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june 20 – JULY 3, 2014
FOOD & TRAVEL
TheEpochTimes
NamNam Noodle Bar:
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Tasty Vietnamese Street Food, the Fast and Casual Way
Cream Cheese Banh Mi (S$6.90), Sardines in Tomato Sauce Banh Mi (S$5.90), Dry Sauteed Lemongrass Pork Noodle (S$9.90), Seafood Noodle Soup (S$9.90) and Pho Pork Balls (S$8.90). For vegetarians, NamNam offers Banh Mi stuffed with lemongrass tofu, egg omelette and fresh herbs (S$5.90) and other dishes as well. Amongst the desserts, the crispy fresh banana with sesame seeds and smoked coconut sauce (warm) (S$3.90) garners the highest reviews from Vietnamese diners who patronise
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pillar with old Vietnamese newspaper prints, and the iconic red lanDry Spicy Minced Meat Pork terns are reminiscent of Vietnam Balls Noodles. with an urban feel. The seating arrangement in NamNam is geared towards cre- selection of popular Vietating the cosiest setting: small namese street food, with a tables for groups of four, high strong emphasis on qualtables for groups of five or six, ity. Chef Nam meticuor single tables for the lone diner lously curates his menu who is visiting the eatery for a to offer street food from quick bite. all regions of Vietnam, to fred fan The menu cater to his various diners’ /epo ch t imes offers a tastes. NamNam believes that ‘Good food should be enjoyed by everyone’, and seeks to make Vietnamese street food accessible— and affordable. The chain does not use monosodium glutamate (MSG) or preservatives in its cooking, allaying the concerns of diners who get particularly thirsty or bloated with MSG consumption. New items on the menu include Sauteed Lemongrass Pork and
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Fresh southern rolls with prawn, fresh herbs, and peanut sauce.
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Dry sauteed lemongrass pork noodle.
By Li Yen Epoch Times Staff ood is one of the most enjoyable ways to experience a culture, and if you want to get a glimpse into Vietnamese street food culture, NamNam Noodle Bar is the ultimate choice. Well-loved by Singaporeans as well as Vietnamese, NamNam Noodle Bar is a fast-paced, casual bistro that’s easy on the wallet. Brought to Singapore by the Les Amis Group in 2012, NamNam Noodle Bar aims to bring Vietnamese street food to the world stage. The man at the helm of NamNam is Chef Nam Quoc Nguyen who hails from Vietnam, but grew up and lived in Denmark for most of his life. NamNam is the Danish word for ‘yummy’, and also takes after the name of Chef Nam. NamNam Noodle Bar currently has four outlets islandwide, with two more outlets to be added to the list later this year. We visited the newly-opened NamNam outlet at Plaza Singapura, which is an open concept eatery lined with wooden tables and stools. The green coloured tiles, giant
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NamNam. But if you prefer a sweet and cooling dessert, the Chilled 3-colour dessert (S$3.90) fits the bill. This toothsome dessert gets its colours from the mixture of jelly, red beans and coconut milk, resembling a Vietnamese version of the local dessert—Chendol! We also loved the dry sauteed lemongrass pork noodles (S$9.90) that we ordered. A popular dish in Vietnam as well as in NamNam, it came in a big bowl of chewy rice vermicelli topped with crispy spring roll, shrimp paste, bean sprouts, and peanuts in a perfect harmony of savoury goodness. Continued on the next page