Cafe Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza)

*Edited on 24 Sep 2014: Closed*

Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90

Cafe Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza) is a small humble eatery located at a quiet corner of the exterior of Sunshine Plaza along Prinsep Street. Inclusive of its exterior and interior seating, this eatery can sit around 20 people. 

I have eaten at least five times at Cafe Sneakery and was impressed with their food. Through these visits, I tried all 3 of their  Noodles; Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles, Noodles Soup and Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles.

Besides selling Noodles, they have Sandwiches, Toasts, Wraps, Ice Cream and Beverages available.

Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles $5.50

Their signature Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles with sesame oil and special sauce is my favourite dish!

Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles $5.50

The noodles was very well executed. Cooked to perfect timing, the texture was so soft while the taste was so savoury. The smoked duck was a pleasant surprise. It was well smoked and was tender and springy. This dish is a die die must try!

Noodles Soup $4.90

The Noodles Soup $4.90 cooked with chicken, prawns, mushrooms and vegetables was another gem.

Noodles Soup $4.90

This bowl of Noodles Soup was so forgiving, comforting with a warmly feel.

The broth was flavourful and the essence from boiling the vegetables (probably radish) and meat was extracted out into the broth. With the addition of the ingredients, this dish was just so health. There was definitely no MSG added in it, as I drank all the soup and did not felt thirsty at all. A homely dish, perfect dish on a rainy, cold day or if you are not feeling well.

Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90

The Creamy Tom Yum Soup with Thai Mama Noodles $4.90 did not exactly wow me as I felt that the balance of the sourness and spiciness could be improved. In addition, the mushroom used did not really suit the tom yum soup.

This small cafe called Cafe Sneakery is highly recommended. If it can overcome its small seating capacity, this hidden gem could be the next big thing and add itself into the list of established players nearby such as Victor's Kitchen, Oven Marvel and Aroy Dee Thai Cafe. This cafe is a family run business, I hope that they continue to operate despite the challenges (labour, rental, etc). I will definitely be back for more of their Smoked Duck with Organic Noodles and Noodles Soup. Give this a try, you will not regret it.

ps: do note that you might have to wait for half and hour during their peak hour (i.e. lunch time) as the place would be full. They do not take short cuts and rush through their cooking as the quality of food is important to them.

Anyway from what I heard, their shop is up for lease and if someone takes up the lease this shop would likely cease operation. If you want to try this, you have got to be fast. 

Café Sneakery (Sunshine Plaza)

91 Bencoolen Street 

#01-59 Sunshine Plaza 

Singapore 189652

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11am to 5pm

                         Closed on Sat and Sun
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Source: Soyato

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Nha Hang Ngon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

Nha Hang Ngon used to be called Quan an Ngon and located along Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street has moved to 160 Pasteur road. The Vietnamese name of the restaurant is called Nhà Hàng Ngon. “Nhà Hàng” means "restaurant" while “Ngon” means delicious in English.

Nha Hang Ngon with its yellow, colonial style villa was hard to miss. It had a huge sitting capacity with both indoor and alfresco dining areas.

If you were to walk around the alfresco area, you would notice numerous food stall stations where the various dishes are created are prepared and cooked, ranging from appetisers, sides, mains to desserts. It was an interesting experience walking around to look at the different type of food available and how it was prepared. I do have one concern which was hygiene as I noticed there were a few flies flying around the food.

The interior of the indoor dining area. Look at how elegant it was.

The setup on the tables. The menu had both English and Vietnamese languages on it.

Cà  phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk) 40,000 VND (S$2.40)

The Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk) 40,000 VND (S$2.40) got us off to a great start. The coffee was so aromatic and fragrant. The coffee taste was intense and rich, and was too sweet. But once the ice melted and diluted the drink, it was excellent! One of the best Vietnamese iced coffee we drank.

Gỏi đu đủ tai heo (Green Papaya Salad with Sliced Pig Ears) 50,000 VND (S$3)

We started off with an appetiser; Gỏi đu đủ tai heo (Green Papaya Salad with Sliced Pig Ears) 50,000 VND (S$3). It had a good balance in taste when everything was mixed together. In addition, the pig ears provided lots of collagen.

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

The Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40). The waiter helped us to cut the grilled shrimp paste into almost equal thickness. Anyway, we saw a small fly flying around the rice vermicelli. Not wanting to kick up a fuss, we threw off quite a few of  the rice vermicelli where the fly flew around. It certainly makes us wonder about the hygiene factor.

Bánh hỏi chao tôm cuốn bánh tráng (Grilled Pounded Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane served with Rice Vermicelli, Rice Papers and Vegetables) 140,000 VND (S$8.40)

It was served with rice paper, fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit. The way to eat it would be to place the fresh vegetables and herbs, slices of unripe banana and star fruit, rice vermicelli and grilled shrimp paste onto the rice paper. After that roll it up and dip it into the sauce provided. Frankly, this dish was average. Did not find it delicious.

Bánh canh cua (Thick Noodle Soup with Crab Meat and Pork) 58,000 VND (S$3.50)

Having had such a wonderful experience Hoa Dong's Bánh canh cua, the partner decided to order it again. The Bánh canh cua (Thick Noodle Soup with Crab Meat and Pork) cost 58,000 VND (S$3.50). It was a major let down. The stock was thick but not flavourful. In addition, the serving of ingredients given were so little. To make things worse, the prawn was not fresh.

Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24)

I ordered the Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24), as I had many people complimenting about this dish on the internet sphere. It was served with fresh herbs which could be added into the soup.

Bún ốc (Vermicelli in Soup with Snails and Tomatoes) 54,000 VND (S$3.24)

This was another let down. The soup had a strong hint of fishy smell. Although the snails were large, they were too tough and chewy.

Chè  sương sa hột lựu (Jelly, Water Chestnut, Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Milk) 27,000 VND (S$1.60)  

We were still not satisfied and decided to order a dessert; the Chè sương sa hột lựu (Jelly, Water Chestnut, Tapioca Pearls and Coconut Milk) 27,000 VND (S$1.60). It was a pleasant surprise. Very refreshing and flavourful. The coconut which was so fresh made it so addictive.

Needless, to say, I made the wrong choice coming over here. I did extensive research and heard about how highly raved this restaurant was. So much so that when my Vietnamese friend advised us to give this a skip as the locals do not eat over there and the food was so-so, we still went ahead.. Should have just listened to her!

If you are reading this, my advise would be to just visit Nha Hang Ngon for its Cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Milk). The rest of the food are really just so-so (i.e. average). 

Nhà Hàng Ngon (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

160 Pasteur

Phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1

Hồ Chí Minh,

Tel: +84 (08) 3827 7131

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