Annam Vietnamese Restaurant @ Shaw Center

Ever since the visit to Vietnam, I have been laying off Vietnamese food. Partly for the simple reason that I already did not fancy the localized interpretations much less the authentic ones so when Annam came along, I nearly waved off the visit. Then again, with Wong Ah Yoke and being part of Les Amis also did add some shimmer to the feather cap. Located along the sidewalk of Shaw Center, this joins the rest of the Les Amis stars - La Strada, Annam and Bistro Du Vin side-by-side.



The decor of the place was pretty casual and reminded me of a kopitiam with the tiles and fixtures. At best, an upmarket Peranakan restaurant.



Loving these matt cutlery!


Dishes were presented as part for a customized menu -



Selection of Appetizers

Southern Roll
Goi Cuon
Stuffed with vermicilli, this was rather plain tasting.

Sri Lankan Crab Roll, Minced PorkCha Gio

Crabmeat was barely discernible for this.

Prawn Sugar Cane
Tom Bao Mia



We were taught to hold up the cane and use the chopsticks to scrape the meat before dipping into the sauce and wrapping it with a lettuce leaf. Found the meat a tad loose though tasty.
I thought the appetizer was alright overall.



Salad of Pomelo, Sri Lankan Crab, Water Chestnuts
Goi Buoi Cua

Fruit salad mainly with a generous scattering of shredded crab.



Refreshing salad which went really well with the basket of plain tasting crackers.



Live Venus Clams, Star Fruit, Silky Bean, Curd, Dill Soup
Sup Ngheu Thi La

A prettyfully assembled bowl of soup. Starfish was quite the star, literally though it was more ornamental. Clear tasting broth with fresh venus clams to match - one of the few clear soups I relish.



Sizzling Pancake, Prawns, Pork, Bean Sprouts
Banh Xeo

I failed to track down the Banh Xeo shop in HCM and did not have a go at it. Simply egg omelette with crispy edges and an unmistakenable greasy finish. The accompanying sweet peanut sauce was baffling. The least favourite of the meal.



Beef Noodle Soup

Pho Bo

Each bowl was served steaming hot and medium rare beef slices topping the dish. Tripe and tendon were part of the vietnamese deal but I slurped it up so readily and effortlessly, I may have fallen in love with Pho without knowing. Richly flavoured broth meets chewy ribbons of noodle...for an ala carte of $28, it is premium beef noodle.


Guess what!



Palette cleanser of longan soaked in lime juice and lime pearls. Albeit small in portion, this was really good.  Popping them lime pearls were addictive.


Yam icecream was made for yam lover's like myself. Luciously thick and rich in flavour, grated yam would have nailed it completely.



Warm Manioc and Tapioca Pearls, Sweet Potato, Coconut
Che Ba Ba
Tasted like a really gao version of bubor chacha complete with chewy tapioca pearls, sweet potato and jelly bits. Liked it!

Skipped tea or coffee, felt it would have rendered me a sleepless night.

Lots of details paid to pairing which sauce with what dish, the waiters were kind enough to advise on the proper way to consume it. Annam is tweaked for the local palette, another mused and agreed. I actually enjoyed a Vietnamese meal without scoffing at the raw vegetables or finding the dishes too sweet. A price to pay for Singaporean-Vietnamese food. Service is too prompt though, the moment your chopsticks are laid down, it is cleared almost immediately.

Annam
Shaw Center