Banh Mi Hero

January 8th, 2012

In its central location just behind the Bitexco Tower, Ham Nghi serves as a pertinent place to host the plethora of food outlets that line the street.

From the all day market that has bubbling tubs of fresh fish to the mini-marts specialising in western brands, it’s a street with something for everyone.

But it is at 66–68 Ham Nghi that the biggest name of all, Nhu Lan, presides over the competition. Open 24 hours and standing as a delicatessen, bakery, butcher, roadside barbecue and Vietnamese street food restaurant all in one, this corner property has been here for over 40 years.

Six rows of silver tables with lines of red plastic stools mark a quick dining experience. Friendly staff attend to our order of spring rolls quickly and efficiently. Goi cuon tom thit are fresh Vietnamese spring rolls which ordinarily do not excite as much as their deep fried brothers, yet these seem to have a favourable balance of meat, herbs and lettuce, with two halved prawns lining the spine. At VND10,000 a go they’re a perfect bite to awaken the appetite while pondering the rest of the dishes.

The first of the mains to arrive is an overloaded bowl of bun rieu cua, a crab meat noodle soup. This broth spiked with tomato and tofu carries dense and flavourful crab balls with flaked crab meat descending steadily into the generous portion below. Although the noodles add the possibly unnecessary carbohydrates, the broth remains light yet fully flavoured, a pleasant eat for only VND40,000.

A second VND40,000 dish of com suon bi cha follows swiftly behind, a bountiful plate of broken rice with a trio of pork, barbecued meat, pig skin shavings and the mysterious pork egg custard that graces many com tam menus. The barbecued pork is salty and delicious, slightly sweetened by the caramelised edges. Yet, however delectable the meat is, the skin and pie leave a lot to be desired as you must dodge the frequent grizzle, and the custard’s spongy texture is rather off putting.

A final flourish to make up for the disappointing pork skin and custard comes in the form of a banh mi barbecue, a dish recommended by the waitress. Taken from a spit very similar to a Turkish kebab house, except looking incredibly fresh and obviously put together recently by hand, some glisteningly moist pork meat is spooned into a baguette along with mustard, mayonnaise, cucumber and lettuce. This tasty banh mi for VND25,000 is worth a visit alone to what is a thriving and enjoyable feature of Ho Chi Minh City’s street food circuit.

source form: tuoitrenews