Sticking to restaurant-style quality

Because Ms Chua and her husband also run a seafood business, diners can be sure that the seafood used here is the pick of the crop. And, come next week, the stall will begin offering two brands of Vietnamese beer - Saigon and 333 - to complement its dishes.

The recipes of Vietnam Kitchen's executive chef Ton Ngoc Hip - who was head chef at Hotel Equatorial in Ho Chi Minh City for 15 years - remain unchanged at Suntec.

The pho ($8.90) came with a generous heap of thinly-sliced tenderloin atop flat rice noodles steeped in a piping hot, savoury broth.

The braised pork with egg in coconut juice ($8.50), was also good. A traditional New Year dish in Vietnam, this comprised pork belly laced with a thin ream of fat that had been cooked in soya sauce and the juice of a young coconut until fork-tender.

But the Vietnamese lemongrass chicken chop ($6.90) had been seasoned with a rather heavy hand and was too salty.

At prices like these, however, one can't complain. Says Ms Chua: 'Some customers have even left our staff tips. I guess they're happy with what we offer - after all, we don't see this as a food stall but more as a mini restaurant.'


Caramel Pork Ribs

Vietnam Kitchen
Food Republic @ Suntec, 1 Raffles Boulevard, Suntec City.
Tel: 6820-8108

This article was first published in The Business Times on August 16, 2008