Ara Vietnamese Noodles at Damansara Jaya: Snapshot

This fuss-free spot welcomes customers with bowl after bowl of Vietnamese noodles, both soupy & dry. A basic beef or chicken pho costs RM8; a more elaborate version with beef brisket, tendon & tripe is RM12.50. You’ll also find ‘hu tieu bo kho’ (RM8; beef stew noodles) & ‘bun thit xao sa’ (RM8; cold vermicelli topped with grilled pork); the ‘hu tieu nam vang’ (RM8) hot pork meat & liver noodles in a sweet broth is comfortingly similar to what some Malaysian Chinese kopitiam stalls offer. But there’s more than noodles – traditional spring rolls, pork sausage skewers, fried pancakes, lemongrass chicken with rice, plus desserts of creme caramel & grilled bananas, & (oh, hello!) Vietnam’s 333 beer & iced coffee. Honest fare with no pretensions.