Saigon Kitchen - A Taste of Vietnam in Thomson Plaza

You will not expect much from mall food these days, especially when there are so many franchises populating the shopping centres around Singapore.

It came as a pleasant surprise when I saw a fellow blogger posted this small Vietnamese cafe on her Instagram, and I decided to pay Saigon Kitchen a visit.

Situated next to Hans, it is occupying the wide open spaces next to the more fine dining establishments on the ground floor of Thomson Plaza.

From the outset, it looks pretty ordinary and you would think it is just another cafe cashing in on the shopping crowd.

Looking at the menu, it is also quite straightforward. Consisting of mainly pho and salad dishes, it may not look that impressive when you compare it to some of the more hyped up Vietnamese places that have surfaced in the last few months.

Well, looks can often be deceiving ...

Beef Pho

The beef pho was served in a very large bowl, adorned with a generous amount of thinly cut beef slices. The beef was cooked to a beautiful medium pink texture, and the broth was flavorful and hearty,

The rice noodles were more than adequate and and they managed to soak in the juices from the soup really well. Garnished with just bean sprouts and spring onions, this was one of the better beef pho I have had outside of Vietnam.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

The spring rolls looked larger than usual as well, and looked a bit more rough on the outside. The stuffing was plentiful and packed with a range of typical Vietnamese styled vegetables and rice vermicelli.

The dip was a simple sweet and spicy sauce that packed a bit more heat than what I would have liked, but when used in conjunction with the spring rolls, it did take me back to Hanoi for a second. Not the best Viet spring roll you can find here, but it was still quite decent and value for money.

Noodles Salad with Grilled Chicken

Our last dish was this colorful noodles salad that came with some grilled chicken slices and a fried spring roll that was cut into bite sized pieces. As with most Vietnamese salads, the vegetables were served raw and crunchy and the same sweet and spicy sauce was essential to bringing some flavor to the dish.

The grilled chicken was alright, simply seasoned and added a touch of protein to the salad. What I liked was the fried spring rolls, which was actually quite tasty and very well seasoned and had a burst of flavors when you bite into them.

All in all, it is a simple Viet cafe that is easy on the wallet and has very generous servings. It makes for a nice alternative to some of the more hip Vietnamese cafes that have sprouted our recently as it looks pretty modest and down to earth.

This simple cafe is almost hidden away from plain sight and despite its simplicity, it provides a more than decent meal for those who yearn for something Vietnamese in this area.

Saigon Kitchen
Thomson Plaza
301 Upper Thomson Road
#01-117A next to Han's