There is no way to do justice to a perfect meal, except to go down and immerse your tastebuds in all the heavenly flavours. I love Mrs Pho for one simple reason: they make darn good food, every single time. A satisfying and delicious meal is hard to come by, what's more rare is consistency. I go back once every few weeks, and I admit I am addicted. Then better news came along: Mrs Pho opened a second branch, Mrs Pho House, at Rangoon Road with a less pho-centric, more seafood-based menu, showcasing some of the other brilliant Vietnamese dishes. I couldn't be happier.
I knew Mrs Pho House will be awesome in its delivery, but what caught me by surprise are the little interior architectural surprises. The window display is the 'noodle' house inspired from their logo, and the wooden pieces are made of a continuous 'strand' of noodle! What's more, it is seen as green from one side and unpainted on the other. You just have to see it for yourself. Archi majors, you know where to fill your stomach and get a kick out of the place too! The owner has background in interior design, and that's why you will enjoy such delightful creations.
We also understood a bit more about the history of Mrs Pho, the protagonist of the restaurant through this freehand graffiti spray that welcomes you immediately when you enter Mrs Pho. Before Mrs Pho became the wok-and-pan-wielding auntie who is superb at cooking, she represents the women involved in the Vietnam War who had to keep a gun by her side for defense.
For the dishes, we went straight for the dishes that are highly recommended by the boss of Mrs Pho, so you can spare some brain cells over what to order, and simply relax and enjoy the food!
Carina & Amie in the house, yo
Mrs Pho House.
Mrs Pho House.
To begin, we had some of their specialty drinks, the Homemade Saigon Salty Lemonade (SGD4.50) which is made with their in-house salt marinated lemons. Initially I was skeptical of it, I was used to sweet lemonade! However, I actually took to this icy sour and salty concotion quickly and found myself drinking it with great enjoyment. I say go ahead and try this, hopefully you find it as awesome as I did.
For starters, we had some Banh Xeo (SGD12.90), a savoury and fluffy pancake stuffed with pork, bean sprouts and shrimp prawns. It was really yummy to start off, and I would also dip it in the chili garlic sauce for the maximum satisfaction.
We also had a brimming pot full of Mrs Pho cockles (SGD10.90), deliciously steamed with garlic and chilli. Prying them open reveals full and juicy cockle meat inside, savoury and fresh with the taste of the sea. They can get addictive once you get into the rhythm of popping them open.
Then, obviously the highlight of the restaurant, and the dish I come back repeatedly for... the Special Beef Combination Pho (SGD9.90)!!! Every time I have this, it simply warms my heart sooo much. Silky smooth pho noodles, with the soup properly rich with its sweet meaty goodness, clear and so aromatic. I will never have enough of this in my life. The meatballs are also super springy, though they are rather strong in its beefy taste - to me it is a fantastic taste, but may not be for some.. in any case, you can always opt for the new and equally delicious counterpart:
The Lucky Meat Balls (SGD6.50)! These meatballs are named Lucky, after the boss's mum whose nickname is Lucky. Each of these is a delicious pop in the mouth, slightly expensive but once you try this, you'll not go back, and you'll forever be thinking of these balls!!
Next, I got proven wrong with the "No Star Where Salat" Starfruit Salad (SGD7.90) once again. It certainly didn't look or sound appealing, but the boss was highly recommending this, so we decided to try. "WOW" was the first thought that came to my mind, it actually worked. This combination, strange as it is, starfruit and pork meat, is amazing. This salad is refreshing and sweet to take off the heaviness of pork meat, and actually felt like one of the best salads I have had in a long long while. Apparently, the culinary team was also sold by this salad that they decided to push it out onto this menu.
Side note on the fruit & meat combination: There was a moment in my life that I thought that rock melon wrapped with raw parma ham would be disgusting, but then I was amazed that I ended up loving it.
Verdict: YES YES YES!
What else did you think I would say about Mrs Pho, come on.
I am obviously going to be biased towards good food, right?
An awesome night guaranteed here, every single time. Their Beach Road one seemed much milder in comparison, but no one is to say I wouldn't go back there for their good ol' pho if I were in the region.
Mrs Pho House
221 Rangoon road
Singapore 218459
I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!