NHUNG Kitchen (China Food Square Centre)

It has been quite some time since we had visited Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi — having first opened its doors in 2022 at Balestier Point, it seems that the folks behind the establishment are ready for expansion. They had recently opened a new outlet — this time in the Central Business District. Conveniently located within the China Square Food Court, Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi has found home in the space formerly occupied by Naked Earth Cafe in the food court; this also makes them neighbours with Super Simple, and located just right opposite Biang Biang Noodles Xi An Famous Food as one walks into the food court. Since it takes over the space of the now-defunct Naked Earth Cafe, Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi’s new outlet does come with a small seating area just in front of the stall itself. Mainly comprising of two and four-seater tables, the seating space dedicated to Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi can accommodate up to around 15 pax at its maximum capacity. Known for its Banh Mi offerings, Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi at China Square Food Court serves up pretty much the same menu which they offer at Balestier Point — think a variety of Banh Mi; their best seller being the BBQ Pork Baguette, whilst also offering patrons with a small variety of rice and rice noodle salad dishes for those whom do not fancy having the Banh Mi. For those looking for something to share, the only appetiser available here would be the Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls, which comes in a portion size of three pieces a serving.

We had given the BBQ Pork Baguette a go during our visit to Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi at their Balestier Point location some time back — since we are pretty much into the “special Banh Mi (i.e. Banh Mi Dac Biet)” type of offerings of the late, we thought it would be good to give Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi’s Ham & Pate Baguette a go. The Ham & Pate Baguette from Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi has been consistently well packed with condiments as the BBQ Pork Baguette which we had previously — the Ham & Pate Baguette coming with elements such as cucumber, coriander, chilli, carrot and radish as described in the menu. Sinking our teeth into the baguette comes with a shattering crisp exterior and somewhat of a fluffy interior — despite the baguette being well-stuffed with condiments, the Ham & Pate Baguette was probably one of the “cleaner” tasting Banh Mi that we had ever come across. The pate only provided the Banh Mi with a slight hint of savouriness — not quite as “intimidating” as some which we have come across; the only qualm here is the Ham & Pate Baguette being a little dry in totality as compared to the ones that we have had thus far. One thing that is worth commending is how Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi is pretty generous with the pork floss here — the Ham & Pate Baguette having most of its condiments hidden beneath that serving of pork floss that gives a contrast of textures and another dimension of savouriness. At the bottom, one would find two different types of ham — one seemingly closer to that of processed ham that we often see at supermarkets, and another being somewhat of a Vietnamese style to Char Siew that comes with lean meat for quite a bit of bite; the former providing a savoury note typical of cured meat, while the latter coming with that meatiness and a good bite. The addition of cucumber, pickled carrot and shredded pickled radish helps to refresh the palate and provides for some crunch, while the chopped chili padi here does help to add a bit of light spiciness that should work well even for those with lower spice tolerance, tantalising the tastebuds.

Having tried Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi on several occasions, we now know why the BBQ Pork Baguette is tagged as the best seller as opposed to the Ham & Pate Baguette, which is typically the recommended item at other Banh Mi-centric establishments — the sauces and juiciness of the meat provides more flavour to the Banh Mi; exactly what the Ham & Pate Baguette is missing of here. That being said, we do actually quite like their Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls here; these were similarly well-packed just like their Banh Mi — well-stuffed with Char Siew, Prawn, Lettuce and Rice Vermicelli — not only were the various elements all fresh, but it also Carrie’s quite a good bite. We aren’t too much of a fan about dipping these into the spicy fish sauce dip that it comes with however; it does make the Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls a little too salty and pretty much interferes with the freshness and clean flavours of the elements wrapped in the spring rolls — would probably do better with a bit more spiciness that could help to cut through the savoury notes a little more. Prices of the Banh Mi at Nhung’s Kitchen Banh Mi at China Square Food Court can be said as a little pricey compared to other Banh Mi-centric establishments around (though understandable since they are located in the Central Business District) — the Banh Mi offerings range from $7.50 to $9.80; the lowest-priced Banh Mi being the Vegan Baguette and the Tuna Baguette. The priciest Banh Mi would be the Beef Baguette; all other offerings are priced at $7.90. Their rice and rice noodle salad offerings would be priced between $8.70 and $9.80. Overall, we found that Nhung Kitchen Banh Mi’s offering are decent, though they seem to fare better with their meatier Banh Mi somehow — a spot that one can try to see if their Banh Mi suits the preferences that one has.