Đậu hủ nóng (dow hoo nom) is a throwback beach town dessert, specifically enjoyed after a morning soak in the ocean. Today, morning walkers and jazzercisers add to the exclusive clientele list.
Find a bowl accompanied by a glass of hot or iced soy bean milk on the corner of Lê Lợi and the park next door.
Rivaling the salmon in size, just as fatty and tasty but at a fraction of the cost, the leatherjacket is seasoned with onions, oil and spices and grilled whole in aluminum foil. The Vietnamese twist involves rolling pieces of the fish along with lettuce and cucumber slices in rice paper, then dipping in a lemon chili sauce. Chúc ngon miệng! (bon apetite!)
5 Bãi Dương (bi yoong) serves up Cá Bò Da Nướng Giấy Bạc "ka baw ya noong yay back" in the late hours.
A thin strip of beef, a fried egg, a meatball, onions, and special sauce are fired up on a cast iron plate and brought to your table still sizzling. The "né" in bò né (baw neigh) means to stand back (from the spitting sizzle).
In the mornings, try your luck at Đức Phát (duck fat) restaurant on 55 Le Thanh Phuong. And after dusk, at Bo Ne 32 on 32 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
A near replica of the famous chinese dish, the Vietnamese version of mì hoàn thánh (me won ton) gets its unique flavor from pork broth rather than chicken, with the same pork and mushroom filled dumplings, hand pulled egg noodles, fried shallots, and a touch of dark sesame oil.
In Nha Trang, you can find a bowl of this soup at Đúc Phát (duck fat) restaurant on 55 Lê Thành Phương (leh tan foong) from 6:30-11:30am.
A Hanoian original, seasoned, minced pork and mushrooms filled inside thin sheets of rice which are then rolled and topped with grilled pork, cured pork ham (chả lụa / cha loowa), egg rolls, bean sprouts and fried shallots is what you call bánh cuốn (ban coon).
So you want to try bánh cuốn? Go to the corner of Ngô Gia Tự (ngoe ya tow) and Bặch Đằng (bock dong) from 6am-9am. Moka Cafe on 74 Hung Vuong also has Banh Cuon from 7:30-9am.
