Cô Hai Bánh Mì

Sweet and sourish, Co Hai Banh Mi’s Ha Noi Bun Cha ($12.50) was slurp-worthy as well (though my favourite is still at Uncle Ho's Tuckshop). The tantalising dip really whets one's appetite and thankfully was not too lip-puckering. A little pricey for the portion but at least the pork patties were pretty large and were nicely seasoned.

Their Fresh Spring Rolls ($6 / 2pcs) were on point too. The rice paper was beautifully delicate and thin - cause god knows I really dislike the overly sticky, chewy, and almost rubbery ones. The filling was pretty standard (the prawns were plump, the fresh greens crunchy, and the vermicelli noodles silky-soft) but overall a decent rendition. The dip at the side was good as well.

Not your traditional Vietnamese baguette filling, Co Hai Banh Mi’s Stir-fried Beef & Cheese Baguette ($12) was like a hearty, decadent Asian cheeseburger. Tender and succulent, the sweet-savoury seasoned beef was covered in gooey melted cheese. Super buttery, the initial bite was a tad rich but the crunchy pickles, fresh greens, chili, and coriander helped to balance the flavour. The toasted bread was also very satisfying, wonderfully crispy on the outside and fluffy-soft on the inside.

When the Stir-fried Beef & Cheese Baguette (S$10.00) was first served, my first thought was “did they forget to put the cheese?”, because all I could see was the saucy beef slices stuffed into the Bahn Mi.

But as I sank my teeth into this S$10.00 Vietnamese baguette, I was totally sold. Just by having the light and crispy baguette that was a stark contrast from its creamy yet tender beef slices already could blow my mind. Not forgetting the presence of the greens that also helped to balance the flavours a little, this on its own made an appropriate light meal.

Dining in happens upstairs, but seats fill up quite quickly especially now that safe distancing is lifted. But I would seriously recommend this to be consumed in-house for maximum satisfaction.

This Vietnamese restaurant along Beach Road is run by Vietnamese. Don’t get your hope high though.

We arrived at 12.30pm and although the place was not packed solid, there were a lot of tables with leftover utensils and cutleries from previous diners. Throughout the lunch, I get a sense that cleaning up the tables after patrons leave is not regulated, it’s more of an ad hoc thing.

We ordered Pho Tai (Sliced Beef Noodle Soup $10), Com Tam (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop, sunny side up egg and egg meatloaf $12) and two glasses of Ice Coffee with Condensed Milk $4/glass.

The pho was such a disappointment. I have never had pho served to me, whether in Singapore or Vietnam or anywhere in the world without the ubiquitous wedge of green lemon and basil leaves. This is a first. Naturally, the taste of the pho was under par compared with even food court Vietnamese outlets. Beef was also over cooked and the soup a little cold. Later I realised that food is cooked in the kitchen downstairs and brought up. If the boys are busy with making your drinks or taking orders, your tray of food is left on the service counter. Perhaps this is the reason for over cooked beef and less than piping hot soup.

Com Tam is your quintessential dish in Vietnam. The most important ingredient is broken rice. This they got right as the grains are evidently shorter and broken. But the grilled pork was so dry and chewy, it was almost like a jerky. Sunny side up egg was not runny, it was well done. The saving grace was the egg meatloaf. It was soft and juicy from the minced meat.

Coffee was good. They got this one right. Tasted like those you get in Vietnam

The place is quite pleasant looking, especially the back room which is Instagramable. So if you are there to take nice pictures, by all means. If you looking for authentic Vietnamese food, please dial down your expectations.

For me, I won’t be coming back any time soon.

Pork chop was again ok only but the bright tangy flavours were not bad, gf loved it. The fish sausage was interesting as well, soft bouncy texture with a pervasive sweetnedd