After the relative success of its Siglap outlet, Le Viet has opened a second branch in the CBD. We opted to head down for dinner, and were the only ones present at the ungodly hour of 8pm. For our starters, we ordered the sugar cane prawns, a mixed paste of fresh prawn and fish wrapped over sugar cane, which was a slightly spiced, scrumptious number. And we enjoyed chewing on the sugar cane afterwards. The pomelo salad with a dressing of fresh prawns, sprinkled peanuts and fried shallots was refreshing and flavorful. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the pork and prawn egg crepe, which was doused in unhealthy amounts of turmeric and oil—we struggled to keep this one down. On the other hand, the Viet sweet and sour fish soup with pineapple slices, bean sprouts and tomatoes, was a more palatable offering but tasted more minty than sour. Unfortunately, desserts (although they appear on the menu) aren’t available at this outlet. Yeah, go figure. Overall, this place, with its utilitarian décor and adequate service, barely scrapes past the average grade and will struggle to keep up with the nearby competition.
