Had noticed Nhung Kitchen (to be pronounced as “Yong Kitchen”) after passing by Balestier Road quite some time back — got a little busy and never really had the chance to make my way down to try out their Banh Mi. Found ourselves dropping by after an attempt to visit somewhere nearby that didn’t open. Basically a fairly simple setup, Nhung Kitchen’s interior can be said to be pretty basic where function is priority over form. Apart from bar seats that faces the window, the other dine-in seating comprises of dining tables and chairs that work best between diners of two to four pax. Space isn’t aplenty here, though the tables are placed comfortably away from one another, an area in the dining space is also used for storage. The menu at Nhung Kitchen can be said to be fairly simple — with Banh Mi making up most of its offerings, there are six variations of Banh Mi to choose from; for those who prefer having other forms of Vietnamese cuisine, Nhung Kitchen also serves up rice vermicelli dishes and rice dishes as well. Beverages available here includes Vietnamese coffee, as well as a homemade iced lemon tea amongst others.
Came here for the Banh Mi but found the Bun Thit Nuong to be the favourite dish. Of particular note about the Bun Thit Nuong here is probably the portion size — the portion of meat that is served here is especially generous as opposed to most other Vietnamese establishments we had visited. Beneath that BBQ Pork is the rice vermicelli and the usual mix of vegetables which includes carrots and cucumbers — it also comes with a saucer filled with spicy fish sauce that typically comes with Vietnamese rice vermicelli dishes. The rice vermicelli here is slurpy; giving everything a good toss before picking them up and dipping them into the spicy fish sauce, we really liked how the savoury notes of the fish sauce flavours up the entire dish whilst still tasting pretty clean — the various textures of the greens included provides a refreshing crunch and the chopped peanuts gave a good bite as well. The BBQ Pork is also pretty well-executed; it’s savoury and fairly flavourful, but what really enjoyed about it was how it pretty tender and easy to chew.
Given how Nhung Kitchen is pretty much somewhat of a mom-and-pop sort of shop, the food here seems to be more of the homely and hearty sort; all that with generous portions that makes them a really value-for-money option. For those looking for some authentic Vietnamese fare that doesn’t burn the pocket, Nhung Kitchen is a spot that is worth considering going for.
