157 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427435

(open in Google Maps)

Friday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

Saturday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

Sunday:
Closed

Monday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

Tuesday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

Wednesday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

Thursday:
08:00am - 07:00pm

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Reviews

From the Burpple community

Mehhhhhhhh, beef was tender but there's rlly nothing too special or hard to imagine

Comes w baguette

233 Banh Mi is a name that is likely not to be too unfamiliar for those staying around the Joo Chiat neighbourhood as well as those who are following the local F&B scene closely. Formerly located within a hole-in-the-wall shop space in an apartment building named Soho Life, 233 Banh Mi had been one of the names often mentioned when one brings up the topic of Banh Mi — probably one of the more iconic names associated within the Vietnamese baguette alongside other establishments such as that of Bami Express at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, as well as Banh Mi Saigon at Blk 505 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 — just a few amongst many others whom are also known to serve pretty good variants of Banh Mi in Singapore. 233 Banh Mi has seen an increase in popularity ever since the start of their operations — this also prompted their move to their new space just a few steps down the road within the shophouse at 157 Joo Chiat Road. Being neighbours with Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant, 233 Banh Mi now has a proper dine-in area to cater to patrons whom wish to sit down and enjoy their Banh Mi in air-conditioned comfort — the space being decked in simple wooden furnishings, but also tastefully decorated with walls that carry red and white accents which gives the space a distinctive look. For those familiar with 233 Banh Mi previously, 233 Banh Mi does serve up their usual range of Banh Mi; think items like their Vietnamese Pate Chicken Bread, Vietnamese Grilled Pork Bread and the Traditional Vietnamese Bread, though the move to their own shophouse unit also meant that the introduction of Bò Né — the Vietnamese breakfast of sizzling beef and eggs. Beverages available at 233 Banh Mi includes the usual suspects like the Vietnamese Iced Dark / Milk Coffee, though also includes more interesting options such as the Bubble Iced Red Milk Tea and a Lemon Tropical Iced Fruit Tea, just to name a few.

There was no unseeing of the Bò Né being offered at 233 Banh Mi after we have first spotted it on the menu; after all, the Bò Né is a dish that is rarely found in menus of Vietnamese restaurants locally anyway. The Bò Né at 233 Banh Mi is described to come with sizzling steak, egg and fromage — other elements that is not described to come with the item but is actually included in the sizzling hot plate includes onions, sausages and corn nibs as well. As with other variations of Bò Né that we have had around, the Bò Né at 233 Banh Mi does come with a plain Banh Mi on the side, as well as a plate of salad on the side as well — a pretty wholesome breakfast treat that can rival that of big breakfast platters that one can find at a specialty coffee joint.

Digging into the salad first, we did found the leafy greens which are accompanied by the slices of tomatoes to be pretty fresh — adequately dressed with vinaigrette dressing for good flavour and was especially refreshing when had in between the other elements of the Bò Né. Whilst we are not experts on the proper way of eating Bò Né like how the Vietnamese would probably do, the essence in enjoying the dish is to break off a bit of that Banh Mi, then dip it into the sizzling hotplate for the bread to soak up all of that sauce before topping the pate, egg yolk, caramelised onions, corn nibs and the steak / sausage on top. The Banh Mi itself was pretty well made — very crusty and requires some bite to chew apart, yet still light and airy. The Vietnamese baguette was the perfect vehicle to soak up all that savoury sauce at the bottom of the hotplate — the corn nibs adding a hint of sweetness while the caramelised onions still helps to add a bit of a soft crunch; the addition of the pate gives that buttery texture and a contrast of savouriness which seems to gel all of the elements together. Both the beef and the sausage was equally impressive — the beef itself was especially tender and does not require much effort to chew; itself also free from any undesirable gaminess and seemingly have absorbed much of the flavours of the sauce beneath as well. On the other hand, the texture and flavours of the sausage was closer to that of Taiwanese sausage — a little bit on the sweeter side. Finishing it off with the sunny-side-up over the top, the creamy egg yolk provides a silkier texture to everything altogether. The only qualm here would be how the Bò Né didn’t come sizzling like how it was during our experience of Bò Né at Miss Bò Né in Ubi; that being said, we were still pretty satisfied with how all of the elements are prepared upon order and served to the table hot.

233 Banh Mi is one of this names that have proved themselves over time — it is definitely great to see how they have grown from being a non-descript hole-in-the-wall space serving up great Banh Mi to the scale that it is now; possibly something that even the folks running the business would not have thought about when they had first started off at Soho Life. We wouldn’t be able to comment about whether 233 Banh Mi had kept its quality of food constant from their days when they were situated at Soho Life however; we had never been to their previous space at Soho Life previously even despite wanting to make a visit all those while — the lack of dine-in seats and the crowd situation being considerations we have had back then. That being said, we probably understand why 233 Banh Mi does have its loyal following — we liked how the texture of the plain Banh Mi was; light and airy, yet crusty with a bit of tension to chew on. Couple that with their well-executed and well-portioned fillings such as that of the Vietnamese Grilled Pork Bread that we have tried, it is really little wonder why 233 Banh Mi has made a name for itself all this while. For those whom have yet tried our 233 Banh Mi when they were at their former premises, there is really no better opportunity than now — there was a healthy crowd around when we made our visit on a weekend lunch service with us needing to wait for about 10 to 15mins for a seat as they were at maximum capacity. That being said, we would most certainly return to give their Curry Chicken with Banh Mi a go, while also getting our fix of the Bò Né when the craving hits!

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