When news dropped that a Vietnamese noodle bar set up shop on Jl. Petitenget, Bali’s trendy “eat street” — the address of some of the best restaurants on the island — we knew it was only a matter of time before we came around to check it out. Noodles are our thing. Instant noodles, fried noodles, noodle soup, you name it; we live for the noods.
Not going to lie — we were also curious how the place would stack up against another well-established Vietnamese hot spot, which is just around the corner.
NamNam is actually a chain. The first of its name in Bali, NamNam already has four locations in Jakarta, but it all began in Singapore where a Vietnamese migrant by the name of (you guessed it) Nam started his first restaurant in 2012, years after he fled Saigon when he was just seven.
After scrolling through the gallery of the other restaurant’s locations, it’s clear that like most chains, all the NamNam noodle bars stick to a consistent interior decor — and the Bali one is no exception.
Checkered tile floors, red lanterns, Vietnamese-style murals, pops of green — it’s definitely a vibe. Viet-hipster-chic.
What sets the Bali one apart from the rest is that the upper and lower level terraces look out on a green rice paddy — beat that, Jakarta! All the eateries there, including the NamNam shops, seem to live in shopping malls.
As for the food, now that we’ve tried a pretty decent sampling of the menu, we can conclusively say that not all plates at NamNam are created equal. We’d go back for our favorites, but there are some dishes that we definitely won’t be ordering again. And if you know and love Vietnamese food, then you shouldn’t either.
The food at NamNam is almost like fast food for Vietnamese cuisine, but not quite full-on. It kind of reminds us of the mid-level American cafe franchise Panera. It’s certainly casual and not fine dining, and really hit-or-miss. Here’s our take on both sides of the spectrum.
The Hits!
Pho
You can’t go to a Vietnamese noodle bar and not get pho. We ordered their take on pho bo, which had beef slices, beef tripe, beef meatball, and because they wanted to make it extra meaty, some shredded chicken for good measure.
We would’ve been happy to just end the meal there. The deeply savory broth spiked with those fresh herbs (look, you need to be on the lover side of the polarizing cilantro debate to truly appreciate Vietnamese food — if you don’t, then these goodies just aren’t made for you). The large onion slices and chopped scallions were like a big (flavorful) warm hug on a rainy day. And pho real tho, they were very generous with the meats, which made us pretty happy. (IDR100k/US$6.85)
Crispy vegetarian imperial rolls
It’s hard to screw up a spring roll, but there was something about these “imperial rolls” that made them better than any ol’ average roll. It was their wrapper that did it. The very flaky, crispy yet sponge-like texture made these babies a delight to devour, especially after dunking them deep into the dipping sauce, a typical Vietnamese mix of fish sauce, chili, and garlic. (IDR60k/US$4.11)
Banh Xeo
You’re going to need to grab a friend for this one. The banh xeo, or sizzling Vietnamese pancake, is giant. Clearly meant to be shared. It was a great union of textures and tastes: the crispy crepe, the juicy pork and shrimp (they really like combining their meats here, eh?), the crunchy lettuce, and the side sauce hitting those chili, garlic, and fish sauce notes again. Perfection!
For us, banh xeo has to probably be one of the most difficult things to eat gracefully. It’s like trying to consume a giant taco where everything’s falling out of the edges and juices are dripping down your hands. A single bite threatens to ruin the structural integrity of the thing, sending all contents flying onto the table. What’s that? We were supposed to eat it with a knife and fork? Where’s the fun in that? Bless the mess, it was worth it. (IDR120k/US$8.21)
Iced Coffee
Sludgy Vietnamese coffee coupled with some guilt-inducing sweetened condensed milk — on the rocks — is one of our favorite ways to take our beans. We were slightly disappointed that they didn’t serve it with a drip filter, but happy with the intense cuppa. Even though we generally know better than to order coffee with dinner, we couldn’t resist. We can attest that their coffee is strong. Very strong. (IDR35k/US$2.40)
MISSES (Alas!)
Sautéed lemongrass pork noodle, crispy imperial roll
It’s the things you’re the most excited about that have the potential to let you down the most. This was true for this one. We love us some vermicelli salad. But this dish had absolutely no flavor. The manager warned us when we ordered this one that it’s a “dry noodle dish” but surely, we thought, it can’t truly be dry and there will be some dressing to give it some zest, let alone some taste. Turns out, we thought wrong. At least the imperial roll, AKA spring roll was good, the meat-containing version of the starter we tried. (IDR80k/US$5.48)
Sautéed lemongrass pork cream cheese banh mi
Lemongrass pork with cream cheese? On a baguette? When we saw this on the menu, we initially thought “sign us up!” Please! But, it came and… The cream cheese was all but nonexistent and just like with the cold noodle salad, the sandwich was lacking in flavor and seemed all too dry. Pass. (IDR70k/US$4.79)
FIND IT:
NamNam Noodle Bar
Jl. Petitenget no. 111
Everyday, 8am-11pm
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