Vietnamese

The broken rice with pork chop at @langnuongvietnam18fochroad Is really one of the better ones I’ve tried. Obviously the star is the lush bone-in piece of pork, glazed in a savoury sauce that accentuates its meaty goodness. The rest of the key components were executed flawlessly too, from the mushroom and egg cake, to the chewy yet crunchy shredded pork skin and crumbly, delicate rice.

Authentic Vietnamese BBQ restaurant @langnuongvietnam18fochroad lives up to its name. The grilled black pork collar here is scrumptiously smoky and succulent, the glistening pieces piled high upon a bed of eggplant and lady fingers, and served with 3 types of dipping sauce which complement the meat perfectly.

Made from rice flour, coconut milk and a pinch of turmeric for that vibrant, yellow colour, I quite enjoyed these mini prawn pancakes. After a quick browse online, I'm pretty sure the ones in Vietnam would beat these by a mile.

Taste: 3/5

The prawn paste is traditionally served grilled on sugarcane sticks, but I guess Long Phung took the easy way out and replaced that with prawn paste fillets. Is it me or has the standard here dropped tremendously over the past few years?

Taste: 2.5/5

Not commonplace at Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, I jumped at the chance to try Hu Tieu at Long Phung in the hopes it would meet the standards of what was probably the best bowl of noodles I've ever had in Ho Chi Minh.

Sadly it fell short of the mark. The noodles were clumpy, and the insanely good spicy meat sauce as well as minced pork, shallots, garlic and spring onion that accompanied the superior version in Ho Chi Minh's Hu Tieu Nam Vang Nhan Quan were missing.

Taste: 2.5/5

The broth was a little too sweet and lacked the meaty depth and complexity I look for in a bun bo hue, but the portion was big with a fair amount of meat and we stilled enjoyed it anyway.

Taste: 3/5

Everything about this was faultless, from the smoky, juicy and tender pork chop to the fragrant, fluffy rice topped with a limpid fried egg. The egg meatloaf was salty and moreish, I only wish there were more of it.

Taste: 4/5

Pho Viet is almost as good as the more well-known Long Phung just down the street, except without the queues.

I can safely recommend their Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chop Rice – sweet, smoky, caramelized, glistening hunks of tender meat are served with a mound of rice topped with fried egg and a pickled carrot slaw. Ngon!

Taste: 3.5/5

The medium rare slices of beef are a thing of beauty, blushing pink and tender to the bite. The broth however, could do with more complexity and depth of flavour, and would benefit greatly from the simple addition of customary fresh herbs such as cilantro, mint and basil.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @namnamnoodlebar for hosting!

Taste: 3/5

3 pieces of sticky wings coated in a sweet and salty caramelised onion and fish sauce are a great way to start your meal. The skin is still slightly crisp despite the marinade and the meat within, juicy and tender.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @namnamnoodlebar for hosting!

Taste: 3/5

New on the menu and my favourite of the noodle dishes we tried - a plethora of ingredients including meatball, wanton, prawn fritter and a sweet marinated mince, over mee pok noodles tossed in a spicy sauce that's comforting in its familiarity to Singaporean palates.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @namnamnoodlebar for hosting!

Taste: 3.5/5

Catering to local tastebuds, this is essentially prawn mee jacked up with succulent giant tiger prawns and a fiery seafood broth. Tasty.

Thanks @burpple for the invite and @namnamnoodlebar for hosting!

Taste: 3/5