Snaking queues and a 30-minute wait are the norm if you’re looking for an affordable one-stop lunch at NamNam Noodle Bar (two outlets have opened in the space of a month), the casual spin-off from its more upscale cousin Annam Vietnamese Cuisine at Shaw Centre. Both belong to local F&B powerhouse Les Amis Group (they’ve long been the standard bearers for French fine dining with restaurants like Au Jardin and Bistro Du Vin), but NamNam’s combination of affordable Viet favourites and ultra-accessible (though cramped – the Wheelock Place branch is tucked under the escalators going down to the MRT) locations has proved equally popular. The food’s simple but satisfying – banh mi ($3.90-$5.90), Viet-style baguette sandwiches with a variety of fillings such as tofu and five-spice pork belly, and the staple pho – chewy rice noodles that comes in either traditional chicken/beef broth, modern variations like flower crab noodle soup ($13.90) or dry sauteed lemongrass pork ($7.90). The lunch deal’s even better: $9.90 (with no service charge) gets you a sizable bowl of chicken/beef pho, two spring rolls and a cup of authentic Viet iced coffee. We can’t complain about that.
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