had a slight tang. Flavour was just average unfortunately ☹️

📍Ba 8
Happy Hawkers
Blk 632 Bukit Batok Central #01-134
Singapore 650632

This one was filled with strips of slightly smokey BBQ pork that were a mix of savoury sweet. This was good to have too especially with the crispy yet soft baguette, but I enjoyed the Banh Mi Thit most that was lighter in flavour and easy to finish. Their chilli isn’t too spicy, but nice for a little kick.

How beautifully packed is this! A new found favourite banh mi spot - thank you @riinns for bringing me heh. Was a bit overwhelmed by the number of choices, but we eventually decided on number 1 and number 5, which is the signature Special Great Banh Mi (mix types of hams) and BBQ Pork Banh Mi.

Definitely follow their recommendation of digging in immediately or within max 15 min, so you’ll get to enjoy the baguette’s suuuper crispy exterior yet soft centre. Liked how they weren’t overly seasoned so that the flavours of the main fillings shine most. They are very generously packed as well - please look at that stack of ham and amount of bbq pork! Between both, I liked this classic mix hams one more. If were to pick, I’d personally like stronger pickled vegetables for a contrast, but I’ll 100% be back for this anyway. PS. Drop by off peak to skip the crowd!

Went off to try the relatively new Co Nga Crab Noodles House for their Banh Canh Cua. It’s just a short walk down the same street as Banh Mi Thit!
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This was $18 a bowl for half a Sri Lankan crab, and there’s also the whole crab or no crab options. The broth that was made with lots of dried shrimps had a thicker and slightly stickier consistency than the type we’re more familiar with, but we still found it enjoyable. Crab was fresh and sweet, and surprisingly had quite a lot of roe! The thick tapioca noodles were smooth with a bit of a chew, while other ingredients you’ll find inside are shimeiji mushrooms, sliced pork, pork rib, Vietnamese fish cakes & a quail egg. You don’t really have to worry about the trouble of deshelling the crab as they came partially deshelled, hence easier to eat! I’d be back to have this again, but probably just the normal bowl that comes with prawns.
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📍Co Nga Crab Noodles House
517 Geylang Road

Quite an interesting dish! Deep fried shredded young jackfruit that are seasoned with five spice powder and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. These had a more fibrous texture.

Thank you @mrspho for having us and @brandcellar for the kind invite! ✨

We had a tasting portion hence the small bowl. This rice noodle dish features grilled sturgeon fish in turmeric and a side tangy sauce for you to toss them all in. Learnt after that the noodles are made with the Chef’s own homemade 3-year-old rice starter, and we did like the springy texture of it. Fish chunks were fresh and tender, but for the price, was definitely hoping for something a bit more exciting in flavour.

Thank you @mrspho for having us and @brandcellar for the kind invite! ✨

A refreshing appetiser to start with - Vietnamese crystal pomelo, tiger prawn chunks in a mix of fresh herbs and crushed peanuts. This is served with crackers which we were recommended to have together! Enjoyed the lightness of the dressing here, but I was also craving for more spice! Quite pricey as a starter.

Thank you @mrspho for having us and @brandcellar for the kind invite! ✨