There's no need to travel to Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi for a good bowl of pho, or your favourite banh xeo Vietnamese pancake. Singapore now has plenty of Vietnamese eateries with a range of food offerings from across Vietnam.
Take your pick from salads and spring rolls, to noodles and banh mi, as well as other main dishes and desserts.
The Straits Times' food critics share eight of their favourite Vietnamese food haunts, listed in no order of preference.
1. Tan Hsueh Yun recommends
FAT SAIGON BOY
Among the Viet Tapas (all $10++), Pig On A Stick boasts juicy, moreish pork balls, but I wish the green chilli chutney nuts assert themselves more. With the Soft Shell Crab Sliders, crisp pieces of the crab are tucked into perfectly greaseless, deep-fried mantou.
Also very good is The Signature Pork ($15++), with strips of expertly charred pork that boast crisp edges and juicy meat. The yuzu nuoc cham tastes faintly of the Japanese citrus, but the regular fish sauce dip would do just as well.
For drinks, Coco Pineapple & Mint ($3++), a mix of coconut water and pineapple juice with crushed mint, is endlessly cooling. I just wish they'd give less ice and more drink.
WHERE: Fat Saigon Boy, 51 Telok Ayer Street, 01-02, tel: 6221-6784
MRT: Telok Ayer
OPEN: 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30 to 9pm (weekdays), closed on weekends.
INFO: Go to https://www.facebook.com/FatSaigonBoy/
2. Wong Ah Yoke recommends
SAIGON ALLEY
With an almost entirely Vietnamese staff both in the kitchen and in the dining room, you will feel like you are eating in Ho Chi Minh City - except that English is much better understood here.
The beef pho broth here is rather light, more like a chicken stock - albeit a tasty one - than a beef one. It doesn't quite go with the toppings of Australian beef slices, beef brisket and beef balls in the Beef Combination Pho ($14).
The other beef dishes are good too.
Try the Northern Vietnamese Beef Salad ($12). There is a good amount of tender grilled beef tossed with salad greens, julienned carrot, crunchy raw onions and local celery in a spicy fish sauce dressing. The flavours of salty, sour and spicy are more subtle than in a Thai salad and yet distinct enough to stand out.
Both the spring rolls I have tried - Fresh Vietnamese Tiger Prawn Paper Rolls ($8) and Crab Spring Rolls ($8) - are better than anything I have eaten outside Vietnam.
These are plump with large prawns that are clearly visible through the translucent paper. The generous amount of the shellfish means you easily taste their sweetness too.
The deep-fried Crab Spring Rolls are more fragrant and packed with sweet crabmeat in rice paper that is fried to a golden brown. The best way to eat one is to pick it up with your fingers, dip it in the accompanying chilli sauce and bite off a little at a time. The filling is steaming hot inside, so proceed with caution.
The Roasted Chicken With Vietnamese Fish Sauce ($12) is another tasty dish, with the boneless pieces of chicken thigh well-marinated and cooked just right, leaving the meat smooth and juicy.
For dessert check out the Vietnamese Coffee Jelly With Ice Cream ($6). The springy jelly is infused with the aroma of the strong coffee that Vietnam is known for and goes well with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Fried Banana Stuffed With Ice Cream And Topped With Mixed Fruits ($5), is good too. It's rolled in a spring roll wrapper and deep-fried to a crisp, which makes a nice contrast to the soft banana inside. The ice cream is not stuffed, but scooped over the rolls, which remain crispy longer that way.
WHERE: Saigon Alley, 273 Thomson Road, Novena Gardens,01-06, tel: 6265-7662
MRT: Novena
OPEN: noon to 2.30pm, 6 to 11pm, daily
INFO: Go to www.hiddendoorconcepts.com/saigon-alley
3. Rebecca Lynne Tan recommends
LITTLE VIETNAM RESTAURANT AND CAFE
There is nothing particularly enticing about this dimly lit, blueish-grey building with glass panels. The eclectic mix of tenants includes food and beverage outlets, a dance studio, a karaoke bar and snooker parlour, and retail shops such as one that specialises in laminate and vinyl flooring.
One establishment that draws in the crowds is Little Vietnam Restaurant & Cafe, a charming eatery whose patrons are as colourful as the mall's tenant mix.
The deep-fried spring rolls, or cha gio, here are fantastic.
For $5, you get five fat, tasty rolls that have been fried to a crisp, each generously filled with chicken, glass noodles and vegetables.
These crusty treats are great with beer, but to drink alcohol, make sure you get a table inside - the restaurant does not serve beer outdoors.
Other appetisers include chao tom ($5), minced prawn and pork served on a sugarcane stick; and goi ngo sen ($6), a salad of lotus stems, prawns and chicken tossed in a tangy dressing and served with rice crackers, peanuts and fried shallots - all are delicious and good value for money.
There is also crispy deep-fried quail ($15), cockles in various types of sauces ($6) and a light yet hearty chicken and beef pho (from $6).
But what I highly recommend here, is the bun thit nuong ($6) or grilled pork chop on rice vermicelli with vegetables, and the bun ga nuong xa ($6), grilled lemongrass chicken on rice vermicelli. The pork is delicious and fragrant, and the chicken well-marinated and tender.
A heavy meal for two would cost about $13 to $15 a person including non-alcoholic drinks such as iced tea.
Be prepared to wait during peak dining times.
WHERE: Little Vietnam Restaurant & Cafe, 511 Guillemard Road, Grandlink Square, 01-25, tel: 6547-8587
MRT: Paya Lebar
OPEN: noon to 11.30pm (Tuesday to Sunday), closed on Monday. Last order for food at 10.30pm.
INFO: Call or go to www.facebook.com/ Littlevietnamrestaurant/
4. Tan Hsueh Yun recommends
SO PHO
When I lived in Sydney, Australia, which has many good Vietnamese restaurants, the owner of one of them told me that she and her husband drink a bowl of pho broth every day, and they almost never fall ill.
Since then, I have made it a point to have pho when I am feeling poorly.
I wake up with a scratchy throat one day and decide that I have to have pho for dinner. So I head to So Pho, which is close to the office, for a bowl of Pho Bo Dac Biet ($10.80).
It is endlessly satisfying. I remember dining at the chain's Paragon restaurant and its pho was unremarkable.
The version at this branch is hearty but not heavy, and the noodles are topped with slices of brisket and beef balls.
WHERE: So Pho Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road, 02-43/54, tel: 6258-4220. The chain also has six other outlets including Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, B1-20, tel: 6235-0414; Waterway Point, 83 Punggol Central, 01-28, tel: 6385-8378; and Parkway Parade, 80 Marine Parade Road, 03-30D, tel: 6348-9679
MRT: Novena, Orchard, Punggol and Dakota
OPEN: All outlets open from 11am to 10pm, daily.
INFO: Go to sopho.com.sg
5. Rebecca Lynne Tan recommends
MRS PHO
Expect the usual Vietnamese staples of spring rolls, both fried and fresh, as well as chicken and beef pho. It also serves Bun Thit Nuong, or rice vermicelli with pork chop and spring rolls, and Hu Tieu Bo Kho or stewed beef noodles.
Highlights here include the stir-fried cockles ($6.50), tossed in garlic, chilli and plenty of lard. The cockles are full, plump and juicy. Dip them, along with cubes of crispy lard, into fiery chilli paste for a hit of spicy pleasure.
The broth is light but still hearty and flavoursome. I like that it is not sweet, unlike some other versions. My main gripe is it could be served with more herbs - more mint, basil and coriander, please.
The Bun Thit Nuong ($7.90), on the other hand, is disappointing, mostly because it comes with a disproportionate amount of toppings: a tiny piece of pork chop, just one spring roll and not enough pickles and veggies. Then again, it could be a case of too much noodle. But flavour-wise, it is pretty decent.
Wash the dishes down with a cold glass of Saigon Salty Lemonade ($2) or a fresh coconut ($3.50).
WHERE: Mrs Pho, 349 Beach Road, opposite The Concourse
MRT: Nicoll Highway
OPEN: 11am to 10pm (Monday to Saturday), closed on Sunday, tel: 6292-0018
INFO: Go to www.mrspho.com
6. Wong Ah Yoke recommends
PHO STOP
Still, that is where I find one of my favourite versions of pho, the Vietnamese beef noodles that I love for being so flavourful and light at the same time.
But many places here are stingy with the meat and some, even with the fresh basil, lime and beansprouts that are often served separately in basketfuls in eateries in Ho Chi Minh City.
Not so at Pho Stop in Tanjong Pagar Road.
The noodles come with a decent amount of toppings, with choices such as sliced ribeye ($10.30), beef brisket ($10.30), beef balls ($10.30) or a combination of them (from $10.50). Those who do not eat beef can go for the chicken pho ($10).
The stock for the beef has good body and the accompanying plate of vegetables provides the crunch required to freshen up the dish.
There are good side dishes too, such as Deep-fried Spring Rolls ($5.10 for four) and Pho Stop's Fish Cakes ($5.60 for five).
This is certainly a place worth stopping at.
WHERE: Pho Stop, 72 Tanjong Pagar Road, tel: 6534-8178
MRT: Tanjong Pagar/Outram
OPEN: 11.30am to 9.30pm daily
INFO: Go to www.phostop.sg
7. Rebecca Lynne Tan recommends
SANDWICH SAIGON CAFE
The pork meatball ($7) sandwich is nothing short of amazing.
The petite baguette is crusty and light as air. Filled with moreish, tasty meatballs topped with julienned pickled carrot, cucumber and sprigs of coriander with a touch of mayonnaise, it is heaven in a bite. You need two to feel satisified.
There are plenty of other sandwich fillings to choose from including pork chop, fish sardine, roast beef , pork belly and ham, and garlic chicken.
The bun thit nuong or rice noodles with grilled pork and a spring roll ($10) is also very good. Essentially, the dish consists of room-temperature rice noodles, with pickled carrot, cucumber, lettuce and peanuts, served with warm grilled pork and a hot spring roll.
Dress the noodles with vinegary dipping sauce and tuck in. The dish is fresh and comforting.
I could easily eat here at least twice a week.
WHERE: Sandwich Saigon Cafe, 93 East Coast Road, opposite I12 Katong , tel: 6345-3849
MRT: Paya Lebar
OPEN: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 10pm (weekdays), 11.30am to 10pm (weekends)
INFO: Go to www.sandwichsaigon.com
8. Kenneth Goh Recommends
SAIGON FOOD STREET
Three months after a holiday to Vietnam, my craving for Vietnamese crepes or banh xeo (pronounced baan say-oh) has not subsided. Xeo refers to the sizzling sounds made when the batter touches the hot pan.
I have fond memories of tucking into the yellow crepes, filled with meat and fistfuls of crunchy vegetables on the chaotic streets of Hanoi.
At Saigon Food Street, a Vietnamese food stall in Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre, a banh xeo is priced at $5, about half of what other Vietnamese eateries here charge.
After a 10-minute wait, the banh xeo, which is made to order, arrives piping hot. It looks like a gigantic taco and the folded crepe spills over the sides of the plate. The wafer- thin pancake, which is flavoured with turmeric and coconut milk, also has a mild ginger-like aroma.
I love the contrast of textures - the crispness of the skin that envelopes the plump and soft shrimp, pork slices and crunchy beansprouts. For more oomph, dip the crepe in a mix of fish and chilli sauces and lime juice.
Besides banh xeo, another highlight is the wagyu beef pho. At $8.50, this dish is a steal. Each bowl is blanketed with more than 10 thin slices of Australian wagyu and filled to the brim with a flavourful beef stock.
The stock is simmered with beef bones and a "secret" blend of Vietnamese herbs and spices for more than five hours. Coriander and spring onions add a gentle, herbaceous perfume.
WHERE: 01-17 Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre, 259 Bukit Panjang Ring Road
MRT: Bukit Panjang
OPEN: 8am to 9.30pm daily
