A Ribeye Pho Lunch Counter in Tanjong Pagar: Quê

Office workers in Tanjong Pagar who search for pho near me at 12:15pm need a bowl that arrives fast and tastes like someone cared. Quê, at 182 Cecil Street, #02-14, Singapore 069547, is a small Vietnamese kitchen on the second floor of a CBD building, a few minutes on foot from Tanjong Pagar MRT. Its tagline is Viet Classics, Re-Imagined, and the menu backs that up with ribeye in the phở, Angus beef on the grill and pork jowl in a Hanoi-style bún chả.

Quê means hometown in Vietnamese, and the restaurant leans into family cooking. The menu notes that its fried spring rolls follow a recipe passed down from the owner's grandmother and mother, and they are made in-house, as is the Vietnamese barbecue sauce that flavours the grilled meats and the bánh mì fillings. The kitchen has recently moved, and the website now invites diners to find it at its new home on Cecil Street, where it serves breakfast, lunch and an early dinner to the surrounding offices.

There are two phở on the menu, and both are priced for a weekday lunch. Phở bò, the beef version, costs S$14.90 and comes with tender ribeye slices and beef balls, plus a list of add-ons for anyone who wants extra meat or herbs. Phở gà, the chicken version, is S$13.90 and comes with generous chicken slices and chicken balls in a broth that the restaurant says is simmered over low heat for 12 hours. The menu also notes that a wagyu option for the beef phở has been available since 7 October.

The best-value day to visit is Monday. Under a promotion the restaurant calls Beat the Blues, the chicken phở drops from S$13.90 to S$10.90, and it cannot be combined with other deals. That makes Quê one of the cheaper ways to get a proper bowl of phở in the CBD. Lunch specials change through the year, and the restaurant lists its current offers on the What's New page of its website.

The second reason to come is the grill. The pork jowl bún chả Hà Nội on skewer, a house favourite at S$16.90, pairs slices of grilled pork jowl with a housemade pork patty skewer, served with fresh rice vermicelli, herbs and dipping sauce. Bún bò Huế, the spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup from central Vietnam, is S$15.90 and made with ribeye slices. The menu warns that it can take a while to prepare at peak times, so order it early or come after the rush.

The dry noodle section is built around the grill. Bún chả Quê on skewer A, at S$13.90, gives you grilled pork belly and chicken thigh over fresh rice vermicelli or short-grain rice, with vegetables and herbs, and the menu suggests one pork and one chicken skewer for a first visit. Skewer B, at S$17.90, swaps in grilled Angus beef and is the plate the kitchen calls its impress-someone order. A grilled plate for two, with two pork and three chicken skewers, is S$20.

A vegan bún chả at S$13.90 combines tofu with vegan fried spring rolls made in-house, served in the kitchen's own sauce, so a meat-free diner is not stuck with a salad. The egg and king oyster mushroom baguette also has a vegan option. Quê's housemade Vietnamese barbecue sauce is sold by the bottle at S$7.50 for 250ml, which says something about how central it is to the cooking here.

If you want something to carry back to your desk, the bánh mì list is strong. The beef bánh mì, the restaurant's best-selling baguette, costs S$15.90, and the egg and king oyster mushroom bánh mì is S$13.90 for non-meat eaters. Two fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, gỏi cuốn, are S$9.90, and you can mix pork and prawn. The grandmother's recipe fried spring rolls, chả giò, are S$13.90 for a portion and sell out regularly, so do not leave them until mid-afternoon.

Vietnamese coffee here is S$5, black or with milk, hot or iced, and the egg coffee, cà phê trứng, is S$7.50. A recommended set for two at S$60.70 combines a beef phở, a pork jowl bún chả with fried spring rolls, fresh spring rolls and two chilled Vietnamese coffees, a tidy way to try the range. For home cooking, Quê sells a phở take-home kit at S$14.90 with concentrated broth, ribeye, beef balls, fresh noodles and herbs.

Quê is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, and on Saturday from 10am to 3pm, with Sunday closed. Since the kitchen mainly serves the surrounding offices, the crunch comes at weekday lunchtime, roughly noon to 1:30pm. Arriving at 11:30am or after 2pm makes a big difference. The restaurant handles enquiries and orders by WhatsApp only, so send a message rather than calling if you want to order ahead for a group.

The building sits on Cecil Street in the financial district. By MRT, Tanjong Pagar station on the East-West Line is about 200 metres away, using exits G or K, and Telok Ayer and Shenton Way stations are each about 350 metres away. Many buses stop at bus stop 03151, opposite GB Building. Drivers can use the car park at Frasers Tower, which is entered from Telok Ayer Street.

The CBD around Cecil Street was once the edge of the old harbour, and a walk shows it. Lau Pa Sat, the cast-iron Victorian market hall from 1894, is a short walk north-east and is lovely at dusk, when the neighbouring Boon Tat Street closes for satay stalls. Nearer still, Telok Ayer Street has the Thian Hock Keng temple, built by Hokkien sailors in the 1840s, and a row of restored shophouses with coffee bars, an easy loop after a weekday lunch.

Quê, 182 Cecil Street, #02-14, Singapore 069547. Hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, Sunday closed. Phở bò S$14.90, phở gà S$13.90 or S$10.90 on Mondays, bún bò Huế S$15.90, beef bánh mì S$15.90. Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar, exit G or K. Website: que-kitchen.com.