Miss Saigon (Fortune Centre)

Was scrolling around social media one day and managed to have caught wind about the opening of a new location of Miss Saigon — for those whom have yet to hear about the establishment, Miss Saigon is a dining establishment at Orchard Plaza that is best known for their Banh Mi. In fact, Miss Saigon is a brand name by the same folks whom are behind Banh Mi Saigon that is also noted for their stellar Banh Mi located at Blk 505 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. Whilst Miss Saigon is pretty much a very small space with minimal dine-in seating at Orchard Plaza, their new location at the fourth level of Fortune Centre is considerably bigger. Miss Saigon at its location in Fortune Centre does closely resemble the look of their Orchard Plaza store; one can still find the familiar signboards as well as the neon signages that adorn their space at Orchard Plaza. That being said, the mobile food cart where some of the condiments of their sandwiches can be found is located right at the entrance of the store; the kitchen in which hot food is prepared can be found at the back behind where the mobile food cart is. To the right of the space is where one can find the dine-in seating of the establishment — the entire space is decked with dining furniture that is more for function than for form; that being said, there is a Vietnamese touch with the use of straw hats and other decorative elements that can be found throughout the dine-in area. One can also find the retail rack dedicated to the sale of Vietnamese groceries at their Fortune Centre location — consistent with that of Orchard Plaza and at Ang Mo Kio as well. The menu that Miss Saigon serves up at Fortune Centre is close to what is being offered at their Orchard Plaza location — this include their Bread menu comprising of their Banh Mi creations, Spring Rolls, Sides and Noodles; they also offer a whole lineup of other cooked food that are also listed in their menu at Orchard Plaza such as sizzling hotplates, pho and rice dishes, just to name a few. Beverage options include Vietnamese-style coffee and tea, amongst others.

While Miss Saigon / Banh Mi Saigon has been an establishment that is better known for their Banh Mi offerings that is often touted as one of the best that one can get on the island, we had always been intrigued by their offering of Banh Mi Ap Chao ever since we had chanced upon it at the Miss Saigon location at Orchard Plaza. It is therefore not too surprising that we had decided to go for the Banh Mi Ap Chao instead during our visit to Miss Saigon at Fortune Centre on a weekday lunch service — switching things up a little from our usual order to give something different a try. It does seem that the Banh Mi Ap Chao had been mis-translated as “Pan-Fried Bread” in the English translation on the menu here — a better (and more apt way) to describe the dish is to call it Bread with Combo Pan. In fact, the Banh Mi Ap Chao does not bear too much of a difference from the Bo Ne that we usually enjoy having — while Miss Saigon does not describe on the elements that come with the dish on the menu, it can be observed from our order that the dish comes with meat pate, sardine, meatballs, onions, and a sunny side-up; all coming in a sauce with a red-hue with a Vietnamese baguette served on the side. Not sure if the dish was supposed to be served on a sizzling skillet much like how the Bo Ne would have been; we did notice that the skillet that came with the Banh Mi Ap Chao here seems to be used as a dining ware rather than coming warm to keep the temperature of the elements warm as one goes through all of the elements within.

That being said, we did enjoy how the sauce carried a sweet-yet-savoury note; think of it as a tomato-based sauce that seems to have been spiked with a little bit of butter and some Worcestershire sauce — a little bit similar to the typical Hainanese-style western sauce that we usually associate wjth old-school renditions of the Hainanese Pork Chop, though way more lighter in flavour to provide a bit of a balance of flavours as a dip to the bread. The baguette here is toasted to a crisp exterior, whilst maintaining a light, soft and fluffy texture within — great to soak up all of the sauce that it comes with. Breaking up the egg yolk and mixing it up with the pate and the sauce to dip the bread in, one can expecting a creamier texture that ends up being more like a spread to the bread that is eggy and savoury without being too gamey; all that with the soft crunch of the caramelised onions that have been included in the item. The meatballs carried a soft texture to chew upon; not too meaty, having seemingly absorbed the flavours of the sauce that came with the dish, while the sardine provided a firmer bite and a briny note that the fish is known to inherently carry. It is best for one to have the dish as soon as it arrives the table; the baguette does lose its crispness from being toasted really quickly due to use of fans here to compensate for the weak air-con its premises.

Of course, we found it difficult to skip on having the Vietnamese Iced Milk Coffee and therefore found ourselves going for one — we went with the usual level of sweetness that they have to offer and this was indeed quite a strong-handed cuppa considering how it comes especially dark with deep notes of caffeine that provided for a bittersweet note even with the condensed milk added to balance things a little. Miss Saigon is an establishment that is better known for their Banh Mi offering and it is needless to say that their line-up of Banh Mi is where the show is at — we have always been impressed by their generous portion of fillings that sees the Banh Mi just simply stuffed with all the good stuff; there is also always a balance of flavours between the different elements as well despite that fact. In comparison, the Banh Mi Ap Chao whilst being a decently-executed item in its own right, does feel lesser of a highlight when compared to their line-up of Banh Mi — more of a respectable alternative option for diners whom do not wish to go for their Banh Mi sandwiches or just wanted to try something different. Prices of the Banh Mi sandwiches at Miss Saigon’s location at Fortune Centre starts from $8.90, while their noodle dishes starts from $7.90 — the other individually-sized cooked dishes sees them being served at around $12 per dish. A reliable option for Vietnamese fare whilst being in the Bencoolen neighbourhood.