[CLOSED] Viet King Quan

Ordered the Banh Mi Pate Cha Lua (S$6.90). They have quite a selection of bánh mì here.

Baguette was really good! Nicely toasted, crispy & crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Well balanced flavours with the pickled veges and sauce which makes it really appetizing.

Eat it with the chilli sauce they provide; this makes it taste even better.

Portion size is filling for me as a meal. Would definitely come back again to try other Banh Mi flavours 💯👍

📍 Location:
Viet king Quan
Coffeeshop at Blk 201C
Tampines St 21
Singapore 523201

Having tried the Vietnamese sizzling plates from Miss Bò Né at Ubi previously, it has probably led me to yet another realm of Vietnamese cuisine that I had yet to explore and have since developed cravings for — so much so that when I had chanced upon Viet King Quan at the Chang Cheng Mee Wah coffeeshop at Blk 201C Tampines Street 21 (also where another outpost of Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway and King of Pao Fan are located; it is a short walk away from Tampines East MRT Station), I made sure I would make a return trip to the neighbourhood to settle for dinner there.

The Bò Bit Tét Thâp Câm here comes with elements such as sliced striploin, “Xiu Mai” (i.e. homemade meat ball), egg, pate and sausage — every order of the Bò Né also comes with a Vietnamese baguette; the same which is used in the Banh Mi. Essentially the full works, this is the item that one should go for if one is looking to dry the various items that they have in a sizzling hot plate. To be fair, I personally felt that the hot plate could be served hotter; there wasn’t much of a sizzle going on after the first few minutes (unlike the one at Miss Bò Né). That being said, I enjoyed the entire ordeal here; the runny fried eggs with a molten yolk, the butteriness of the sauce that was puddling around the savoury pate, the chunky, yet tender and soft-to-the-bite Xiu Mai, and the sliced striploin that comes swimming in savoury brown sauce — I especially liked how the beef elements here are nothing gamey, whilst being served relatively hot with the hotplate maintaining that sort of comfortably warm temperature for the dish throughout the entire time. The Vietnamese baguette, which is sliced into three, is the perfect vehicle to all the sauces and juices on the hotplate; soaks up all that buttery, savoury goodness amidst the shattering crisp baguette that comes with a slight chew — smear on some of that pate for the extra oomph! And for those looking for a kick of spiciness to the dish; there is that saucer filled with Sriracha that you can always rely on.

Whilst I really enjoyed the Bò Bit Tét Thâp Câm here, I personally felt that there is something that fell short between the Bò Né here and the one I had from Miss Bò Né; perhaps the heavier flavours, or maybe it was how they seem to place a strong emphasis on serving the hotplate sizzling. But there again, perhaps first experiences of a dish of its class always bears a stronger impression in the mind. That being said, the Bò Bit Tét Thâp Câm is certainly the dish I would go for if I am looking to splurge a little on a trip to a coffeeshop; it’s price tag of $13.90 does make it lesser of a daily affair — though it does certainly make for an affordable and luxurious weekend brunch affair that is wallet-friendly as compared against to the same from specialty coffee joints around!