Vietnamese Delight

Hands down my favourite banh mi in Singapore. Soft inside crispy outside, the baguette is outstandingly delicious compared to many other banh mi stalls I've tried. Fillings were super generous that I couldn't finish all of them. The only gripe I had with my banh mi was how some of the pig's ears were quite hard to chew but that's just a personal preference. Other than that, the banh mi is so good and the sauce punchy and refreshing. They definitely don't skimp on the sauce and ingredients. Highly recommend to eat it within 10 minutes as the baguette stays crispy only till then.

Leaning on the sweet side, the chicken chunks also has nice lemongrass fragrance. Meat is tender and sufficiently juicy. Would be perfect to eat this with rice.

Chef Linh imported the crab bisque paste her mum made in Saigon all the way here. Well, after all, her mum owns a popular crab noodle stall there. She then came up with the broth by adding milk and a few other ingredients. The broth is rather milky, so don’t expect the super thick and briny like what you usually get at HDL/BITP. Do note that you need to order the hotpot ingredients separately and overall, the price tag is just too steep imo. Though I must admit, the Wagyu Beef Slices were amazingly tender (just look at the marbling!). Also, another shoutout to the addictive dipping sauces.

Another dish that I’m not a big fan of. I didn’t realise how bony and dry these quails could be (or is it I’m suay and get all the bones?). It comes with salt, pepper and lime on the side, which is the saving grace that gives all the flavour this quail needs.

The dish that is quite forgettable for me, prolly also cos the staff portioned them for us with the rice noodles so I almost forgot this. The chargrilled sturgeon fish is quite juicy and it carries some charcoal-herbal aroma. But other than that, I honestly feel the taste is rather one-dimensional: turmeric all the way! When mixed with the rice noodle (that has turned pretty cold), I realise how dry everything is as a whole dish. Guess things might be different if I had enjoyed this dish asap once served?

I have always been a big fan of young jackfruits since young, but this is the first time I tried it in a “nugget” form. Touted as the next meat alternative, young jackfruit has nice fibrous texture that’s akin to eating meat. Imo the five-spice seasoning is a tad too heavy. The savoury taste reminds me of Ayam Goreng Kuning that you can find in some Indonesian restaurant. Worth trying if you haven’t.

My first time trying tonkin jasmine flower, which apparently is a popular Vietnamese delicacy. The crunchy texture and bulbous shape remind us of kailan flower bulbs served at chicken rice stall. The rendition here is kept simple— stir-fry with garlic and a bit of soy sauce. It’s simple but the crunchy fried minced garlic is sure addictive.

A refreshing opening to our meal although I was expecting something tangy and a lil bit spicy. The overall taste profile is leaning towards sweet and savoury from the pomelo and fish sauce respectively. Appreciate the 3 pieces of fresh prawn, but thought it doesn’t really sit well with the rest of the salad, perhaps because it’s quite huge (?). Also, imo the price tag is rather steep for a salad appetiser.

This is one of the dishes that got me hooked to Vietnamese food yeaaaars ago. Their rendition is pretty good— special shout out to the juicy and tender meat balls and grilled pork. The tangy papaya fish sauce could have had an additional splash of fish sauce, but otherwise, it has a good kick.

My Vietnamese friend was so happy to find this item on the menu- sounds like it’s not a common dish to find in Singapore. Essentially a platter of ingredients where you can make your own rolls (using either the rice paper or the lettuce). We both really enjoy the 2 types of fried fish cakes here- slightly crunchy skin and chewy filling. The fermented shrimp sauce (mam tom) is sufficiently pungent and savoury to go with the clean-tasting vermicelli and tofu. Love this!

Tried their vermicelli with grilled pork and springrolls and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of tender grilled pork. The slightly tangy kick and savoury fish sauce were really refreshing too. And what's more - they're on Burpple Beyond 1-for-1, making it super worth it as this bowl only costs less than $8!

On top of the standard tangy dipping sauce of pork balls and grilled pork, the rice vermicelli was served with fried prawn roll too! Though the dipping sauce was rather sweet for my liking, this might be less overwhelming and more well-liked by some people as compared to my usual bun cha spot. However, please note that at the Timbre+ outlet, bun cha is only available for dinner!