I CAN never resist a good bowl of pho, and the best is surely at An Viet which serves a superb beef broth with everything I like  – premium raw ribeye, brisket, tendon, beef balls, honeycomb tripe, and of course, rice noodles.  

It’s available for takeaway or delivery at this time, and having my Vietnamese beef noodle special, or pho bo dac biet (RM23.90) was surely a high moment at lunch at home.

The pho broth was dark, beefy and so flavourful, the result of a whole day of simmering with beef bones and 18 secret ingredients. The beef tendon melted in the mouth; I welcomed the crunch of the honeycomb tripe, and the meaty and awesome pure beef balls.

The chicken tasted like pork in the banh mi or Vietnamese baguette with grilled lemongrass chicken (RM14.90). Perhaps it was because it’s meat from chicken thigh that was smooth, juicy and fragrant. The baguette with a crispy crust is spread with homemade pate and lined with pickles, vegetables and herbs, and comes with sriracha.

Altogether it’s a sandwich to sink your teeth into and enjoy each bite, and since you’re home, you don’t mind the filling falling out and making a mess on your table.

The crunchy lotus seed yee sang (RM48.80) was delicious and refreshing. It stood out because of the small lotus seeds that were crunchy right through. There’s an auspicious note about lotus seeds; they are supposed to bring good fortune.

The other ingredients in the yee sang are fresh chilled salmon, rose apple, mango, sweet corn, carrot, cherry tomatoes, mint, lettuce, pickles and crushed peanuts.

The dish is brought together by a citrusy dressing scented with slivers of kaffir lime leaf in it. It’s fresh, lightly sweet and tangy bites at every turn, unlike the usual yee sang with sweet plum sauce dressing.  I like the fragrance of mint and kaffir lime leaf in this one. The portion is good for three or four.

Staying at home means cooking more often so I’m grateful for the ready-to-cook frozen food from An Viet.  I had a starter pack delivered to me, consisting of a packet of marinated lemongrass chicken chop; two packets of marinated pork chop; a packet of fried spring rolls with tiger prawns; a packet of handmade 100% prawn balls; and a bottle of sriracha chilli sauce.

It was so easy to fry the pure prawn balls which turned crispy and bouncy. They were sweet and yummy dipped in sriracha sauce. I also loved the crispy fried spring rolls  filled with minced pork, chopped prawn, yam and slivers of wood ear fungus. The marinated pork chop, which was thinly sliced, was ready within minutes of frying. Two pork chops make a tasty meal with a salad, and one makes a delightful nibble with a drink.

There’s a 10% discount on the starter pack (RM61.40) and a discount of RM8 on the crunchy lotus seed yee sang (RM48.80++) if you order here and quote the promo code “HKAV10”. It’s free delivery with a minimum order of RM50 (inclusive service charge and SST).

You can add to your order a packet of frozen tamarind pineapple soursop soup (RM9.90) which is good for a steamboat. I cooked mine with some Chilean blue mussels and added fresh mint to it. This lightly hot, sour and sweet soup went well with rice, and perhaps noodles too.

An Viet’s drip coffee with condensed milk (RM8.90) is aromatic and strong, just the way I like it. There’s a hot lemongrass and ginger drink (RM7.90) which tastes pure and natural. 

Grabfood, Foodpanda. DeliverEat, and Beep are your options for delivery.

An Viet is at LG 02-03A Paradigm Mall, Petaling Jaya (03-7661 2844), LG-203B, Gardens Mall (03-2201 1181), LG2.127 Sunway Pyramid (03 5611-2226) and B1-32A Gurney Plaza, Penang (04-293 3481). – January 23, 2021.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.