The Raffles Place neighbourhood has been seeing quite a bit of a refresh of the F&B tenants that are operating within the vicinity of Raffles Place MRT Station of the late — there has been several new tenants that have moved into shop spaces around CIMB Plaza, Republic Plaza and One Raffles Place in recent times. One such new addition to the F&B scene around the Central Business District would be Giòn Giòn, which had only moved in to the kiosk that it occupies at the basement of One Raffles Place in March 2024; Giòn Giòn can be found located close to the outlet of Old Tea Hut there, with Whiskdom being its immediate neighbour. One can most definitely tell that Giòn Giòn is an establishment that serves up Vietnamese fare; the lanterns or vibrant colours being used as ceiling lamps and the stall adopting the aesthetic of a mobile food pushcart being rather obvious signs of a Vietnamese influence going around its decor. Given the space that Giòn Giòn occupies at One Raffles Place, the establishment is operated more like a takeaway kiosk than a dine-in establishment — that being said, there is an area dedicated for dine-ins, though it only features a small foldable counter that is hanging on the wall that would act as a standing bar. Giòn Giòn primarily focuses on their Banh Mi offerings — patrons can get to choose between the various Signature Banh Mi that sees a fixed selection of ingredients coming with the Banh Mi, or opt for the DIY Your Banh Mi that allows patrons to pick between their desired base, veggies, main and sauce for their Banh Mi order. Apart from Banh Mi, Giòn Giòn also does offer noodle salads for those whom prefer something apart from the Vietnamese baguette, as well as Vietnamese spring rolls that would compliment their offerings of noodle salads and Banh Mi.

We had been going for the Banh Mi featuring various types of ham when visiting establishments that have an emphasis on their Banh Mi offerings — thought we would like to switch things up a little and go for the Signature Beef Banh Mi instead. There was an ongoing 1-for-1 promotion during the point of time of our visit in lieu of their launch; this also meant that there was some waiting time required for the Banh Mi to be prepared even despite most of the ingredients already being prepared in advance and stocked up in the display shelf, with the staff also trying to get used to the operations of the stall as well. Giòn Giòn describes their series of Signature Banh Mi to come with elements such as pate, butter, cucumber, pickle, coriander, Giòn Giòn sauce and chili sauce — the protein that is included in the Banh Mi would be dependent on whichever Signature Banh Mi that the patron had opted for. Sinking our teeth into the Signature Beef Banh Mi, the Signature Beef Banh Mi features a baguette that is crisp; we did notice that the baguette that came with our order was a little more charred towards one side, though we were glad that it wasn’t burnt. The baguette carries quite a crunch, though we do note that it does lack that bite from the tension of the bread that some other establishments would carry in their Banh Mi. It does seem that they are pretty generous with the spread of pate here; the pate coming with a noticeably savoury note that runs at the back of the tongue — the inclusion of coriander which provided its distinct hint of flavours actually cuts through the pate and the meat, helping to refresh the palates a little.

The slices of beef here were pretty tender; provides a little bit of a meaty chew without being too tough nor required much effort to chew through — we also noted that the slices of beef were not particularly gamey as well. The pickles did help to add a bit of tang and crunch to the Banh Mi, though the Giòn Giòn sauce was a little less obvious here with the chili padi and chili sauce giving a slightly fiery kick to tickle the tastebuds. Being at a spot that primarily serves up Banh Mi also meant that we wouldn’t give their Iced Milk Coffee a miss — we found the Iced Milk Coffee at Giòn Giòn to have checked off all the right boxes; one that is as intense as what we would have expected, being almost chocolate-like and all roasty and nutty with a good balance of sweetness. The surge of Banh Mi establishments that have sprouted up all across the island over the past year does mean that the masses are gradually exposed to the various types Banh Mi that each establishment has to offer — we wouldn’t really call Giòn Giòn’s rendition the best; after all, Banh Mi Saigon is one establishment that’s tough to beat. Giòn Giòn does serve up a rather respectable variant of the Banh Mi; prices for their Signature Banh Mi starts from $8.90 and goes up to $9.90, while their coffee is priced from $3.90 to $4.70 — one can say that it is a little steep, though likely due to the case of higher overheads being located in the Central Business District as compared to those located in the heartlands. Still, a seemingly reliable establishment that settles the craving if one does not mind the price point and the slight waiting time for the Banh Mi here.