Mekong Delta

Got to learn about the opening of a new Vietnamese dining establishment via social media whilst scrolling around online — Mekong Delta is a fairly recent addition to the local F&B scene that is situated in the Geylang neighbourhood. These folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Star Pho Le Beef Noodle along Geylang Road; the shop unit that is in question is situated rather close by to Sloth and Messenger X Brawn and Brains Coffee that is near Lorong 35 Geylang. It does seem that Mekong Delta has gone through an extensive phase of renovations to give the shophouse a little bit of a look that gives it their very own character — the facade of the shophouse unit now sports a royal green paint scheme, while the interior of the establishment sees the same shade of green being adopted for its walls; the use of wooden furniture and fittings for its dining hall does give the interior a little bit of a Vietnamese vibe, though the furniture used does seem a little more modern and contemporary than most mom-and-pop Vietnamese dining establishments around. The use of neon lights does give the environment a bit of a fun vibe, while posters adorn the walls that helps to add a bit more contrast of colours to the space as well. Mekong Delta is one of those Vietnamese establishments that boasts quite a wide variety of dishes — even those that are less commonly found; the food menu is split across categories such as Beef Dishes, Appetisers, Vietnamese Bread, Vermicelli, Snack, Salads, Rice, Stir-Fried Dishes, Soup, and Hotpot. Beverages available at Mekong Delta includes Vietnamese-style coffee, tea and juices — just to name a few. Alcoholic beverages are also available as well.

The Vietnamese Mixed Sizzling Sliced Beef is one out of the three (3) dishes that Mekong Delta has to offer in the Beef Dishes section of the menu. Whilst the menu at Mekong Delta does not describe the elements that each dish comes with, it can be observed from our order that the Vietnamese Mixed Sizzling Sliced Beef does come with sliced beef, meatball, chicken liver pate, sunny side-up, coriander and onions; all of which drizzled with sriracha whilst also accompanied with a baguette and pickles on the side. Coming on a hotplate, all of the elements are kept warm with the heated hotplate even though there isn’t much of a sizzling action when the dish arrived at our table. A dish that is typically enjoyed by the Vietnamese during breakfast, the Vietnamese Mixed Sizzling Sliced Beef from Mekong Delta was very close to our very first experience of the Bo Ne (i.e. Sizzling Beef Steak) that we ever had. Breaking up the egg yolk of the sunny side-up, the sunny side-up comes with a flowy, molten egg yolk while all of the elements come soaked with a buttery sauce that is to be had with Vietnamese baguette for a savouriness that matches up well with the chicken liver pate that gives the bread a bit of an umami note as well. The Vietnamese baguette carried a crisp texture on the outside, yet with a light and airy interior that soaks up all of that butter and chicken liver pate especially well. The slices of beef had been sautéed and these came pretty tender and juicy without requiring much effort to chew, while the slices of onions added a slight crunch with a bit of sweetness; the meatballs seemingly being made out of chicken and being bouncy. The coriander cuts through all of the meatier components, while the sriracha adds a hint of umami notes and adds a note of spiciness that should be manageable for those whom are tolerable to lighter levels of spiciness. The pickled carrots and radish served on the side adds as a palate cleanser that gives a crunch and a zing to refresh the tastebuds.

During the same visit to Mekong Delta, we had also given the Rice with Braised Silver Catfish in Clay Pots with Caramelised Sauce a go; this would be a dish that could be found in the Rice section of their menu. This dish does seemingly require a bit of a waiting time in order to be served, with a waiting time that can be stretched up for up to 30 minutes. Apart from the braised silver catfish coming in caramelised sauce and the bowl of rice, it also comes accompanied with a bowl of soup on the side. This dish is one that features heavier flavours especially for the braised silver catfish itself; the caramelised sauce that the silver catfish is being cooked in comes particularly heavy-handed with what seems to be hoisin sauce and fish sauce that some may find a little bit more on the saltier side than their usual preferences. That being said, the sauce does go particularly well with the bowl of rice on the side giving it much of the flavour that is needed to finish the entire bowl whilst giving the rice some moisture at the same time. The braised silver catfish also comes with bone-in, though the flesh was especially soft and moist — very easy to eat and gets one going for more. The bowl of soup on the side comes with diced potatoes and carrots — one that is particularly simple yet big on flavours considering how it comes rather similar to ABC Soup that we found to be especially homely.

Since Mekong Delta is a Vietnamese establishment, we weren’t going to skip out on their Vietnamese-style coffee offerings. Interestingly, Mekong Delta does offer more variations than the usual drip coffee with condensed milk in their menu; spotting how they do offer Egg Coffee on their menu, we went straight for just that. Turns out, Mekong Delta serves up their rendition of the Egg Coffee iced by default; the online POS system does not feature any option for the item to come hot as well. Nonetheless, we liked how the Egg Coffee comes all thick and rich; provides a strong caffeinated kick with a chocolate-y note that one would expect out of Vietnamese-style coffee — all that with the egg mousse sitting on the top. The egg mousse comes with a slightly yellow hue; smooth, creamy and sufficiently dense with a slight hint of eggy sweetness to adds on to the intense notes of the coffee. The Salted Coffee is pretty similar to that of the Egg Coffee with the exception of how it comes with a sea salt mousse in place of the egg mousse; provides a slight hint of saltishness for a contrast with the Vietnamese-style coffee beneath it. Considering how it is located within Geylang, Mekong Delta is one of those Vietnamese establishments that is comparable to the other Vietnamese dining establishments located in the same area offering diners with what some may find as an authentic taste of Vietnam away from the very standard Pho, Banh Mi and Bun Cha offerings that one would typically find at other Vietnamese eateries in Singapore. These folks do offer some dishes that we found personally to be pretty exotic to try — think items like the steamed / stir-fried spotted Babylon snails in different cooking methods that those whom are into Vietnamese-style street food would be glad to find on the menu of any Vietnamese eatery here. Also listed on the menu but less intimidating would be the Purple Yam Soup, Bronze Featherback Fish and Bitter Melon Soup, as well as the list of items listed in the Hotpot section of the menu. Prices of the individually-sized rice, noodle, Bo Ne and Banh Mi dishes are mostly kept below $20, with the only dishes passing that price point being the Vietnamese Sizzling Beefsteak Ribeye and Beef Steak from the Beef Dishes section of the menu. With a comfortable, well-decorated that is air-conditioned, Mekong Delta is one of the Vietnamese-style establishments within Geylang that is worth hitting to give some uncommon Vietnamese dishes a go in an environment that is probably less intimidating for most locals to do so.