One of the things that I missed after returning from my recent trip to Hanoi was their simple yet amazing Vietnamese cuisine. It is refreshing and healthy (most of the time). Yet the use of fresh ingredients and unique combination of spices and herbs have the ability to tangle the senses of sight, smell and taste and keep you asking for more.
There are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants in the East and Huong Viet Vietnamese Restaurant on Joo Chiat Road was the one we visited tonight.
The menu offers a wide variety of dishes ideal for sharing, such as salads, prawns, crabs, squids, beef, chicken and even frogs.
W's order arrived first. Pho nam is a bowl of soup noodle with sliced beef cooked to well done. It came with chilli sauce, hoisin sauce, lime, chopped chilli and some extra Thai basil leaves. The broth was clear and sweet but I feel like the use of herbs, such as cilantro and mint, has been toned down to cater for the local taste. I would prefer the vermicelli to be a bit thinner and smooth for texture.
As one would expect from a Vietnamese coffee, the iced coffee was strong and sweet, although not as robust as the ones we had in Hanoi.
I ordered the noodle with grilled pork and fried spring roll. The pork chop was marinated and grilled to give it a crispy outside while the meat inside was still juicy and tender. The spring rolls were slightly over-fried but the filling made with minced pork, mushrooms, shrimps and chopped carrots was very tasty. The rice noodles were covered with crushed peanuts, dried garlic and dried shrimps, sliced lettuce and cucumber and served with a sauce of rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce and chilli. When mixed with the noodles and the vegetables, the combination of sweetness, acidity and heat and the contrast between the crunchy peanuts and vegetables and the smooth noodles were incredibly delicious. Although slightly too spicy for my liking, I really enjoyed the dish.
PS According to their business card they open 'til 3am. So do drop by if you have craving for some good Vietnamese food, even if it is past dinner time!
Huong Viet Vietnamese Restaurant
333 Joo Chiat Road
