Vietnam Kitchen @ Cheras Leisure Mall

There aren't a lot of (decent) food options in this mall other than the ones we'd usually go to like Chicago Rib House, Sakae Sushi and this....Vietnam Kitchen @ Cheras Leisure Mall.

Actually, I've eaten here many times but don't have any photos to show for it coz that was before I started blogging.  So, the food showcased here are the ones from my recent 2 trips to this place.

We decided to have rice with dishes for our dinner and went with Set C (that was meant for 4 - 5 pax) @ RM79.90 coz the dishes in the other sets didn't 'attract' us as much...but, wait....before *you roll your eyes*...my family said they were super hungry, so I wasn't worried about ordering this 'big' set.

The first dish to arrive was the Peppered Prawns.  This had quite a bit of heat to it from the de-shelled prawns being fried with lots of black pepper, bits of chillies and spring onions. 

Although the flavour was nice, it was too salty for me but it was my son's favourite dish as he has a very high salt tolerance level + he actually loves salty food.

The Vietnamese Sesame Chicken was ok (a bit like sweet and sour)...it was my least favourite of all the dishes.

The Seafood Beancurd that came next was pretty good as I enjoyed the smooth, soft silken house made tofu.  It came sitting in a sauce topped with bits of minced chicken, mushroom, fried shallots and spring onions. 

I really liked the Lemongrass Fish Fillet as the fish was tender, with a distinct lemongrass flavour, and came with a dipping sauce.

The shreds of fried lemongrass on top added fragrance and freshness to the dish but, if you're not a fan of this herb (like my son), you might find its lemongrass flavour overpowering.  I didn't...coz I love lemongrass!

The final dish to round up this set was the Stir-fried Eggplant with Belacan & Dried Shrimps.  The eggplant was fried with onions, spring onions and red chillies with the dried shrimps and "belacan" (dried shrimp paste) lending flavour and saltiness that the dish needed.  We liked this one too.

You would think that they would at least include rice with the set...but, no, we had to pay RM2.20 for each bowl of rice :(

On a separate visit, we opted for individual orders but soon realised that the individual sets (that used to come with an appetiser, soup and vegetables) were no longer on the menu.  My son had the Seafood Fried Rice @ RM15.90 with bits of egg, tofu, fish cakes, vegetables and some good-sized prawns.  No complaints here as fried rice is always a crowd-pleaser kind of dish.

My spouse ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Vermicelli with Fried Spring Rolls @ RM14.90.  If you're one who likes a lot of fresh vegetables on your plate, then you'll surely enjoy this.  It had bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, iceberg lettuce and mint leaves, topped with sprinkled chopped nuts and an accompaniment of a sweetish-sourish sauce dip.  It was light and refreshing on the taste buds.

The dish came topped with 2 Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls filled with ground meat (tasted like pork to me), wood ear fungus and carrot.  These Fried Spring Rolls (and the Sugarcane Prawns) are always my favourites when dining at Vietnamese eateries...and the ones here are pretty decent, just not as good as the ones from Royale Vietnam.

For me, I've always enjoyed a good bowl of pho and couldn't resist ordering their Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup @ RM17.90.  It had thick slices of beef, beef balls and a generous amount of chopped spring onions.

It was served with condiments of bean sprouts, fresh red chillies, Vietnamese mint leaves, a wedge of lime and an accompanying sauce.

I would throw everything into my bowl of pho except the mint leaves, of course...hate those :(  It was a decent bowl of pho...the flat rice noodles were thin and smooth, the beef slices tender, but the broth was slightly lacking for me.

I had Watermelon Juice @ RM7.90 on my first visit.  This was exactly how it looked like...not filled to the brim....when it arrived at the table (and, no, I didn't take a sip before taking the pic).  This didn't impress me at all...if you don't want to give your customers a large serving or look "kedekut" (stingy), for god's sake, use a smaller glass!!

On my next visit, I ordered this Orange Juice @ RM7.90...and it was filled to the top (looks like they have wised up)....they used a smaller glass this time! :D

Although I'm a coffee drinker, Vietnamese coffee is one I would never order at a Vietnamese restaurant.  I was once gifted with some Vietnamese coffee that my sister-in-law bought from Vietnam (when she holidayed there)...and I disliked it immensely! :'(

My Personal Opinion

If you're looking for a fuss-free, fairly authentic Vietnamese meal, this could well serve that purpose.

Flavour-wise, the food is just good enough to be acceptable but price-wise, it's very affordable!

Vietnam Kitchen

L2-26-01 Cheras Leisure Mall
Jalan Manis 6 Taman Segar
Cheras
56100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9130 9530