Your Deli Bite is a cosy contemporary Vietnamese cafe located at Novena Regency. The cafe owner runs multiple Bahn Mi joints, and Your Deli Bite is her very first cafe concept, serving up some of her finest Vietnamese recipes. Over here, you can savour one of the best Bahn Mi in town and Vietnamese dishes less commonly found in Singapore.
Spring Rolls 4/5
We started with some familiar bites. The Spring rolls ($7.90) were skillfully wrapped with fresh prawns and fatty pork belly, giving the rolls an excellent meaty bite.
Special Pho 3.8/5
The owner is from Hanoi but lived in Ho Chih Min City before coming to Singapore. The pho recipe follows Ho Chih Min's style instead of Hanoi's version, as it contains no MSG and is less saltish. The Special Pho ($16.90) features a combination of beef flank, tendon, and meatballs with brisket cooked with the signature 9-hour slow-boiled broth. The broth was light, not too beefy, which I like, and enlivened with a squeeze of lime.
Crab Noodles 3/5
Crab Noodles ($16.90) was new to me. The broth is made with a reduction of pork bones and prawns, adding starch to give it that starchy consistency. The 'noodles' are actually our Mee Tai Mak, served with a handful of crab meat, prawn, pork meat, and quail egg. While broth has an enjoyable crustacean flavour with a light savoury depth, I don't quite enjoy the gluey texture.
Grilled Turmeric Fish 4.8/5
I highly recommend this Grilled Turmeric Fish ($14.50), a traditional Hanoi dish featuring grilled turmeric-marinated fish fillet tossed with sauteed scallions and dills. The fish fillets were prepared using whole fish, and each fillet was flaky, firm and tender. I love the amount of dill used, which gave the fish a citrus-like taste. You will be given sheets of dry rice paper with water and a plate of vermicelli and herbs to DIY your grilled fish spring roll.
Slizzing Pancake 4/5
We were surprised by how tasty this humble-looking Sizzling Pancake ($14.90) was. This pancake was yellow-tinted by turmeric, with a slightly charred glaze on the skin, giving it a tasty wok-hei flavour. It has a hint of sweetness, which melded well with the savoury filling of sauteed beansprouts, prawns and pork. Even the filling was laced with wok-hei flavour from the beansprouts. It was a tad greasy but lightened by the accompanying herbs and vegetables.
BBQ Pork Bahn Mi 4.5/5
As mentioned, one of the specialities here is Bahn Mi. The crusty and airy baguettes are worth coming back for. Our BBQ Pork Bahn Mi ($7.50) was loaded with flavourful BBQ pork with a drizzle of sweet chilli, with that iconic layer of pickled radish and carrot lining the baguette. Coupled with a rich Vietnamese Ice Black Coffee, they make such a satisfying meal!
Pear Chrysanthemum, Ice Black coffee
Egg Coffee
The Egg Coffee here came with a creamy creme brulee-like cap, but the foam-to-coffee ratio can be improved for a more full-bodied and creamy consistency. There is also a good range of housemade ice teas available. My ice Pear Chrysanthemum was refreshing with Nata de coco and diced pear bits.
Bánh Flan 4.5/5
Another must-try is the Bánh Flan. It is the Vietnamese version of the French crème caramel, which uses condensed or evaporated milk and is steamed instead of baked in an oven. Ours is served with ice and poured over with coffee. It was light and mellow sweet, and serving it in iced coffee gave it a depth of toasty bitterness, reinforcing the caramel notes.
Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.
Your Deli Bite Cafe
Novena Regency
275 Thomson Road
#01-03
Singapore 307645
Tel: +65 88667262
Website
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am - 1030pm
Direction:
1) Alight at Novena MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Thomson Road. Turn right and walk down Thomson Road towards the overhead bridge. Cross the road using the overhead bridge. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]
