Saturday, August 27, 2022

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho at Keef The Beef

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, The Grandstand

Đặng Hồng (#01-12 The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road) is a Vietnamese restaurant at the back/balcony area of Keef the Beef. They're different but also kinda the same. Different because payment are separated processes for Đặng Hồng and Keef the Beef. Same because they're technically in the same unit and you can order from both restaurants. Different because you cannot order the Vietnamese food inside Keef. Same because they're using the same USDA beef for the steaks and phở. Wait a minute......

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, menu

We were here for their Northern Star.

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, keef the beef pho collage

One has to admit that the picture used for their social media can be construed as misleading. It did not so subtly suggest that there's sliced steak involved - charred edges and in the dusky pink of doneness and all.

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, the northern star

Here's reality. Not bad at all. I came here with the intention not to measure this against what I think how phở should be. The oil flecked broth was slightly beefy and savoury with sweetness in the midst. After adding some crushed mint, a couple of squeezes of lime and a bit of heat, it was outstanding. Beef was thick sliced and tender like how many don't do their sliced beef in their phở. Will be back for this.

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, kimchi

Remembered the kimchi from the last time we were here and got the upsized portion today.

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, bánh gai

Came across a bánh gai on the menu. Was described as 'thorn leaf cake from the Red River Delta Region Vietnam'. Never had it before. It even had gold flakes. The black stuff was the 'cake' that's made with oehmeria nivea leaf - kinda like the skin of mugwort kueh we have around here. Brown goo on the side was coconut caramel which tasted like a much nicer version of the cheap coconut candy that some of us might have had as kids

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, bánh gai

Inside the super chewy black stuff were stuffings of mung bean paste and strips of dessicated coconut. That was as much as we could tell. From what I found out, these bánh gai were supposed to be steamed in banana leaves. Ours was served piping hot. Had a very South East Asian flavour if you catch my drift.

Đặng Hồng's Vietnamese Pho / Dang Hong Vietnamese Pho, The Grandstand

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