Came across the existence of Le Cafe Vie5 on social media — felt that their concept was kinda interesting considering how they seem to be an establishment with a focus on specialty coffee, but serving up Vietnamese fare.

Felt that Le Cafe Vie5 seems to knows their stuff when it comes to coffee — it was fairly interesting to even see how they do serve up Vietnamese Egg Coffee (a rather rare find to-date), and the Vietnamese Drip Coffee in both “Traditional” and “Trendy” formats — the latter being a light version using a blend of beans rather than that of a single-origin as it is in the former. That being said, the food item that left the strongest impression for us would be the Prawn Noodle Soup — unlike local renditions of the Prawn Noodle where it an emphasises on a thick, umami flavour, this version carries the clean, light broth that is typical to that of Pho whilst carrying a slight sweetness of the crustacean; works very well for those who dislike the strong flavour profile of local prawn noodles like me. The noodles are closer to that of thick rice noodles; round, rather than being flat as per the typical Pho, and the noodle soup also comes with elements such as wood-eat mushroom, spring onion with lemon and chili sauce available on the side; both of which adds an interesting note to the soup, though we would prefer the soup as-is to retain the sweetness of the prawns. The prawns included here are also plump, sweet and fresh, whilst also coming with sliced pork for a slight meatiness.

Given its location at Upper Paya Lebar Road, the cafe does seem like an idyllic spot to spend the afternoons away especially with a cup of coffee; be it Vietnamese-style or espresso-based. The vibes strangely reminds us of Yahaya Koffeeworks when they were situated at Sembawang Hills; perhaps it is something about the interior decor of the place. Still, if there is one item we would consider ordering again if here, it will be this — simple, comforting and satisfying indeed.