This is actually our family's first try of Vietnamese food. That is why we allowed ourselves to be guided on our food choices according to which are the best-selling. Feast your eyes on the food items we tasted for this adventure.
Appetizers
Appetizer choices are seen under the menu category "Small Plates". Price ranges from PHP 130 to PHP 250.
Choices include:
Prawn and Sesame Crackers
Vegetarian Southern Rolls, Fresh Herbs, Peanut Sauce
Green Papaya Salad, Beef Jerky, Fresh Herbs, Peanuts
Mekong Prawn Rolls
Crispy Imperial Rolls
Crispy Squid, Sriracha Mayonnaise
and our orders for the day
The best seller Fresh Southern Rolls with Prawn, Pork, Fresh Herbs, Peanut Sauce
and the Caramelized Chicken Wings, Shrimp Paste
The fresh rolls were gone in a flash. It gave a fitting intro to the freshness of ingredients used in every viand served throughout the meal. The sweet tangy flavor of the chicken wings as expected, was a big hit for my children.
Beverage
My wife and I chose the much recommended Lemongrass-Ginger Iced Tea for our beverage. It was refreshingly cool and light. It was the perfect partner for the food we are eating.
My children opted to drink the Lychee-Pandan Iced Tea. This is a very good choice for the kids. The presentation literally includes pandan leaves and lychee pieces.
Banh Mi
These are toasted baguettes stuffed with savory meats, chicken pate, mayonnaise, hot chili peppers, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, and fresh cilantro. Price ranges from PHP 230- 250.
Banh Mi choices include:
Sauteed Lemongrass Pork, Cream Cheese
Caramelized 5-Spice Pork Belly
Fried Catfish with Spices
Chili Sambal Braised Beef
and our orders
Chili-Lemongrass Chicken, Egg Omelette, Chicken Floss
and the vegetarian version which is the Lemongrass Tofu, Egg Omelette, Braised Mushrooms
An order of banh mi can satifyingly serve 2. Every bite produces an interesting mix of the crunchy baguette, full flavor of the meat, and again the freshness of vegetables and herbs.
Hanoi Pho
Hanoi Pho is easily the star of Annam Noodle Bar's menu. Hanoi is considered the birthplace of Vietnamese Pho which is a bowl of rice flour noodles with intense broth boiled over 24 hours, garnished with fresh herbs and spring onions. Price ranges from PHP 270-550.
You can choose among these choices:
Pho Australian Beef Steal Slices
Pho Vegetarian
Pho Australian Oxtail and Beef Balls
Pho Australian Wagyu Beef Slices
and what we ordered which are
Pho Australian Beef Combination
and the Pho Chicken
Annam Noodle Bar is certainly not exaggerating with its claim for a full-flavored pho (pronounced as "fuh"), minus the use of MSG. The rice noodles which are made in Singapore, are imported to maintain consistency. The pho is served in an extra big bowl which can serve 4 people.
Other Noodles
Annam Noodle Bar also offers other classic Vietnamese noodles recipes from Southern and Central Vietnam. These can either be served dry or with soup. Price ranges from PHP 320-380.
Here are the choices:
Spicy Braised Beef, Beef Balls Noodle
Spicy Hue Australian Beef Noodle
Saigon Fisherman;s Noodle Soup
Sauteed Lemongrass Pork Noodle
Quang Style Egg Noodle
and our order
Spicy Minced Pork, Pork Balls Noodle
This noodle dish is delightfully spicy. It is by itself filling for a customer dining alone and complete as it is served with soup. In hindsight, we would have preferred to order two dry noodle dishes instead of the pho as we didn't realize that one order of pho is more than enough for the four of us.
Viet Desserts
My children's choice for dessert was the Hanoi Hannah Sundae made up of mint choco vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. We were informed that their ice cream is specifically made for them.
Other possible choices include:
Chilled Dried Longan, Lotus Seeds, Water Chestnut, Seaweed Dessert
Chilled 3 Colour Dessert
Crispy Fried Banana, Coconut Sauce
Saigon Sally Sundae
My wife and I chose to finish off our meal with the Viet coffee with condensed milk. The milk provides the right contrast to the perfectly brewed Viet coffee. Annam sells 3-in-1 coffee which comes in boxes of 22 sachets for those who would like to bring this excellent coffee taste.
Before we knew it, we were finished.
Our Verdict
From a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest, here is our verdict:
Flavor: 5
Price: 4
Ambiance: 5
Service: 4
Satiety: 5
1. The freshness of ingredients is a standout feature of all food offering. Immediate consumption is advisable to fully appreciate this advantage. Resistance to vegetables and herbs is decreased among kids due to the manner of presentation.
2. While the lack of rice offering may make customers think that may not get fully satisfied with the meal,we can attest to the fact that the combination of the pho and banh mi is more than enough to serve as full meal.
3. Food prices present value for money considering the food flavor, level of service, and relaxing ambiance that is conducive to eating.
4. Having only one branch can be a limitation especially for Vietnamese food lovers who live or work very far form the Eastwood City area. The good news is that the next branch is currently on the works.
5. Annam Noodle Bar does not claim to offer authentic traditional dishes but rather what it calls as trendy Vietnamese cuisine. It has repackaged old-world Vietnamese street food with a modern twist.
Will we visit them again? Sure we will, so we can try the other dishes until we have tried them all. It was truly a PHOntastic gastronomic experience for the whole family.
Check out the Annam Noodle Bar Facebook Page to get updates on their latest promos.
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