Chanced upon the new Lily•s at KAP Mall; the establishment situated just at the corner of the building facing the main road. Serving up Modern French Vietnamese cuisine, the clean, minimalist space offers items such as Pho, Banh Mi and Noodles on the menu, some of which carrying an interesting fusion such as the Spicy Beef Tongue Mala Pho and the Chili Crab Banh Mi.

Opting for something more conventional, the Fish Sauce Pork Belly Banh Mi was a dish that was absolutely flavourful of a Banh Mi. The variant here comes with pork belly, braised with fish sauce and served with Sriracha Fish Sauce Mayonnaise on the side. Unlike the conventional Banh Mi out there, this version from Lily•s comes with diced pork belly rather than slabs or slices — a bit of a surprise for some, but carries a unique character of its own. While some folks may find the diced chunks of pork being a little dry and a little difficult to chew, it seems that they are very much trying to do something akin to candied pork here; that sort of pork belly chunks that comes with a slight chew and coated in a saltish-sweet glaze that is all sticky and dense — provides a punch of flavours against the greens and onions, while the toasted baguette comes all crisp on the exterior and chewy within with margarine spread for a slight umami note with everything going on within. Felt that there wasn’t much of a use for Srircha Fish Sauce Mayo when I was enjoying the baguette, though on hindsight it could have worked if one spreads it across the pork belly chunks — its mustard-esque hint of flavours would have cut through the meatiness of the baguette pretty well.

Given how Lily•s had branded itself as a French Vietnamese establishment, we found it hard to associate the French element with the menu that they are serving — perhaps referring more to the use of French cooking techniques into their food, considering some of the dishes have a very interesting Chinese or local fusion element to them. With the lack of Vietnamese options up at Bukit Timah, Lily•s does make for an interesting addition to KAP Mall and the area — wished they could expand further on their beverage selection and sides to carry a more varied selection, considering how it carries the vibe of a gastro bar that expats would certainly enjoy having an evening drink with the convenience of being near home.