Joo Chiat Caphe

Seems like a popular bahn mi spot with the pretty sizeable queue that I’ll always stumble across over the weekend - and I finally got down to trying it. Considering how there are a few Vietnamese food options around the area, I didn’t know if this was a tourist trap, with its pretty appealing decor and even a little Nasi Lemak + otah stall at the side. But I thought that the bahn mi was pretty decent, with a plus point being really filled with ingredients like cucumber, coriander, lettuce, and beef. Also realised that they don’t have pork options here!

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Vietnamese bahn mi cafe in Joo Chiat

Must order:
- honey glazed grilled chicken thigh (SO GOOD) $7.5
- Vietnamese coffee $4.80

🍴DINE OUT🍴
📍Joo Chiat Caphe, Joo Chiat 📍
💸 Iced Vietnamese Coffee: $3.80
💸 Iced Drip Vietnamese Coffee: $4.80
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Spent a chill afternoon at Joo Chiat Caphe with a cup of delicious Vietnamese coffee☕. Generally, there are 2 types of coffee you can get here, the usual Vietnamese coffee and the Drip Vietnamese coffee. We preferred the Ice Drip vietnamese coffee for it had a stronger and more fragrant flavour, while the normal ice Vietnamese coffee tasted a little too diluted over time🧊. Even though, the drip version costs a little more, we'll definitely recommend getting that😀! Saw that they offer fusion Bahn mis🥖 as well with pretty interesting flavours, we'll love to come back and try them in the future😍!

@joochiatcaphe Earthquake ($8.50 nett) is a behemoth banh mi, with chicken ham, honey glazed grilled chicken thigh and grilled beef patties stuffed into a freshly baked Vietnamese baguette. It is a monstrous meat maelstrom, and I goddamn love it.⠀
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I’ve already reviewed the succulent honey glazed chicken before, and the standard was maintained this time. The chicken ham performs as expected of a typical chicken cold cut, upping the sodium & savouriness of the entire sandwich. The grilled beef patties are the real special element here though, and I couldn’t get enough of them. ⠀
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The grilled beef patties, which are more meatballs than patties, are infused with lemongrass and seasoned with hoisin sauce. The coarsely ground beef meant that each meatball required the barest minimum of effort before it disintegrated, while still possessing a satisfying bite thanks to the bigger bits of beef. The lemongrass has fully imbued its vegetal aromas into the beef, and the deeply salty & sweet umami flavours of the hoisin sauce flavour the beef excellently.⠀
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This beastly banh mi will rock your culinary world, and will absolutely destroy your hunger with its sheer size & tastiness. A true banger of a sanger, and this banh mi bussin, no cap(he).

I finally figured out what the Singaporean Vietnamese fusion was at @joochiatcaphe: it was ordering a Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken Thigh with Homemade Chicken Pate ($6.50) and adding a slice of mackerel otah for an additional dollar and fifty cents.⠀
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This Grilled Chicken banh mi was pretty decent even without the addition of the otah. The juicy, savoury chicken thigh was a decent complement to the heavy, salty flavours of the chicken paté, while the carrots, cucumbers, lettuce & chillies accentuated the crunch of the crusty baguette while keeping this sandwich real fresh. Fuck coriander, all my homies hate coriander.⠀
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What the mackerel otah adds here is a spicy, umami unctuousness to the banh mi. The salty & spicy grilled fish paste definitely adds a whole lot of fire, and its fishy sapidity just deepens the satisfaction your tastebuds extract from this superb sandwich. Traditional? No. Delicious? Yes. Is this banh mi for me? Heck yes.⠀
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Hotel? Trivago.

Joo Chiat has a disproportionately high concentration of Vietnamese eateries, and the newest one to join their ranks isn’t entirely Vietnamese. @joochiatcaphe fuses Singaporean elements into the Vietnamese classic of banh mi, and even though they’re not halal certified yet, they are definitely Muslim friendly.⠀
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Not gonna lie, the Battered Crispy Fish Fillet with Honey Mustard at seven dollars nett is neither Singaporean nor Vietnamese in particular. It’s definitely delicious, however, and it’s a terrific twist on banh mi. A beautifully battered, thick fillet of fish is slightly seasoned & deep fried to a glorious golden brown shade. Then it gets liberally drizzled with honey mustard, and into the freshly baked banh mi it goes very carefully.⠀
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As you might expect of any half decent deep fried fish, the batter is brilliant. It’s just thick enough to produce that distinctive, highly sought after crackle, but thin enough to not be an oil sponge. The fish fillet inside was startlingly stellar, and I was utterly floored by just how fantastic this fish fillet was. It isn’t the most well seasoned fried fish in town, but it is one of the flakiest and moistest fillets I’ve ever had. I’m not even kidding, there was an impossible amount of moisture being secreted by the pearly white fish.⠀
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The honey mustard dressing was equally awesome, and it flavoured the entire banh mi. It’s sweet, a little zesty, and it was a matchless marriage for the fabulous fried fish. The lettuce & cucumbers this banh mi was garnished with added a huge hit of freshness and crunch to complement the crusty Viet baguette. The iron heavy flavour of the chicken pâte spread on the bread is an acquired taste, but I rather enjoyed the smooth, strongly flavoured spread.⠀
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Joo Chiat Caphe might not be even remotely traditional, but it is remarkably, tremendously tasty. No cap, bro.