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2014-05-28
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Hiding amongst Beach Road is this small space that had recently opened up its doors officially in late April which is rather easy to miss if not paying attention.For a Vietnamese restaurant, the interior is extremely hipster with bare concrete walls and vibrant metal furnishings which somehow seems to replicate a back alley scene rather than simple and clean, which was quite a daring approach.Menu here are the usual suspects; Pho taking up most of it with other small Vietnamese dishes and a good
For a Vietnamese restaurant, the interior is extremely hipster with bare concrete walls and vibrant metal furnishings which somehow seems to replicate a back alley scene rather than simple and clean, which was quite a daring approach.
Menu here are the usual suspects; Pho taking up most of it with other small Vietnamese dishes and a good amount of beverages too.
Just like in some Thai restaurants, Mrs Pho offers starters to its patrons. These complimentary prawn crackers were thick, savoury and crispy. Best of all? No phoney charges involved!
Being in a Vietnamese restaurant, I cannot do without ordering the Fresh Spring Rolls ($3.50). Fresh rice rolls that are tightly packed with vermicelli, vegetable, prawn and a slice of pork, it was simple, light and refreshing as all of the ingredients are fresh with a slight meatiness created by the pork. The Fermented Soy Sauce adds a savoury flavour, but its definitely good on its own.
Not having tried Vietnamese fare before, my dining partner ordered the Brisket Beef Noodle Soup ($7.90) which is pretty much an authentic bowl of Pho. The noodles were springy and easy to chew and the soup was just reasonably salted for flavour yet does not make you thirsty and instead leaves you wanting for more; it got me, the person who usually dislike soup noodles really addicted to drinking the soup. Melt-in-the-mouth beef brisket was impressive as it was not a single bit gamey nor grainy as well. It got my dining partner hooked onto Vietnamese cuisine almost immediately!
As the other dining partner could not take beef, he went for the Chicken Noodle Soup ($7.90) instead, which uses the same noodles but a chicken broth instead with beef brisket replaced by chicken strips. Despite using strips, tey were rather sizeable and still chewable without the shredded texture, and while it was plain, it was refreshingly so. Yearning for a bit more flavour? Add some chili padi for an extra spicy kick for a boost in taste and it all becomes different!
The rice bucket in me could only find one dish to try, which was Rice with Pork Chop, Viet Ham and Fried Egg ($7.00). Even the only rice dish is well-executed here; a pork chop grilled in a sweet marinade which is easy to chew, Viet ham which had a otah fishcake-like consistency yet tasting like a really light version of Ma Ling luncheon meat and a fried egg with jiggly egg white and runny yolk where there is not hint of overused oil. Scoop a bit of the accompanying sweet chili sauce to match the plain rice if you think the rice is too plain; it makes for the sweet-spicy tang that’s just addictive.
Vietnamese Drip Coffee ($3.00) is my favourite beverage to have in a Vietnamese restaurant, and the one here comes with an option of Condensed Milk and Iced or Hot. The coffee is aromatic with a strong flowery scent behind, perfect to have for an after-meal chat. I loved the fact that they also supply a cup of warm water on top of the initial cup so you could have as much as you fancy; a small touch on service that really makes the difference.
For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/mrs-pho-beach-road/
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