Spiced Pho and Egg Coffee in Jurong East: So Pho

West-side families looking for pho near me without travelling into town usually end up at JEM. So Pho, at 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #03-22 JEM, Singapore 608549, is a full-service Vietnamese restaurant on the third floor of the mall next to Jurong East MRT station. It is not a hole-in-the-wall noodle stall. The room is set up for sit-down family meals, and the long menu means a table of five can order phở, rice plates, salads and Vietnamese coffee without anyone feeling short-changed.

So Pho belongs to Katrina Group, the Singapore restaurant company that also runs a portfolio of Thai and Asian dining brands. The group's website currently lists five So Pho outlets across the island, and the JEM branch is the main option for diners in the west. Katrina Group describes the look of the restaurants as white and black furnishings with white lanterns and bursts of greenery, and the JEM room follows that template: bright, tidy and easy to navigate with a pram or a group.

According to the restaurant's 2026 menu, its noodle soup is cooked with cinnamon, star anise, ginger and what it calls healing spices. In the bowl that translates into a clear, aromatic beef stock that leans warm and sweet-spiced rather than salty. Fresh herbs, lime and chilli let you adjust the bowl at the table, so you can keep it mild for children or sharpen it for yourself. Taste the soup before adding any sauce, because the spice notes are the reason to order the classic version.

The core list on the menu is straightforward and keenly priced. Pho with sliced beef costs S$11.80, the same price as pho with beef balls. Sliced beef and beef balls together come to S$13, and the bowl with sliced beef, beef balls, tendon and brisket is S$14.80. That last one is the bowl to choose if you like texture, since the tendon turns soft and gelatinous in the hot stock while the brisket adds a deeper beef flavour. Extra toppings are sold separately, with an add-on of sliced beef at S$4.

So Pho runs a second, spicy broth line for diners who want more chilli in the soup itself. The Pho Spicy with sliced beef is S$12.50, and the spicy version with sliced beef, beef balls, tendon and brisket is S$15.50. At the top of the menu sits the So Pho flame-seared premium marbled sirloin beef with beef balls noodle soup at S$19.50, where the sirloin is seared before it goes into the bowl. A spicy version of the marbled sirloin bowl is S$19.80.

Vietnamese meals are shared, and the menu has plenty to put in the middle of the table. Fried spring rolls are S$5.50 for two rolls, and summer rolls with prawns, grilled chicken and chicken ham are S$7.50 for two. The Vietnamese pancake with minced chicken and seafood costs S$14. For a non-soup main, the grilled lemongrass chicken bún noodles with fried spring rolls is S$13.80, a good choice for a child who prefers dry noodles to a hot bowl.

Not every member of a family wants noodle soup, and So Pho has a page of rice dishes that are worth a look. Stir-fried basil with rice is S$12.80 with beef or chicken and S$11.80 in a vegetarian version, a quick, savoury plate with plenty of Thai basil. For a bigger spread of starters, the mixed appetisers platter costs S$17.80, and imperial spring rolls are S$9.30 for three. Prawn cakes are S$7.50 for two pieces.

Vegetarians are better served here than at many pho shops. The vegetarian salad is S$12.80, and the bún noodles with sautéed tofu and fried spring rolls cost S$12.80 as well, so a meat-free diner can eat a full meal rather than picking at sides. Ask staff which items are fully plant-based before ordering, since phở broth at most Vietnamese restaurants is made from beef bones.

Do not skip the drinks list. Vietnamese egg coffee, the Hanoi speciality of strong coffee topped with whipped egg-yolk cream, is S$6.90, and so is the coconut coffee. Classic Vietnamese drip coffee, black or with condensed milk, hot or iced, is S$5.90. For dessert, mango with glutinous rice is S$6.90, or S$8.90 with ice cream. Hot or iced longan with red dates and ginger is a gentler end to a spiced meal.

So Pho runs a Weekday Super Value Set from S$9.90 before charges, for dine-in only on weekdays, excluding public holidays. It is the cheapest way to eat here, and it makes a weekday lunch with colleagues from the Jurong Gateway offices easy on the budget. On the main menu, prices are subject to a 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes, so budget about 20% on top of the listed price once GST is included.

The JEM restaurant is open 11am to 10pm daily. Weekday lunch fills up from about noon with office workers, and weekend dinners bring families from the surrounding estates, so arrive before 6:30pm on a Saturday or Sunday if you want a table without waiting. Mid-afternoon on a weekday is the quietest time, and a good slot for a late lunch with a coffee to finish.

Jurong East MRT station, an interchange on the North-South and East-West lines, connects to JEM by a covered link bridge, so you can reach the restaurant without stepping outside. Westgate mall is next door on the same network of bridges if you want to shop after eating. For a proper walk, head south-west to Jurong Lake Gardens, Singapore's newer national garden, where boardwalks, lakeside lawns and the Chinese and Japanese gardens make a peaceful hour after a heavy bowl of beef noodles.

So Pho JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #03-22 JEM, Singapore 608549. Hours: 11am to 10pm daily. Pho with sliced beef S$11.80, sliced beef with beef balls, tendon and brisket S$14.80, flame-seared marbled sirloin pho S$19.50, egg coffee S$6.90. Prices are subject to a 10% service charge and GST. Weekday set from S$9.90, dine-in only. Website: sopho.com.sg.