Review: Pho Viet (4 out of 5 bear paws)

(Update: The dream is over. As of May 2007, when we last drove past, the stall's gone).
It's been a while since Ms Bear got excited about a kopi tiam stall.

I don't have the address, but it's opposite the Lavender Road hawker centre next to a Hotel 81, at the corner of Beatty Lane and Foch Road. (Hmm, Hotel 81 at FOCH Road.) Don't let the slightly dodgy location put you off. The Vietnamese cook dishes up a mean Pho, in a stall called Pho Viet. It says "Vienamese Food" in brackets in case you miss the point.

A framed picture of the cook stands underneath the lightboard menu. He is shot in chef's uniform garlanded with what looks like culinary medals. No explanation is given on what he did to earn this photo opportunity, but none is necessary after you get a taste of his pho.

The beef noodles came in an oh-so-fragrant herby broth, outstripping any that I've tried in Singapore. The beef slices were tender and the bite of both the noodles and bean sprouts were just right. I told Mr Bear that I wasn't going to eat anywhere else in future when the urge for pho strikes.

It seems relatively undiscovered - the chicken rice ball stall next to it was doing roaring business in comparison. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese auntie helping out was barely able to keep up with a normal flow of orders, so a little patience is required.

The Amazing Bench

This discovery sets the benchmark for furniture that can live 2 lives.

Like one of the Transformer cartoon robots, it converts smoothly from a 2-seater to a full-fledged picnic suite for 4 !

You start off by lifting the front edge of the seat, then the high back slowly flips over to become the tabletop. The front and back halves of the seat split to form the 2 attached benches.

I wish I took an mpeg - you have to see it to believe it. It's being delivered to the 2Bears on the 20th.

It's always someone else's fault

"Our office is closed and we can't call them, so we can't tell you what's happened to your delivery, so sorry." (Got this twice from 2 different shops)

"Sorry, I thought my guys have fixed it already." (from one-half of the Awesomes)

"Sorry, there was a dispute with the overseas manufacturer who just appointed a local distributor and told us we had to order from them. We managed to persuade them to send the consignment but we cannot give you a delivery date. Maybe 3 more weeks. Could be after Christmas."

"Sorry, who called you from our side to tell you that the serviceman would be coming at 7 pm ?"

And my favourite:

"The worktop contractor for the kitchen said that there will be a delay because he does not have the right colour of glue."

It drives me mad that vendors don't hold themselves accountable for the lack of supervision of employees or substandard parties they appoint, whether to make a delivery or provide an essential component of the service. In this age of outsourcing, they ought to realise that incompetent contractors give them a bad name. It's really really not enough just to make the sale.