Caroline C.
Yelp
Such an awesome place. Definitely 5 stars.
Oh mama!!! What can I say? Annie L &
I decided to catch up over Vietnamese lunch in the city & chose Mama Tran. As I walked in, there was ample table seating with heaps of tables adjoined to each other. Time was 11:30am. As I was waiting for Annie, I walked around browsing through the Asian groceries at the back of the shop. Thought that was nice to sell a small but good range of Asian groceries.
Over the front counter, there's hot & cold food for sale. From boxed rice lunches, bahn mi, spring rolls to Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Just looking at them all is enough to make me salivate. I had no choice but to start without Annie. Bought myself the rice paper rolls & seated right at the back of the shop(where the drinks are). Few mins into me stuffing my face with those delicious rolls, office workers started pouring in.... OMG, soon my sight was mostly people in black suits.
Service was so efficient. I cannot believe how quick the service was. We ordered as soon as Annie arrived. Within 5 mins, our orders were ready. We were given a buzzer & geez I'm still amazed at how efficient their service is at peak hour. Unlike other Vietnamese noodle cafés where you'll be served with Vietnamese mint, lemon slice, chilies & bean spouts... Here you gotta get those yourself. Including sauces & a cup of tea. At the table, you get serviettes. Now, you must be wondering how's the crowd dealing with limited seating. Mmm..seems like everyone eats & go. It's a smooth operation. I love it.
I ordered Vermicelli noodles with grilled chicken & spring rolls. I have been thinking about this since I saw Laura D's posting some time back. Always wanted to eat this & it has become my new favorite. By the way, it's a cold dish. The sauce is salty(fish sauce) & sweet. The balance is just nice when they are all mixed together. The grilled chicken is perfectly seasoned & grilled. Spring rolls crunchy. PERFECT. Salivating again just thinking about it. Annie L has the traditional Pho. She says it's good. I'll have to take her word for it. After all, she says she's quite fussy with Vietnamese pho.
Not sure if there's a bathroom. Might check it out next time *wink*
Love this place truly. Simple yet efficient. Would I recommend Mama Tran to anyone? Oh I definitely would... especially all my mates that work in the city or near Milligan street.
Thumbs up. Very happy.