Elegant Bun Rieu Eatery Next to Ben Thanh Market

Established for quite some time, this upscale Bun Rieu eatery next to Ben Thanh Market boasts prices that exceed the average, yet it never lacks customers.

Elegant Bun Rieu Eatery Next to Ben Thanh Market

Originating from a sidewalk street food cart, this humble dish suddenly became 'elegant' after being transformed into a Bun Rieu restaurant with clean and tidy tables and chairs right in the center of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Just like squeezing a lemon, the restaurant opens daily from 9 am, serving until around 5:30 pm when everything is sold out. Waiting, lining up for a seat, or sharing a table with strangers during peak hours is quite common here.

The bowl of noodles here is presented quite neatly, without too many elaborate details, and even appears less attractive than other establishments. A complete bowl only includes noodles, pig blood pudding, tomatoes, tofu, and crab cakes, all divided into large pieces. However, customers only notice the difference upon tasting.

The noodles are thin, and instead of using crab paste, the restaurant uses crab cakes. What makes the restaurant famous is the large, enticing crab cake. Customers are unaware of the exact ingredients that make up this crab cake because the chef never shares the secret recipe for making the noodles. The owner always responds with a wary, uncomfortable look when anyone is curious about the ingredients of the crab cake or how the noodles are cooked. Those who ask usually receive vague answers like: finely chopped crab...

It's remarkably rare for anyone to complain about the broth being too salty or bland when it's served. Vegetables are already blanched, so customers just need to add them to their bowl of noodles. Enjoying the dish properly involves rolling the crab cake into small pieces, dipping it into a sauce made of tamarind sauce, shrimp paste, and ground chili before eating. You can also add shrimp paste to the noodles if you prefer a richer broth. The crab cake is charged separately, at 10,000 VND per cake.

Famous through word of mouth since it started selling 39 years ago, the shop doesn't advertise but is a familiar meeting point for office workers in the nearby area whenever they're tired of rice, and it's also a pocket-friendly spot for many food enthusiasts in Saigon.

Source: Ngôi Sao

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Reference: Travel guide by Mytour