So Pho - Delivery

Let me just start by saying that I'm gonna try and use as many 'Pho' jokes as I can in this post. That's right. They're gonna be super corny but I told myself I'm gonna try and challenge myself in 2015.
And I have to say that it's been So Pho So Good <<< That's Pho Joke #1

Anyways we're trying something a little different this time. This actually happened one rainy day in the last week of 2014 (which was just last week lah no need to count so far). It was too rainy to step out for lunch so a few of us in the office decided to order in. I suggested we use Foodpanda.com (which we featured before) and see what we could come up with.

Because of the rain, quite a few places would not deliver because of the bad weather but after much hubbub and fuss, we finally managed to order from So Pho. That's right - we were gonna have Pho Pho lunch <<< That's Pho Joke #2

Yeah a few of our readers and even our friends had mentioned So Pho before which actually has an actual restaurant at Nex in Serangoon so I though since can't visit there yet might as well try out the food via delivery and then can compare with when we actually visit there.

Prawn Cakes with Sugar Cane ($7.50)

ALWAYS wanted to try this when I see it at other restaurants but always end up having something else instead. Finally!!

Well, for all my excitement, it ended up being quite a disappointment. The prawn cake was actually pretty hard. It was even tougher than fishballs or fishcake which is kinda weird now that I think about it... And it was kinda bland so thank goodness for the sweet chilli sauce there.

And in case you were wondering where's the sugarcane in all this, it's what they use as the skewer.
See it there? I'm not sure if that's supposed to make any difference to the taste of the dish? Anyways it's quite a medium size so you'll get about 3 pieces instead of Pho <<< That's Pho Joke #3

Grilled Beef with Mango Salad ($11.90)

This was actually a very tasty and refreshing salad to have. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was not that bad to be honest.

I was expecting those young green mango type of salad you know but this was actually those yellow mangoes in the salad. Mixed that in with some tender slices of beef, red onions and a (very) few strips of lettuce. The dressing was a sesame and peanut kind of dressing. Had a bit of a sour tang to it which really gets your tastebuds going.

But as tasty as this salad was, it's definitely a bit too pricey. It costs more than the main dish! That is Pho-nomenally <<< That's Pho Joke #4 high for something that takes up only about a quarter of the plastic bowl am I right or am I right?

I ordered a noodle dish for my main and it came with a broth. Just wanted to show you all that they will pack everything separately for the delivery. Noodles in one pack, extras like taugeh in one pack and the broth in a plastic bowl which is pretty well-sealed.

So what you can do it combine everything in the bowl and then stick it in the microwave for a bit if you want it to be steaming hot.

Vietnamese "Pho", Sliced Beef, Brisket and Beef Balls Noodle Soup ($10.80)

Yep that's pretty much everything all combined. Looks not bad right??

So I ordered the triple threat combo of Sliced Beef, Beef Brisket and Beef Balls. I know it sounds like a lot but not really lah if you love beef. Plus I'm the meat guy remember?

Sliced Beef

Beef Brisket

Beef Balls

Yep that's the whole gang there. The Beef Balls has a nice bite to them and quite tasty actually especially when you slurp then down with the beef broth.

What's the difference between the Sliced Beef and the Beef Brisket actually you might be asking?
Well, the beef brisket is one of the most favourite cuts of the cow but it has a lot of connective tissue (I think they call it 'urat' right??) so must be cooked properly so it's super tender. This one was not bad I guess but hmmmmm we've had better.

And to be honest I was super disappointed with the beef broth. It was not as tasty or 'beefy' as I was expecting. And I was expecting a lot from a place which supposedly specializes in Pho because the broth is a super important part Pho sure <<< That's Pho Joke #5

Just thought I'd give you guys a look at the noodles while I'm at it so please check out the Pho-tograph <<< That's Pho Joke #6 above to see the Pho.

Adam's Verdict:
Prawn Cakes with Sugar Cane 2/5 -- Grilled Beef with Mango Salad 3/5
Vietnamese "Pho", Sliced Beef, Brisket and Beef Balls Noodle Soup 3/5

I really think that the food will definitely be better when eaten at the restaurant instead of delivery  most probably because it will be fresh and steaming hot. I guess a certain element is lost when you have such Pho-od <<< That's Pho Joke #7 delivered.

Well anyways they have so many items to try on the menu so we're still looking forward to dropping by one of their 3 restaurants (Nex, Paragon or Jem) soon. In fact, I might even order the exact same things for myself to compare how it is.

So Pho

Food in this review was delivered but you can check out their restaurant at

NEX
23 Serangoon Central 
#B1-15

www.katrinahldgs.com/restaurant/Sopho
Tel: 6636 8195

Operating Hours:
11:00am - 10:00pm

Nur Jannah - Beef Noodles

So here I am out running errands for lunch and I decided to have a quick bite before I head back to the office because I was super-duper hungry.

My first choice of makan place was a bust because they weren't ready to start business for the day yet (weirdly) and I had actually decided to just skip lunch and head back on an empty stomach after all. But through some stroke of luck, I passed by Nur Jannah and they had something that tickled my fancy after all.

Vietnamese Beef Noodles ($7.50)

I'll be honest and say that I've never really had Vietnamese Beef Noodles aka Pho before. But I've always wanted to and here was my chance at last!

I actually went all out and ordered something that was technically not part of the menu. Instead of just the Beef Noodles or the Beef Ball Noodles, I ordered the Beef Noodles plus Beef Balls which explains the rather hefty price of the dish. If not, it's between $5-$6.

Double Trouble

 

As you all probably know, I'm 'The Meat Guy' so the more beef the merrier!
The glass noodles were also not bad in the sense that they were not too heavy but it was quite a large serving so you end up filling up nonetheless.

The beef slices were tender and had a nice bite and beefy flavour. The Beef Balls were also great and you could taste the beef and not just the fillers. A really hearty serving.

I think the biggest disappointment of this dish was the stock. No doubt it had a beefy flavour but I guess I was expecting a much richer flavour. Not bad but could be better. I'm not sure if this was normally how the stock should taste like? Since this was my first actual experience with Pho so I'm also not sure but I know that I've had beef stock with a much heartier beef flavour.

Adam's Verdict:
Vietnamese Beef Noodles 2.5/5

In the end, I ended up paying the price of the dish just for the beef slices and the beef balls.
Maybe I'll try Pho somewhere else so I can compare.

Noor Jannah's Kitchen

2 Jalan Masjid
Tel: 6848 4654

Operating Hours: 11.00am til 12 midnight
(Other stall within may operate different timings)