Halal Vietnamese Food

Growing Up

Emina Abdullah was born and raised in Phan Thiết, the capital of Bình Thuận Province, a beautiful  coastal city situated in the south-east region of Vietnam. The city is famous for its fish sauce industry and tranquil beaches. It has grown rapidly since the mid 90's to become a modern and  international tourism hotbed.

Growing up as the 4th child, Emina's family lived in a tiny village house where they survived on farming rice and dragonfuit. Occasionally, they would hunt for honey bee hives or rear livestocks. To supplement income, Emina's mother would set up shop selling food and it was there that Emina's culinary journey truly began. 

Working since a very young age, Emina eventually saved up enough to build a proper brck house with an adjoining shop. Her passion for cooking grew but until her mother passed on soon after.

Moving to Singapore

Years later, Emina moved to Singapore. Working as an independent seamstress, she sewed Malay 'baju kurung' for women and their families. Ramadhan was an exceptionally busy period with demand stretching 4 months before festivities.

As demand for costumes dipped during off-peak seasons, Emina would sell Vietnamese food from home to supplement income. Each week she takes delivery of customers orders via Facebook and meticulously prepares them each day from her home kitchen. With her trusty trolley, Emina would traverse every corner of Singapore by trains, buses and on foot to fulfil her customers' orders.

Vietnamese customers caught on as they we enticed by the original home style cooking. Regular customers bonded to become friends forming a socially tight knit group. Her home turned into a place to meet and Emina would cook  Phở Bò and variations of  Phan Thiết cuisines to satiate her friends longing for authentic home cooked Vietnamese food. 

Pandemic

Emina launched the hawker stall at the famous Old Airport Road Food Centre in the mid of Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, selling only 4 items - halal Phở Bò (Beef soup noodle),  halal Bún Bò Huế (Spicy beef soup noodle), Gỏi Cuốn (Fresh spring roll) and Cơm Tấm (Broken Rice). The stall was aptly named 'Emina's Mi' to reflect upon her culinary journey in creating halal Vietnamese noodle soup cuisine. As word gets around, customers and tourists began to flock from all over Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond.

The tiny 2m by 2m kitchen attracted regular crowd and subsequently Emina expanded her menu to produce halal Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette), halal Chả Giò (Fried Spring Rolls) and halal Bún Thịt Nướng (Dry Noodles).

Being a halal gastronomy, Emina adjusted Vietnamese dishes to suit the Singaporean palate such as introducing the hot chili condiment (Chef's Chilli) and accentuating herbs and meat but without sacrificing Phan Thiết traditions taught by her mother.

Next 

Bistro Eminami opened its doors on the eve of Ramadhan in 2023 at the historic Kampong Glam district along Kandahar Street. Now offering an expanded menu with over 20 items that include Vetnamese vegetarian options and comfortable dining, Emina hopes that her customers could now enjoy good food in a setting that would spark conversations about Vietnamese travel  & culture.

From growing up in a village rag poor to living in a modern city and building a succesful restaurant. Her story has yet to be told as the young lady continues her pursuit of passion in creating good tastes and good service for everyone.