Soul-comforting pho & fried spring rolls by husband & spouse duo in Toa Payoh

Ever since I began writing for SethLui.com, it’s continually amazed me how a lot good meals there may be within the heartlands. Gone are the times when HDB block espresso outlets would solely promote the standard hen rice, caifan and bak chor mee stalls. Case in level: 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine, a brand new Vietnamese espresso store stall in Toa Payoh that dishes out genuine and yummy bowls of pho.

Newly opened in Nov 2022, 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine is run by a husband-and-wife duo. The humble espresso store stall is a brief 5-minute stroll from Braddell MRT, and may be discovered at Block 125 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.

Though the house owners aren’t Vietnamese, they’re obsessed with their delicacies and hoped to supply genuine variations of pho, banh mi and different conventional Vietnamese fare right here in Singapore. Most of their sauces are imported immediately from Vietnam!

What I attempted at 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine

As it was a wet day, I made a decision to go together with the Beef Pho (S$7.50). The broth was cloudy and got here with loads of aromatics, akin to Thai basil and onions, and was topped with hoisin sauce.

Interestingly, once I went to gather my meals, the proprietor had requested if I wished my chilli sauce poured immediately on prime of the pho. I don’t recall any pho I’ve had coming with sriracha-looking chilli sauce (although I do know most Thai people find it irresistible and embody it in every little thing), so I requested for it to be positioned on the facet.

The broth was fantastically savoury and full-bodied from having been boiled with beef shank and shin for no less than 8 hours. I might style fish sauce and a perfume from the aromatics added, akin to star anise and cloves. Yet, I liked that the broth wasn’t overly salty or wealthy— actually, it retained a clear and lightweight texture that made the soup extremely drinkable.

This hit the spot on a wet day. While I had wished it was richer on the get-go, the broth slowly grew on me the extra I sipped on it. However, when you’re one for heavier tastes, I observed a bottle of fish sauce positioned at 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine’s storefront, so you may go forward and add that to your Beef Pho.

While I had excessive hopes for the meat slices, it fell quick due to how uneven it had been sliced. Some items have been thicker than others, leading to overly robust beef slices that required loads of jaw work. 

This is definitely not your wagyu nor shabu shabu beef, however for S$7.50, I need to say that you simply’re getting what you paid for. For what it’s value, there have been loads of beef slices, so that you undoubtedly aren’t shortchanged by way of amount.

One factor I liked about 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine’s Beef Pho was how there was number of elements added to jazz it up. 

While the noodles have been your typical flat rice noodles (just like kway teow), there have been loads of aromatics added, akin to Thai basil, half a stalk of spring onion, translucent strips of onions and beansprouts so as to add that well-needed crunch issue all through the meal.

On its personal, the sriracha was extremely garlicky, and instantly jogged my memory of McDonald’s garlic chilli sauce— simply rather more punchy and spicier. Deciding to be adventurous, I added dollop of sriracha chilli to my soup and blended it in.

Strangely, any hints of garlic dissipated and melted into the soup. Instead, all I might style was stronger notes of savoury goodness, as if somebody had doubled the quantity of inventory that had gone into the soup. The soup turned spicier too, however in a delightfully wealthy approach.

Apart from pho, 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine additionally sells different genuine Vietnamese choices, akin to Vietnam Fry Spring Roll (Chả giò) (S$6.50 for 3 items).

This was freshly deep fried upon order, and was served to my desk piping sizzling. Thumbs up for effort!

This simply spoiled all spring rolls on the market for me. 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine’s Vietnam Fry Spring Roll was gloriously scrumptious and completely deep fried. The exterior was fabricated from rice paper and it created an totally ASMR-worthy crunch the minute I bit into it. Yet, as a result of it was fabricated from rice paper, the golden outer layer was delicately mild with out being too oily.

Stuffed on the within have been pork, prawns, yam, black fungus and carrots. It jogged my memory of yam rings from zi char stalls, however now in addictive bite-sized items that made for a extremely satisfying expertise.

Be certain to pair the Vietnam Fry Spring Roll with 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine’s housemade chilli sauce! Tangy and barely candy, I liked how the chilli sauce added that well-needed brilliant kick of acidity, which paired nicely with the crispness of the deep-fried spring rolls.

My solely gripe could be its value. S$6.50 for 3 spring rolls would possibly sound slightly steep (it’s the identical value as a complete Beef Banh Mi, for goodness sake!), however I reminded myself that I used to be paying for actual arduous work, as every spring roll is meticulously full of marinated meat, wrapped and deep-fried. 

Final ideas

Even although 2612 Little Vietnam Cuisine is only one month previous, I can say with certainty that it’ll be an enormous hit with residents and workplace staff within the Toa Payoh and Braddell space. 

Not solely are all its choices amazingly inexpensive (every little thing is underneath S$10), you’re getting actual worth to your cash too, with genuine bowls of pho that’ll heat your soul regardless of rain or shine. Though comparatively costly, the Vietnam Fry Spring Roll is certainly value a strive too.

This simply made me want that I used to be residing within the Toa Payoh or Braddell space so I might drop by for a bowl of piping sizzling pho every time I wished to. 

Expected harm: S$6 – S$8 per pax

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10 genuine Vietnamese pho in Singapore to consolation your soul