So Pho

Apologies for the super long hiatus. I almost thought that I won't be blogging ever again. Work pace picked up since I returned from maternity leave and a kid plus a baby at home leaves me so drained that all I want to do is sleep early and not blog.

And the fact that my iphone got flooded and my cousin loaned me her iphone 4. After being used to such nicer photos, it's quite a downer to have pictures that are less... erm.. desirable.

Anyway, here's one of the first few meals I had since my return from maternity leave. Ventured a bit further with my colleague to Nex at Serangoon. We went there 'blindly' with no idea of what to have for lunch. We just want to get away from the areas near or around our workplace!

Only upon reaching there do we source the shop directory and see what appealed to us most. And we decide on this Halal Vietnamese fare.

Menu

The is Bánh mì is calling out to me!!!

Menu

Interior

Interior

The interior of this restaurant is contemporary yet cosy.

What's interesting is that the whimsical decor vary with each wall facade.

Beverage & Condiment

I was delighted to see the bottle of Tương Ớt (chilli sauce) on every table. It's similar to the more popular Sriracha. This sauce goes well with almost every dish; whenever I'm in need of some heat.

Beside it was my colleague's Ice Lime Tea cooler. Very refreshing on a hot day.

Bánh xèo

We want to order a side to share between the both of us and we settled on the Bánh xèo- crispy Vietnamese pancake/crepe, with fillings. Can this also be attributed to the French influence on the country?

I've always seen this being eaten by hosts of travel shows; whenever they chow on Vietnamese street food but I can never get my hands on a Halal version, locally. Seeing this on the menu made me really excited.

This came served with a side of pickled veggies and lettuce. We are to wrap the pancake in the lettuce leaf with some pickle stuffed inside. And dip into some of the Nước chấm (dipping sauce) before taking a bite.

The fillings

The crepe is really the crispy shell like I expect it to be. Combined with the savoury fillings of diced tofu, fennel, mushroom, shrimps and spring onions, it can easily be a meal on its own.

Bún Chả Giò Bò Nướng

Also known as Bún Bò Nướng Chả Giò. Whichever rocks your boat. Basically it's grilled marinated beef served on rice vermicelli, with spring rolls.

I had the same dish when I dined at Orange Lantern, previously.

My colleague asked for my opinion as to what she should order and I told her about this dish that I had previously. She must have been taken in by my salivating description.

In the background is my glass of iced lemongrass tea.

Cha Ca La Vong

As for myself, I got excited (yet again) when I saw the famous Cha Ca La Vong on the menu.

Cha ca means 'grilled fish' and 'La Vong' is the name of the legendary restaurant that created this dish. Tourists in Hanoi always make it a point to visit this restaurant to try this dish. And interestingly, the restaurant serves ONLY this dish.

How do I know this? Well, is it any surprise that I learnt all this from watching travel shows? That's how I learnt to hanker after all these exotic dishes. :P

Anyway this dish consist of marinated freshwater fish slices that's cooked with tumeric, ginger, dill, fish sauce, spring onions etc. And supposedly, lots of herbs. The bunch of herbs are absent in the one served here, I'm afraid.

Taste-wise, it seem more bland than what I expect. Maybe my expectations got heightened by the fame this dish received. Well, nothing that the Tương Ớt and Nước chấm combo can't help with. 

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All in all, the dining here is quite pleasant. I had initially wanted to try the Bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich using French loaf) but I obviously got taken in by the Cha ca instead.

However, I later chanced upon the Bánh mì in the menu of Streats Hong Kong Cafe, of all places. That's when I realised that these 2 restaurants, as well as BaliThai and some other restaurants; are under the same parent company- Katrina Holdings.

Also, I seem to see fennel being used widely. Well, it's strange that fennel is used in South-east Asian cuisine but I'm very sure it is fennel that I see. Don't tell me it's celery?!

So Pho
Serangoon NEX, #B1-15
T: 6636 8195

Opening Hours
Daily 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

(They also have another branch at #B1-08 JEM)

The Orange Lantern ~ Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

My bro is one of those who got their year-end bonus on the 12th of December and he wanted to bring his family out for a dinner treat. Also to celebrate my mum's birthday in advance.

We were having a headache when planning on what to have. From one buffet to another. This type of cuisine or this type of cooking style... Frustrated, I asked that my bro just asked my mum herself.

Turns out, she already had a place in mind. And one day before the dinner, I managed to book a table for us 5, inc. my kiddo. There, that settled everything. Phew!

My mum seemed to be curious about Orange Lantern, a restaurant that we've passed by on many, many occasions in Harbourfront Centre but never stepped into. Besides, I guess she's really curious about Vietnamese food in general because I kept regaling her about my experience with Mon An's food.

We arrived after a busy phase and the stuff were busy clearing the tables. They pointed out to the table that's been reserved under my name. It was at a nice corner with booth seats on one side and enough space for 6-7pax. I initially thought that it was too much space but I guess not… You'll know why, later.


Menu

Tentalising combo sets

I really like the combo sets. If I come in small groups and would want something for myself, I'll definitely go for this, which has a bit of everything.


Hot lemongrass w/ honey tea ~ $4.90

For my parents and myself.


Fried seafood platter ~ $7.90

My bro ordered this and seeing how small the portion really was, he ended up having it for himself and shared some with my kiddo.


Gỏi cuốn ~ $6.90

Vietnamese soft rice paper rolls. We were told that each portion has only 2 pieces so I ordered 2 plates. My bro refused to even touch the single piece that's left (too raw for him, he said). We eventually doggy-bagged it.

We were asked if we want the prawn of chicken version. We chose prawn.

True to it's popular name(s): salad roll or summer roll; this is indeed refreshing. It's served with this strong-tasting dip containing hoisin sauce, peanuts and some chili, or tương xào made from tương, a Vietnamese fermented bean paste/soy sauce.


Chả giò ~ $7.90

Vietnamese Imperial Rolls. Spring rolls made with this net-like skin that get really crispy when deep-fried.

We were told that each plate has only 3 pieces so we ordered two. But when it arrived it looked like there's much more! Apparently, each roll is pretty long, to begin with. So they cut them into 2 parts. And there are now 6 pieces on each plate. 2 plates of these meant that we've got to finish off 12 pieces!

Should have just ordered 1 portion. We also doggy-bagged the remaining ones.


Inside the Chả giò

These are one of the better ones so far. The fillings don't look like much because of the thick layer of super-crispy egg-based skin. But it really is good.

Comes accompanied with Nước chấm (Nuoc cham) dipping sauce that are served quite frequently as condiments in Vietnamese cuisine. It is a sweet, sour, salty and spicy sauce made of fish sauce, sugar and lime juice or vinegar.

Goi Xoai ~ $7.90

Mango salad. Has a much cleaner taste as compared to the more exotic-tasting Thai version. That crispy shrimp floss on top really amped this dish. Otherwise it was pretty bland.


Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Skewers ~ $7.90

Oh, these were awesome!

They seemed pretty heavy-handed with the spice so there's a strong taste and scent to the minced chicken meat. But it wasn't overwhelming and the taste caught on.

There's another version with minced prawn meat on sugar cane, if I'm not wrong.


Kid's meal: Fried rice w/ chicken wing ~ $6.90

I was happy to find something for kiddo. Alas, he didn't like it one bit.

I thought that he was turned off by the bits of mixed vegetables but when I have a taste, I found out that the fried rice was actually bland. Like they forgot to season it or something. For my kiddo who's used to spicy fried rice made with potent sambal belacan, I guess this is a no-no for him.

He even refused the chicken. My bro had a bite and deemed it delicious. It's actually honey fried chicken. Guess kiddo's appetite got really turned off. Yeah, he's at one of those frustrating, 'I don't-wanna-eat!' phases. Pfft. 


Seafood fried rice ~ $11.90

My bro's order. I was worried that he may not find things to his liking but he seemed happy with this.

The mini wok was filled with a chock-full of ingredients. You can see from the pretty chunky pieces of seafood there.


Canh Hai San ~ $6.90

Spicy Seafood Soup. Also my bro's order. In the back ground is his glass of ice lemon tea ($3.90).

I don't know what it was with him ordering all the seafood stuff, that day. But I sure didn't expect him to order soup!

I initially expect this to be similar to the Thai tom yum. I mean, it sure looked like it. But when I randomly had a taste, I realise that this wasn't that much spicy. In fact, it also wasn't sour… at all! It's was really savoury, with pretty sweet after-taste, prolly due to the prawns inside.


Bowl of Pho Bo ~ $11.90

Vietnamese beef noodle soup. Both my parents ordered this. They may flip through the menu back and forth but they still end up ordering this. Pfft. Guess it's something that they'll never tire of.

Funny thing was, after placing the orders, we saw this huge bowl being served to someone at the next table. They were like, Whoaaa…!

We thought that that was something the couple would share but it turn out to be a single portion of Pho Bo! My mum was aghast and remarked that they both should have just shared a single bowl…


Pho Bo bowl

Just look at the size of that bowl! It's just crazy!

The soup was nice and savoury but I was surprised to see that the bowl lacked much herbs and greens. This bowl was very simple, unlike the ones I'm used to, from Mon An.


Bun Bo Nuong ~ $11.90

Grilled Beef w/ Vietnamese vermicelli (it's different from our local beehoon). My order.

When it first arrived, I was like, "Okayy… How do I eat this?"

I recall seeing someone dipping the grilled beef into the Nước chấm sauce and eat it with the the vermicelli like how one eats rice. But I find that to be too much hassle so I poured all of the Nước chấm into the bowl and gave everything a good mix. Ala Korean bibimbap.

This dish is yummy!! I love it. The beef, my gosh. It was sooo nicely marinated with goodness-knows-what but the taste reminds me a lot like satay! It does carry a strong taste of lemongrass. The bowl looked hefty but I cleaned it up in no time. The raw greens on the side help to balance things out. Beef and salad? Bring it on!

I ate one of the spring roll but I realise it just wasn't as good as the imperial rolls.


Thịt Bò Nướng Lá Lốt ~ $12.90

Or 'Bo La Lot' for short. Vietnamese grilled beef wrapped in wild betel leaf. I've always been curious about eating wild betel leaf (also known as 'daun kaduk' to the Malays).

My late great-grandma used to chew on betel leves ('daun sireh') wrapped around some lime (kapur), pieces of areca nut ('pinang'), cloves and shreds of woody vine ('gambir'). She will chew on these and the remnants (some reddish lump) will be spit out later.

It was a pretty disgusting habit and being the kid that I was, I got curious and tried to chew on that fresh betel leaf. Immediately spat it out. Bitter as hell with a weird after-taste. I wondered why my great-grandma looove chewing on it so much.

When I told my mum of this dish, she got excited. She saw people eating this in tv programmes about Thailand and Vietnam. Even some in Malaysia. She was very much curious about the taste of this wild betel leaf too.

In the picture, it looked like the Mediterranen dish called 'sarma' or 'dolma', where grape or cabbage leaves are wrapped around a filling. It's an an appetiser dish, if I'm not wrong so I thought the same for this one, too.


Wrapping the Bo La Lot

Little do I know that this dish is a meal on its own. Ooops.

When it first arrive, I took one of the 3 parcels out of its skewer (there were 2 sticks). I had a bite and was taken aback by the very strong taste of the beef. It's almost like the the grilled beef I just had but much stronger. The betel nut itself doesn't taste like much.

I was wondering why the beef was flavoured in such a manner. I looked back at the plate it was served in and had a 'light bulb moment'.

I placed another parcel with the peanut chunks inside a piece of green-leaf lettuce, included some stalks of bean sprouts, 2 sticks of julienned cucumber, a piece of basil leaf and some vermicelli. I then dripped some of the accompanying  Nước chấm sauce on it and proceed to wrap everything up tightly before stuffing it into my mouth.

If you find the process familiar- yes, I was inspired by how the Koreans eat their 'Samgyeopsal'.

And you know what? That seem to be the way to eat this dish after all! Guess those items that accompanied the skewered wrapped beef were not mere garnishing.

I made a parcel for my mum and made yet another one for myself, this time adding some pieces of mango from the mango salad… Fwahhh!

I read somewhere that they used to serve sheets of spring roll skin with this. That would have made more sense, right? Hmmmm...
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Anyway, all in all the whole meal came up to almost $180. Sounds pricey but we really ordered a lot. Such that our tables were filled! And the food is really amazing.

If you eat beef, I highly recommend the beef dishes. I didn't order much chicken because my dad was nursing a cough that time.

The Orange Lantern
1 Maritime Sq
#01-98
HarbourFront Centre

Vietnamese Stall @ NoorJannah's Kitchen

Ever since Mon An Halal Vietnamese food stall moved out of their Eunos Crescent premise, I have been pretty much hankering for their fare. They took sometime before finding another suitable location.

And when they finally announced that they're opening at Amoy Street Food Centre #01-68, I was somewhat disappointed to know that it's quite a distance from their former location(s) in the East-side. Also meaning that we might never get their food during lunch hour (the time when we usually dine there). Huhuuu…

Btw, you can get updates on Mon An at their FB.

ANYWAY, my bro has been telling me that there's another Halal Vietnamese food stall at Kembangan. His student live in that vicinity and he always walked past that stall. I was determined to get him to bring me there one day.

As it turn out, it was located within NoorJannah's Kitchen, an eating house located between Mon An's former stall locations. In fact, the stall assistant appear to be the same person who used to work at Mon An previously.

NoorJannah's Kitchen has quite a number of stalls serving different cuisines. There's the North Indian food stall selling naans and the likes. A prata stall, a stall selling crispy chicken rice (my bro's favourite!), Malay food stall which also sell satay, the famous Bone Steak Horfun and or course, Vietnamese food. 

The Vietnamese food stall

The stall was somewhat hidden in a nook but they do have some laminated menus placed on the tables to grab some attention.


Menu

One look and I already knew what to get. My parents opt for the regular beef noodles while I chose the beef + tendon noodles. Tendon!!!

They ran out of the 'Cha Gio' (crispy fried spring rolls) so we just settled for the 'Gui Cuon' (fresh spring roll/summer roll).


Vietnamese Beef Noodle

My parent's bowl. In all honesty, it looked pretty dismal. I mean, if you've seen pictures of the beef noodles from Mon An, you can see why.

One, is the absence of a spoonful of 'Mắm Ruốc' (Vietnamese shrimp paste/hae ko/petis). And the generous topping of herbs like basil and 'Ngò Gai' (saw-tooth herb).

Is that fried shallot I see...? hmm…


Vietnamese beef + tendon noodles

My bowl came like 10 mins after my parents' bowl appeared. Maybe it's made to order?

But it's worth the wait. The tendons were sooo tender! I love those. But not the beef slices though. One, they were sliced a tad thick. Secondly, they seemed pre-cooked (not fresh beef). Less tender too.

And something was definitely amiss with the broth. Sigh…


Gui Cuon

This came like another 10mins after my bowl of noodles. It was decent, at most. There were more beehoon than herbs. And the shredded/minced chicken meat taste a tad weird.

As the stall assistant cleared our table, he asked me if I've tried the 'authentic' version located there previously. I knew right on that he was talking about Mon An. So I told him that I was quite a regular. He woefully remarked that the fare from these 2 stalls are totally different. Especially with the absence of that 'Ngò Gai' (saw-tooth herb).

I really have got to agree. And it's good that he thinks that way; for any unknowing person who saw him and that Vietnamese food stall, might mistakenly thought that Mon An is back at that vicinty.

Looks like, after having been exposed to Mon An's authentic Beef Pho, every others just pale in comparison. I have yet to try Orange Lantern's rendition and Sedap Corner's version is pretty alright. But it's a tad pricey.

Mon An's Beef Pho ftw! Both in terms of taste and value-for-money! Guess, I need to make a trip dow to the CBD…

NoorJannah's Kitchen
2 Jalan Masjid
Singapore 418920

Mon An's Tumeric Squid

Tumeric squid set ~ $7

I can't say enough, just how much I LOVE this dish. I keep seeing the words 'Tumeric Squid' in their menu and wonder why it cost $7, as compared to the $5.50 for the other dish sets (comes with plain rice & stir-fried veggies).

When I ordered this dish, the (very) friendly assistant offered to make the veggie side dish more soupy. I can't figure out why but I agreed to it anyway. Usually the veggie side dish is of similar consistency the the everyday 'chap chye'. Minimal gravy.

Tumeric squid set

When this finally arrived, I was like, *WHOA!*

I was seriously expecting a plate of squid rings that are stir fried with some onions and peppers and tinted slightly yellow, due to the tumeric but this was another thing altogether!

This is similar to those 'Butter Sotong' served at Zhi Char places. Crispy battered squids. Wait... it's crispy squids, with SEASONED batter.

Served piping hot, very crispy and the seasoning is just AWESOME! So good that I literally want to eat it on its own. And the portion is just so generous!

Now I know why I was offered a more soupy side dish. The squid was a 'dry' dish after all. Such a thoughtful act!

I dare say, that I recommend this dish, should you drop by Mon An. My new fave dish, definitely!

Mon An Vietnamese Muslim Food
Blk 7 Eunos Crescent
(behind the bus stop)

Mon An Halal Vietnamese at Eunos

Finally got down to having lunch at our favourite Vietnamese stall.

Eversince their announcent on their FB - of their new location at Blk 7 Eunos Crescent, at An Nur Makan Place, my colleagues and I very much anticipate our next visit there. After all, it's now much more conveniently located (right behind a bus stop and 5mins walk from Eunos MRT).

When we reached there however, it seemed a little too quiet. Quite a contrast to the scene with bustling customers congregating around her stall in the tight space of the coffeeshop at Kembangan. Maybe the office crowd from that area is sorely missed.

Here's a quick update on the foods we had since they're different from what we've had previously.

New location, inside An-Nur eating place

Fried fish Horfun

My 2 colleagues were eager to get here because they saw a status update with a picture of this and they've been thinking about it ever since. They were quick to place an order for that when we arrive.

However after the first taste, they find the sauce to be a lil' salty and has this permeating 'briny' scent. I had a taste and figured out that the 'nước mắm' (Vietnamese fish sauce) might be a tad excessive.

The proprietress was generous with the fried fish slices. I like that they were not mixed into the gravy and despite having soaked some of it, the batter still remain crispy.

Dry Beef Bee Hoon

This dish falls under the category, 'Salad Base' in their menu. And aptly so.

Another dish in the category is the prawn version of this. And that one appears to be like a 'deconstruction' of the popular 'Goi Cuon', that refreshing 'summer roll'. This plate that I order is the beef version.

I was delighted at the generous amount of marinated beef slices that appear to be pan-grilled (??). The meat comes off as tender, juicy and almost smoky. Reminds me of 'satay' somehow. And taste really good when paired with the slightly sweet, tangy yet savoury sauce. Not to mention all that julienned veggies plus leafy basil and mint…

Awesome healthy stuff, I'd say!

Goi Cuon

Ok, so this is something we've had many times before but I just can't resist posting yet another picture of this wholesome snack.

Summer roll… fresh spring roll. Whatever you'll call it. It's just awesome.

Really can't wait to get back here and maybe try out old favourite. Or take more risks with others? I'm still curious about that Tumeric Squid. Hmm…

Mon An Vietnamese moving… again

UPDATE: They are now located at Blk 7 Eunos Crescent, at An Nur Makan Place.

Based on this post that appeared on their FB timeline, I guess we won't be getting our regular halal Vietnamese fix until they re-open… somewhere.

"We are currently closed til further notice. We are moving to a new place and definitely will update all as soon as possible with confirmed location. Stay tuned !"

Here are what I had with my colleagues some 2 weeks before their closure.

Cha Gio & Gui Cuon

The 'Cha Gio' (the fried spring roll) and the 'Gui Cuon' (summer roll) are what I must order, ON TOP of my mains.

Now I miss eating these already…

Pho Bo

My colleague's regular order. The Vietnamese beef soup noodles. Ever since the price went up, my colleague's been griping about there being too much noodles in the bowl.

This fella had been to Vietnam a lil' too many times and had gotten used to the small portions served there (obviously he ordered at least 2 portions!)…

Fried fish noodles

Another colleague's order. She wanted something light and soupy. Being a fan of those fried fish noodles sold at Banquet, she gave the one here a try. This cost $5.50.

The crispy, battered fried fish slices were served on a separate plate. A good move, seeing that some may prefer their fish to remain crispy, instead of getting all soggy inside the bowl with the soup.

Sambal Fish Set

White rice, a slab of crispy fried fish slathered with sambal (chilli paste) and a plate of stir-fried veggies for all of $5.50… What a steal!

Sambal Fish Set - another shot

The fish here is prepared similarly to the ones in the fried fish noodles, save that the fish came in a big slab instead of slices. The batter on the fish reminds me of that used for 'pisang goreng' (banana fritters). And that sambal… I can't get enough of that!

How do I move on to try their other dishes when I can't get enough of this??! That turmeric squid really pique my curiousity. As well as the Dry beef bee hoon.

Hope they will release details on their new location soon. Huhu.

Mon An Halal Vietnamese Food

Eversince the coffee shop where Mon An Vietnamese Muslim Corner closed down and was converted into a halal Japanese restaurant, my colleagues and I were at loss as to where they've moved to.

Desperate, I actually made a little annoucement on this blog, asking about their new location and finally got an answer sometime last month. Excitedly informed my male colleague (yes, the somewhat 'designated' lunchtime chauffeur) and we finally find some time to check out the new stall.

This the my first sight of the new stall location…


New signboard

Delectable pictures on it, to give an idea what is being served, I presume?

Teh 'O' Ais Limau

With a new coffee shops comes a new drinks stall. Operated by the indian Muslim proprietor, I guess. The portions are bigger and has more varieties, as compared to the quaint drinks stall, previously. 

Pho bo

Oh, how I miss you so! Nothing tastes more authentic than this (Halal option, that is). Very generous with the beef slices and fresh basil leaves. A squeeze of lime, some chilli (or even fish sauce, if you prefer)... Awesome!

I gotta' say that their price have since increased. Maybe due to different rental costs and higher expenses for the products. A bowl of this is now $6.

Not that I mind. Just as long as the  food preparation is consistent. 

Goi Cuon & Cha Gio

Can't come here without ordering these!

The 'Cha Gio' (the fried spring roll) is usually available but the 'Gui Cuon' (summer roll) needs to be freshly prepared so it's hardly available during the busy lunch hour.

My luck was in that day, when I meekly asked about their availabilty but the proprietor said it's not available. The lady boss however, interrupted and said that she don't mind preparing it.

Happy much!!!

Goi Cuon

When I collect the spring rolls (self-service), my colleague hurriedly picked one and almost took a bite when he realised that the texture of the spring roll skin felt somewhat weird.

Luckily, he took a second look and realised that they now use a plastic sheet to wrap the roll, for hygiene purposes.

Imagine if he bite on that!

Another shot!

In the condiment saucer, the sauce on the left (sweet, slightly sour wth bits of chilli) is for the Cha Gio while the one on the right (sweet bean sauce with crushed peanuts) is for the Goi Cuon dip.

You can check their info and menu (plus pics!) HERE at their FB page.

Mon An Halal Vietnamese Food
459 Changi Road
Kassim Restaurant