Steamy Comfort & More from Pho Hoa, Tropicana City Mall

One particular Saturday, I had wanted to push myself a little beyond my usual repertoire of hungover hibernation so I lined up appointments back to back, only to find myself constantly out of breath and running late from one place to another. I arrived late at Pho Hoa, second stop of the evening, for a review, courtesy of invitation from Sidney from Big Boys Oven.

I had actually been to the Pho Hoa outlet at the Curve about a year ago and walked out sorely disappointed by the meal then. Everything I had expected from a Vietnamnese bowl of noodles - the steamy, fragrant broth, interspersed with the delicate assortment of fresh herbs, bestowing the comfort of old, seasoned kitchens - did not materialise. In fact, the meal consisted of two dreary bowls of limp rice noodles swimming in LUKEWARM flavourless broth. Needless to say, when the invitation came to visit its new outlet at Tropicana City Mall, I was curious to see if this was going to be a repeat of that insipid experience.

We were served a selection of their three appetizers (sold separately) consisting of deep fried Vietnamnese spring roll, lemongrass chicken and fish cake. Even though the spring roll appeared the most pedestrian, I found the flavours interesting because it wasn't your standard radish filling. Found out later from the manager Dennis that the filling was a mix of minced chicken, yam and carrots. I tasted anise too, along with a host of other spices.

The standard Vietnamnese rice spring rolls, served with a sauce that was heavy on the fish sauce. This was alright but I've had better.

I requested for the Pho Ga or Chicken noodle soup, since I didn't do beef. With my last Pho Hoa experience clearly in mind, I really appreciated that this time, the rice noodles were cooked just right, still offering plenty of bite and spring. This was served with a hot chilli sauce which I learned was to be dumped into the bowl from the start, together with the raw bean sprouts and basil.

Next came individual bowls of Bun Ga Nuong, grilled chicken served with plenty of fresh vegetables, crushed peanuts and vermicelli, with a light fish sauce-based dipping sauce. I would have liked to enjoy more of this but by this time, had consumed almost three quarters of the full bowl of chicken pho that I had to leave this unfinished.

The beverages:

Vietnamnese Coffee, served in the single-cup filter. Some of the others at the table enjoyed this enough for seconds.

When asked for recommendation to quench this out-of-this-world thirst I had acquired from earlier studio session, Pho Hoa's staff pointed to the Salty Plum Soda. It worked!

Some went for Blended Avocado Juice. I can't be sure what the blend was but it sure looked a shade too yellow to be pure avocado.

Apart from the generous portions which were more than enough to keep me going for the next couple of appointments until the wee hours, I was also pleased to find that the earlier experience at the Curve's outlet was not entirely representative of Pho Hoa's potential. Also discovered a couple of other hits on its menu, beyond just noodle soup.

Pho Hoa's outlet at Tropicana City Mall is located on the first floor, on the Borders' end of the mall.

Thank you to Dennis and team for hosting and to Sidney once again for the invite!

Vietnam Kitchen, 1-U

We arrived at 1-U famished, having decided to skip brekkie and head straight to apartment-viewing in yet another half-hearted attempt to step up Operation Stop Paying Rent NOW!

Most of the F&B outlets we were eyeing were not yet open at a little past 11AM so we made do with Vietnam Kitchen in the new wing. Admittedly, we could've waited and saved ourselves the disappointment.

The Prawn & Mango roll arrived scorching, but proved to be the win order of the day. The combination of generous slices of ripe mango and fresh plump crunchy prawns wrapped in thin pastry studded with roasted sesame seeds is pretty hard to get wrong.

Both of us decided to go for individual dry vermicelli options, thinking it will stave off hunger pangs while we shopped and make way for more late-afternoon delights later.

Spring rolls & sliced chicken on vermicelli came with a light fish sauce dressing. Apart from the abundance of fresh greens within, which is always welcome, this was bloody boring.

Same deal with his Curry Chicken on vermicelli. Very ordinary chicken curry on top of the same, felt a bit like fast food that one would whip up with leftovers. Forgettable.

To be fair, I think we did ourselves and the restaurant a disfavour for not going for the more interesting offerings like the Pork trotters, seafood specials or even the French inspired Vietnamnese dishes they had on offer. The vermicelli dishes here drew a blank, and I wouldn't be in a hurry to go back for those anytime soon.

Reminiscing Huế at Du Viet, Damansara Uptown

We stumbled into Du Viet after rounding the Uptown square for a bit, uninspired by the other choices in the area on a quiet Saturday evening.

Upon entering, there was not a single table occupied. Uh-oh, we thought and exchanged meaningful piercing stares, willing the other to take remedial action. But we didn't dare retreat.

Once we got down to the business of ordering however, we decided to be charmed by our own memories of pristine white Ao-dais and wonderful meals in Vietnam some years ago. No Ao-dai'd waitresses in sight here though, so the meal would have to suffice.

We start with the prawn Summer Rolls (Nem Saigon). The rolls were bursting with fresh ingredients, and even the rice paper wrap was up to par. The sauce was a little thin though.

I'd gotten giddily excited when I saw the Royal Pancake (Banh Xeo) in the menu, having just recalled one particular sumptuous meal we'd had in Hue, after being soaked to the bone from the torrential rain at the famed Citadel. The pancake as part of that meal remains one of my fondest Vietnamnese memories. Du Viet's version, even with the absence of the pork traditionally used for this dish, passed the test just nicely, resurrecting the long-shelved promise of returning to that city.

The Vietnamnese Noodle Salad (Vegetarian) was so-so, great for filling up on fresh vegetables and the very generous use of fried beancurd! Apparently, the Vietnamnese makes vegetarianism an art form, but there's nothing arty about this.

The Vietnamnese Stir Fried Seafood Noodles was also a let-down, its gravy a sickly sweet concoction that really shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a noodle dish. They used plenty of seafood but the fish slices had definitely just been put through a major defrosting chamber!

Hard to go wrong with the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Chop with Rice. Any self-respecting Vietnamnese outlet would have this down pat at the very least, together with the phos. The chicken thigh was beautifully done, fragrant and tender.

I had some Ginger Lemon Tea. Hot and comforting, after a grizzly day out in the sun on the Klang Valley real estate trail.

Some hits and some misses... I tend to find Vietnamnese outlets put a great deal more effort into their starters than their mains so I should stick to ordering just those next time. The restaurant quietly filled with more patrons during the course of our meal but still, it was barely a quarter full when we left at about 930PM. Which begs the question, at what point does a restaurant tip over from merely surviving to struggling?