Whenever we talk about Vietnamese food, the first thing that comes to mind is a cuisine that boasts complex heady aromas of fresh herbs and robust flavours that pack a punch yet remain light on the palate.

An amalgamation of fresh and exotic flavours hailing from various regions of Vietnam, newly-established Paper Rice aims to give diners nothing short of the real taste of Vietnam. This new concept by Arteastiq Group—you may know them for their stellar range of brewed teas and art jam spaces—sees a collaboration of colossal proportions, tying in the skillsets of Arteastiq’s award-winning Executive Chef Yip and Vietnamese-born Chef Minh.

Officially opening its doors at Changi City Point on 30 November 2018, Paper Rice takes diners through Vietnam’s rich gastronomic history encompassing the cuisine’s signature clean, exotic and robust flavours. Think nostalgic classics such as the hearty pho, smoky street-style grill and Vietnamese drip coffee, as well as other traditional and uncommon Vietnamese delights.

As part of their launch, you get to enjoy Saigon Export beers at just S$2 and 50% off Kirin beers with any purchase of food from 30 November to 31 December 2018. The best part? That’s probably the least exciting promotion the restaurant has in store. Make sure to read till the end of this article for more details.

STARTERS

Offering a pretty decent selection of starter dishes, these are what we advise you to start with to give you a more restrained introduction to the courses to come.

Vietnamese spring rolls are a must and on their menu, they have more than just the conventional spring rolls available. Feeling undecided? Consider their Spring Rolls Platter. heFeaturing 4 different kinds of spring rolls, the platter comes with two dipping sauces accompanied by rice noodles and greens.

PHO

A quintessential Vietnamese dish, the pho provides hot and meaty comfort in a nutritious bone broth.

At Paper Rice, you can choose from 5 different variations of pho originating from different parts of Vietnam. Apart from meat toppings such as beef, chicken, and pork, Paper Rice also offers a vegetarian option. Regardless of which you choose, each bowl of pho boasts silky rice noodles soaked in a flavourful broth which has been simmered overnight. Served with a heaping plate of crunchy leafy greens and various aromatic herbs, these aromatic bowls of comfort are certain to lift your senses.

RICE VERMICELLI

Rice vermicelli are essentially served dry, keeping the ingredients from becoming sodden. In the mouth, what you get is an ingenious combination of flavours accentuated by a vibrant dressing and exciting textures of beef slices, crunchy peanuts, bean sprouts and fresh herbs.

To bind it all together, stir in a tablespoon or two of fish sauce. One particular offering that we’re stoked to try is their Fresh Rice Vermicelli With Grilled Chicken.

BANH MI

On our recent visit to Ho Chi Minh City, we tried multiple delicious variations of this Vietnamese staple – the Banh Minh, and was thrilled to see this Vietnamese street food featured in Paper Rice’s menu.

Banh mi—which literally translates to bread—is made up of a toasted baguette stuffed with grilled meat and pickled vegetables. At Paper Rice, two classic Banh Mi is featured—the Grilled Pork Banh Mi and the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi.

MEKONG SPECIAL

The restaurant’s ‘Mekong Special’ features a selection of specialty dishes hailing from the Mekong region of Vietnam which has been known for its more pronounced flavour profiles and unique ingredients.

The Deep Fried Seabass with Spicy Lemongrass Peanut Sauce and Signature Hand Pulled Chicken are among the many unique Mekong dishes that grace this section of the menu. A special curation, the dishes here aim to bring nothing but sheer authenticity from pasture to plate.

EGG COFFEE & VIETNAMESE-STYLE HIGH TEA

To round out the entire experience, be sure to order up a cup of hot Vietnamese Egg Coffee. Every sip rewards the tongue with a frothy, creamy foam that provides a subtle sweetness as well as a gentle nuance of egg, all working well to complement the intensely flavoured dark coffee.

An all-day dining destination, Paper Rice also offers Singapore’s first Vietnamese-style high tea set ($32++ for 2) featuring colourful traditional snacks, desserts and pastries served alongside your choice of Vietnamese coffee or Arteastiq’s signature teas.

As part of their opening promotion, diners get to enjoy authentic Vietnamese coffee at just S$1 (with purchase of any food items) from 2pm to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays until 31 December 2018.

GIVEAWAY OF A LIFETIME

In need of a getaway? Visit Paper Rice any time between 30 November 2018 to 31 Jan 2019, share about your dining experience on either Instagram or Facebook as well as post a review on Google or Tripadvisor and you just might stand a chance to win a free 3D2N trip to Danang, Vietnam.

If lounging on pristine beaches and visiting the Instagrammable Da Nang Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills sounds like the perfect vacation for you, be sure to make a trip down on their opening day (30 November 2018) to stand a 10x chance of winning this prize!

Paper Rice
Changi City Point #B1-26/27
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
Singapore 138617
Tel: +65 6443 1261
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest MRT Station: Expo

This post was brought to you by Paper Rice. 

A popular pit stop among the Vietnamese locals, Nhu Lan Bakery houses several food stalls in one. The establishment functions as a banh mi kiosk, a proper sit-down Vietnamese eatery as well as a delicatessen and meat grocer.

Every morning from as early as 5am, throngs of locals park their scooters right outside the eatery, grabbing themselves a quick bite before going about their day. Curious, and pining for a taste of what locals deem delicious, we decided to pay the humble eatery a visit.

They serve everything under the sun, from tasty, proper bowls of pho bo, to a massive selection of banh mi toppings and even some other local delicacies not commonly found elsewhere.

Outside is where you can get your hands on some freshly-made banh mi. Inside, however, they serve a pretty impressive variety of noodle and rice dishes from the classic pho, dry rice noodles to some pretty interesting, rarely heard of items as well.

Having read so much more about Vietnam’s many varieties of noodle dishes, we decided to wing it with their Rice Noodles with Fried Spring Rolls and Barbecued Pork (40,000 VND).

The dish features a colossal portion of rice noodles along with some pickled vegetables, spring rolls, barbecued pork, ground peanuts and a lime wedge. Like most Vietnamese dishes, it also comes with a platter of fresh herbs.

To get the ultimate combination of flavours and textures, you really have to mix everything together. We went with a dash of fish sauce, lime juice, chillis, garlic, fresh herbs simply torn in and sriracha for ours.

The result? A vibrant and addictive mix of fresh flavours that encompassed sweet, sour, salty and spicy.

Unsure of what else to get, we decided to go with our gut and randomly pointed towards one of the lesser intimidating items on the menu. Thankfully, what was served to us was the Rice with Fried Roast Pork, Braised Pork, Pickled Cabbage & Egg (40,000 VND).

Laced with a tangy, salty kick from the pickled cabbage, coupled with the fresh taste of coriander along with the smoky, meaty taste of the barbecued pork, this was honestly one of the most delightful we had—that isn’t pho.

The flavours reminded us of pig’s organ soup, especially with the heavy emphasis on pickled vegetables to counter the porky taste, just that this was much drier.

Stuffed from edge to edge with thin rice noodles, fresh vegetables and slivers of shrimp, we absolutely couldn’t get enough of their Pork & Shrimp Spring Roll (15,000 VND). The rice paper was a little stiff and tricky to nibble through, but besides that, everything was perfect.

We’re not fully sure what went into the dipping sauce, except that it was a mixture of sweet, tangy, savoury and nutty qualities. Come to think of it, hoisin definitely made up a majority of its flavour.

Nhu Lan Bakery
50 Ham Nghi, Ben Nghé, Quan 1,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 28 3914 1338
Daily: 4am – 11pm
SGD to VND: S$1 : 16981.22 VND (aprox)

For more recommendations, read our Ho Chi Minh City’s guides to discover the best places to visit in the city.

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Vietnamese fare has always been a mainstay in Singapore’s food scene with NamNam being a common choice. But there is so much more to Viet cuisine than just beef pho.

Recently, the Vietnamese food trend has picked up with many new passionate individuals opening eateries that bring the very best of the country’s cuisine to Singapore. From authentic street-style charcoal barbecue, seafood and of course, our beloved pho prepared several other ways other than in a beef broth, the options that we have here are pretty substantial.

Whether it’s a proper, comforting bowl of pho you crave or something with a little more attitude, here are the best Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore worth visiting.

Photo Credit: Fat Saigon Boy

FAT SAIGON BOY

Skewering away from the traditional and the authentic is Fat Saigon Boy, a restaurant in Telok Ayer that fuses together the sheer rustic nature of Aussie cuisine to good old Vietnamese street food, delighting guests with a myriad of quirky creations that are anything but mundane.

From hefty mains to small plates, the options are pretty extensive. Here, anything goes, meaning you can settle for a hearty bowl of pho or go to the extreme with their Viet Veg Frittata or Soft Shell Crab Sliders—your choice.

51 Telok Ayer Street #01-02,
Singapore 048441
Tel: +65 6221 6784
(Closed on Saturdays & Sundays)
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 9pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

Photo Credit: Lang Nuong Vietnam

LÀNG NUÖNG VIETNAM

Every culture has their own version of barbecue and frankly we love them all, but perhaps one of the more underrated ones is Vietnamese barbecue. Bringing traditional Vietnamese barbecue and the first of its kind to Singapore is Làng Nuöng Vietnam.

Serving up authentic Vietnamese street-style charcoal barbecue, this humble restaurant will give you a Viet experience like no other—from its lively ambience to the Vietnamese marinades that go onto their various meat options.

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18 Foch Road
Singapore 209260
Tel: +65 9235 3548
Sun to Thu: 12pm – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Bendemeer

Photo Credit: Little Vietnam Restaurant & Cafe

LITTLE VIETNAM

Nestled within Grandlink Square, a shopping centre easily overlooked by the common eye, lies Little Vietnam.

This Vietnamese joint serves up an eclectic array of Vietnamese home cooking so you can expect the likes of traditional Vietnamese spring rolls, salads as well as deep-fried quail, cockles served with various sauces and not forgetting, the iconic chicken and beef pho.

511 Guillemard Road,
#01-25, Grandlink Square
Singapore 399849
Tel: +65 6547 8587
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Paya Lebar

Photo credit: Long Phung

LONG PHUNG

In Vietnam, seafood and beer make up a huge part of the nation’s culinary scene and it can be seen literally everywhere along the streets of Saigon. If you find yourself yearning for seafood and authentic Vietnamese fare at the same time, Long Phung is a good choice.

From cockles, gong gong to clams, the eatery has it all, and the best part is that most of their offerings are designed to be paired with beer—meaning that you can probably expect a fiery kick to come with each bite.

159 Joo Chiat Road,
Singapore 427436
Tel: +65 6440 6959
Daily: 12pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Eunos

Photo credit: Mrs Pho

MRS PHO

Located along a row of shophouses along Beach Road is humble Vietnamese eatery, Mrs Pho. This is where you can expect the usual staples from spring rolls, pho and the likes but what sets them apart is their cockles.

Their cockles are tossed in a mixture of garlic, chilli and lard (yes, lard) and stir-fried to yummy perfection. Spicy, garlicky and everything you could ever want in a shellfish dish, this alone is worth making a trip down for.

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn miles for every dollar spent at this restaurant. Download and try Mileslife out now! You can use our code ‘Ladyironchef‘ upon your first spending to get 1,000 miles.

349 Beach Road
Singapore 199570
Tel: +65 6292 0018
Sun to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Nicoll Highway

Photo Credit: Cô Hai Bánh Mì

CÔ HAI BÁNH MÌ

While the speciality here at Cô Hai is obviously their banh mi, we must admit that their other dishes are stellar as well. One notable one to try is the mammoth, everything-in-one, Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork, Minced Pork and Spring Roll.

The pork itself is well marinated and boasts a smoky flavour and the crispy spring roll provides a nice textural contrast to the chewy noodles and crunchy vegetables. If you’re yearning for a comforting pho, theirs is pretty spot on as well.

359 Beach Road
Singapore 199575
Tel: +65 6291 6435
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Nicoll Highway

NAMNAM NOODLE BAR

We are sure NamNam Noodle Bar needs no further introduction—the successful Vietnamese restaurant chain is almost always at the top of our minds whenever someone mentions ‘beef pho’. You can always expect their beef broth—which has been boiled for over 24 hours—to be splendid.

If you are not there for their signature Hanoi Pho, there are also other traditional Vietnamese delights such as Banh Mi, noodle recipes from Southern and Central Vietnam, and small plates.

252 North Bridge Road
#B1-46/47, Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 6336 0500
Daily: 8am – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall

Photo Credit: Nico Nguyen

PHO 99 VIETNAMESE DELIGHT

Quite possibly one of the closest you can get to dining in the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh without having to fly there, Pho 99 Vietnamese Delight promises authenticity and good-old Vietnamese comfort food like no other.

Hidden among the many shophouses nestled along the happening food enclave of Amoy Street, this humble eatery draws in a pretty massive lunch crowd, many of which patronise the place for their delicious pho. Served piping hot and brimming with deep beefy flavours, we can see why people love it.

57/58 Amoy Street,
Singapore 069883
Tel: +65 6410 9600
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Fri: 10am – 9pm
Sat: 10am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Telok Ayer

PHO STOP

Tanjong Pagar may sport a slew of bars, fancy restaurants and hipster cafes but Vietnamese food is probably not something you would think to find there—until you’ve visited Pho Stop.

This is one restaurant that does not skimp and we’re talking about everything from the size of their noodle portions, meat to the fresh herbs that they serve on the side. But generosity aside, their cooking is on a totally different level altogether. The broth of their beef pho is light yet robust in flavour and stands up well on its own despite being so clear in appearance.

6A Shenton Way #02-28,
Downtown Gallery,
Singapore 068815
Tel: +65 9695 6885
(Closed on Tuesdays & Sundays)
Mon, Wed to Fri: 11.30am – 9pm
Sat: 11.30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar / Downtown

Photo Credit: Saigon Alley

SAIGON ALLEY

If you ever wanted to get properly acquainted with real-deal Vietnamese street food, then Saigon Alley at Novena Gardens is definitely a place to visit. From their home-made salads, spring rolls to their various other dishes, they will have you falling in love with the cuisine entirely.

We highly recommend their Spicy Australian Beef Noodles as well as the Northern Vietnamese Beef Salad—both feature a generous serving of tender beef plus a unique, flavoursome kick that not many other commercial Vietnamese dishes possess.

273 Thomson Road, #01-05/06,
Novena Gardens
Singapore 307645
Tel: +65 6265 7662
Daily: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Novena

BÁNH MÌ 888

NamNam Noodle Bar, a relatively new dining concept by the Les Amis Group, features iconic street favourites of Vietnam. It is not uncommon to see long queues at its two branches at Raffles City and Wheelock during meal times.

The idea of the noodle bar is simple, but very clever. I have always lamented that Singapore lacks good Vietnamese eateries, and NamNam managed to fill a gap in the market at the right time.

NamNam Noodle Bar’s pho is delicious – in fact, it is easily the best I have had in Singapore. For me, a good pho is nothing more complicated than a hearty serving of freshly boiled rice noodles with generous slices of beef, all submerged in a bowl of rich and warm broth. The Banh Mi is equally good. The French inspired baguettes are chock-ful of ingredients, and very satisfying.

Vietnamese street food such as pho and banh mi are meant to be cheap, and I am glad that NamNam Noodle Bar has kept the prices very competitive – a bowl of pho is less than S$10, while the Banh Mi is only S$5.90.

In a word: It is a chic quick dining concept.

NamNam Noodle Bar
252 North Bridge Road, #B1-46/47
Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel: +65 6336 0500
Nearest Station: Raffles City

501 Orchard Road #B2-02
Wheelock Place
Tel: +65 6735 1488
Nearest Station: Orchard

There was a big hoo-ha at the dining table when I mentioned that it was my first time having the famous Vietnamese Pho. My one and only experience with Vietnamese food was during last Christmas Eve; where I had an impromptu party with dweam and monoxious at NUOC Vietnamese Restaurant Orchard Central.

When they asked me which Liang Seah Street Restaurant to go for dinner, I suggested Madam Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant as I wanted to try the Pho.

A platter of Spring rolls ($17.90), which is a popular Vietnamese dish, appeared on the table. Luckily, they didn’t disappoint: the semi translucent raw spring rolls went well with the sauce; as for the deep fried ones, we agreed that deep-fried food always taste good.

The Vietnamese Fried Calamari ($9.50) was very different from the ones that I had before. For one, it wasn’t round and they were broke down into strips, bearing a close resemblance to fries. It was a very addictive snack/appetizer, and we enjoyed it with the light dipping sauce.

Coming back to the Vietnamese Pho ($8.90), I thought that Madam Saigon’s rendition was not too bad. But Arissa who tasted Pho in Melbourne thought otherwise. Valerie definitely didn’t think much of it too, for she had savored the best Vietnamese Pho while she was in Vietnam before; cannot get any more authentic. It was hard to pin-point what was missing, but it was just different from the one they had before. Perhaps, it’s a case of the grass being greener on the other side. But since there aren’t that many Vietnamese restaurants in Singapore, we just have to make do with what we have. If not, get a ticket and fly to Vietnam this weekend for a delicious bowl of Pho.

We tossed lots of raw beansprouts, mint and squeezed wedges of lime into the Pho. There was silence for a a few jiffies, and this life-changing moment of my first banter with Vietnamese Pho has set its page on my history.

* * *

Instead of having Western or Japanese food all the time, why don’t you try Vietnamese food at Madam Saigon Restaurant Liang Seah Street for dinner?

Restaurant Review
Madam Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant
30 Liang Seah Street Singapore
Tel: +65 6333 9798