Long Phung Restaurant

This is really a hidden gem tucked in the rows of shop houses along Joo Chiat Road. Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant is casual, fuss-free and absolutely unpretentious and its food will keep you pleasantly surprised.

When I reached, I hesitated at the entrance, wondering if I should just walk in and plonk myself down or should I be waiting for someone to point me to an empty table. Since I spotted an empty table at the back of the restaurant, I simply went over and sat down. The table didn't have any menus on it so I went over to the neighboring table and grabbed a couple over for my friend and myself. I have no problem settling myself down but maybe Long Phung is not the place for you if you expect to be served from the start till the end.

We ordered Chicken Pho, Kang Kong with Garlic, Salad Rolls, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Chicken Wings. Guess it was really a lot for two girls but we do have quite a remarkable appetite thankfully. The  broth in the Chicken Pho was quite sweet and they were generous with the huge chunks of chicken and beansprouts. 

The Vietnamese Spring Rolls were good, crispy and tasty. The Salad Rolls were not really my cup of tea though. It tasted too bland even after I dipped it repeatedly into the sauces and I was not exactly fond of the salad inside. Purely personal preference though. If you are into healthy eating and salads, the salad rolls might excite you more than it did for me.

The Chicken Wings were nicely fried with crispy skins and juicy flesh. Leave it to cool for awhile before sinking your teeth into the tempting wings though. The chicken wings just out of the wok were very very hot. The Kang Kong with Garlic was normal good old stir-fried vegetables but the portion was huge! It was like a mini mountain of greens on a plate. 

All that food set us back by $31 only! No service charge and GST from what I remember but frankly I wouldn't know any better since the receipt was scrawled in Vietnamese. But still, $31 is really affordable for the spread we ordered and the large portions!

To get to Long Phung Restaurant by MRT is quite a feat since it's really far from any MRT station. I gather  that the nearest MRT station (which is not very near either) is Paya Lebar Mrt Station. I went over from City Hall so I took bus 16 from Raffles Hotel and alighted at the stop after Tanjong Katong Secondary. After alighting, walk straight and you will see a petrol station. Continue walking till you reach a narrow road which is Joo Chiat. Turn left and walk all the way down. You will see Fragrance Hotel and 2 Hotel 81s on your way before reaching Long Phung Restaurant which is on the right side of the road. 

159 Joo Chiat Road