Disappointing Vietnamese

I used to stop by at Orange Lantern for my lunch every now and then and we occasionally pick up a takeaway from there on the way home, but it had been a while since we’d sat down here for a bite, so we decided to give it a go.

The warning bells did start to go off when we saw how busy it is – they are always so slow in here, we did worry that food would take forever, but deciding we weren’t really in too much of a hurry, we took a seat anyway. However, we weren’t quite prepared for the ridiculously long wait that ensued, or the particularly poor service.

Over half an hour after we ordered, our Kang Kong arrived… nothing else, just some Kang Kong… we waited, and waited but still nothing else arrived. When we finally managed to get hold of someone to ask where the rest of the food was, two bowls of rice appeared. By this stage, of course, the kang kong was completely cold and there was still no other food in sight.

When we sent the kang kong back, I fear it was bunged in the microwave, as it returned a couple of minutes later, mildly warmer and looking decidedly wilted.

We had some success however as the rest of the food came along not long afterwards - Grilled Squid Stuffed with Mince Pork, which was disappointingly bland

Grilled Chicken Chop marinated with lemongrass, which thankfully was more successful – juicy and succulent and exceedingly tasty, this was more like the Orange Lantern we were used to.

Then finally, after a bit more nagging from ourselves, and a good while after the rest of the food arrived, the Starters finally put in an appearance:
Shrimp Paste on Sugarcane (again disappointingly bland)

And their Combination Platter – Fried Spring Rolls, Rice Paper Rolls, Mango Salad and Barbecue Beef cooked in Betel Leaves, none of which was particularly inspiring I’m afraid.

Well, what can I say? Disappointing food and appalling service… what a travesty, considering we thought we had a gem of a little Vietnamese restaurant on our doorstep. I can safely say I shan’t be back here for dinner in a while, although there is still the possibility of a takeaway bowl of noodles once in a while.

We did manage to enjoy one aspect of the evening however… two mugs of beer for $10…. Just as well as we managed to go through a few while we were waiting all that time for our food …

Orange Lantern, #01-98 Harbourfront Centre

Vietnamese Dinner

Ever since we went travelling in Vietnam in 2003, and I succeeded in my quest to have Spring Rolls every day of my trip (often twice a day!), I have been a huge lover of Vietnamese food. Strange then that we haven’t really eaten much of it since we moved to Asia… well… apart from the odd lunch and takeaway from the Orange Lantern… and the odd plate of Spring Rolls from the various Indochine bars…

Anyway, tonight it was all about a proper Vietnamese sit-down dinner (although strictly speaking it was South-East Asian, not just Vietnamese), and fabulous it was too. This was our first time upstairs at the Indochine on Club St. We’ve spent many an evening in the downstairs bar supping cocktails and nibbling on the aforementioned spring rolls, but never ventured up the narrow staircase to the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space with white linen tablecloths, and large Buddha heads adorning the walls, and the menu is full of mouthwatering dishes.

Believe it or not, we gave the Spring Rolls a miss this time (unheard of!), and dove straight into the main courses – Pepper Beef with Garlic and Butter – big thick chunks of tender beef sautéed in herbs, spices and butter, which were really delicious, especially when dipped in the accompanying sour-sweet dip

Tiger Prawns in Lemongrass and Chilli Sauce – this sauce was so zesty and spicy and tasty that I just couldn’t stop spooning up those juices

Stir-fried Vegetables with Basil and Chilli – even these were delicious, especially the baby corn (although when I mentioned that to Mr Greedy Glutton, he said he hadn’t had a chance to try any before they all disappeared… oops!)

I am adding this restaurant to my list of favourites… yes, that ever-growing list of restaurants… that I seem to add to every week….

Indochine Club St - http://www.indochine.com.sg/