( NH ) Que Huong Toi - Jalan Jelutong

This quaint little outlet, with hardly any parking space, has been creating quite a buzz among Penangites and I intended to find out why.

  

    However, as opposed to all the people who have been raving about how great Vietnamese coffee is, it was seriously too thick for my liking.

Since I took the hot version, I had to pile in a ton of ice to water it down, till it ended up looking like coffee on the rocks.

Notice the small pot of jasmine tea next to the press ? More gentle than water. Nicer than Chinese tea, Enjoyed that very much .

This Pork ham sandwich was a Special of the day. 

Meh.Meh.Meh.

Which got me thinking, how come Vietnamese cuisine comes so highly touted and yet I'm having trouble appreciating it.

Probably boils down to being a Malaysian foodie who likes her food oily , rich and all wrong for the cholesterol. Don't think I'm alone. Explains the dearth of successful enterprises here that have yet to flourish and survive the test of time in our country.

 So thank goodness there was a side platter of herbs which I'm familiar with. Superbly fresh with not a flaw in sight.

Actually, I'm quite dissapointed with myself.

My first time tuck in experience, felt like a stomach cleansing exercise. Wtf.....

Goi Cuon or Vietnamese Handroll .

Pretty but compared to Nyonya popiah the skin is thick as leather. And the inside is so, so, so dry.

 Finely made, but put it this way , it's bland and perfect for dieters. Two sauces accompany this dish. One is like a sweet clear syrup with finely chopped carrots and the other like a sweet sauce found in chinese chee cheong fun or rice cakes, topped with chopped garlic and chillies.

It may be famous, but once is enough, thank you very much.

 Deep fried chicken wings marinated in fish sauce.

Now we're getting somewhere.

If we ever return, I wanna have a gigantic platter with a Hoegaarden in my hand.

Pho Bo or beef noodles.

Comes with so many  extremely overpoweringly strong smelling herbs inside. Look, I do like fresh herbs but I'm beginning to feel too clean from the inside out . In fact upon finishing this, I don't think I'll need to floss or brush for 2 days because my teeth felt so clean.

No aftertaste. Shucks.

Bun Thit Nuong.

Interesting combo. Peanuts, sweet roasted pork bits, tanghoon etc.

Maybe , just maybe I'll come back for this next round.

If I ever. Then maybe I'm saying this because I just stole a little from the person who had trouble finishing it.

While the whole world is raving about how great Vietnamese cuisine is, it almost felt like I was grazing in a herb farm, and put on drip of freshly squeezed coffee bean essence.

Obviously if I wanna reboot my much clogged up and sluggish system, this place is da bomb . But it takes time to learn how to eat combinations which will have old folks telling you that you'll get a tummy ache over it.

And your Malaysian stomach, agrees with their opinion .

Verdict : Vegans might love this alternative, dieters and healthy eaters too. All catogeries that do not apply to me.

Price : cheap

Location : Jalan Jelutong opposite a Peugeot showroom