So Pho – Tampines Outlet
One aspect of food experimentation is trying new cuisines. It was nice to see So Pho open a new outlet at Tampines. It opened a while back and I’d been wanting to try it out since I saw a decent number of vegetarian options on their menu. This chain serves Vietnamese cuisine in a casual and contemporary setting. They have the standard Ikea decor but they have personalized it with quotes on the wall with interesting twists on the word ‘Pho’. This is run by Katrina Holdings who also run ‘Bali Thai’ and some other restaurants. This restaurant is Halal-certified.
The Orders
To begin with, we ordered the ‘Banh Mi Chay’ which is the vegetarian traditional Vietnamese baguette. The baguette is crisp and filled with fresh vegetables. When you bite into it, you will enjoy the overall crunch of the baguette with the lettuce. Even though it looks small, it is quite filling.
Vietnamese cuisine is known for its noodle preparations. Knowing that, we ordered the ‘Bun Dau’ which was a vermicelli-style noodle drizzled with a lively sauce. The vermicelli was made of rice and contained sauteed tofu along with some vegetables. This dish was not as great as we had expected. The noodles were quite greasy and as the heat reduced, became difficult to eat.
I wanted to have rice for the mains and ordered the ‘Com Chen Chay’ which was the Vegetarian Fried Rice. The dish was good to look at when it was served and it ended up being good in taste too. It is served on a lotus leaf in a traditional Vietnamese manner. It has loads of vegetables like carrots, bell pepper, tofu and greens. I enjoyed this dish.
To beat the Singapore heat, we chose ‘Lemongrass Iced Tea’. It was light and refreshing and not sweet in taste.
It was our lucky day as the ‘Xoi Che Vdi Xoai’ was available in the desserts. This is the famous Mango with Glutinous Rice drizzled with Gula Melaka and sesame seeds. This dessert was extremely good and I am sure that it being the mango season also really helped in nailing this sweet treat.
For their quick service, decent dishes, affordable prices and for a different cuisine experience, So Pho is surely worth trying out. They also have other outlets at Paragon, NEX and JEM.
| In a Nutshell | Deelightful Rating |
| Cuisine Type: Vietnamese | ★★★ |
| Nearest MRT: Tampines | |
| Address: 4 Tampines Central 5, #04-30, Singapore 529510 | |
| Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 am – 10 pm | |
| Website: http://www.katrinahldgs.com/restaurant/Sopho |