Today I ate mixed vermicelli with tofu at a popular restaurant, which I have eaten many times, but this is the first time I have to praise this dish. This restaurant is famous not only for its delicious rice dishes but also for its various Vietnamese dishes such as braised fish, crab wings, braised meat, fried chicken, grilled pork with betel leaves, stir-fried beef, mixed fried pork, fried shrimp,... with more than 30 diverse dishes. In addition to rice, the restaurant also serves many other types of vermicelli such as snail vermicelli, fish vermicelli, chicken vermicelli, grilled pork vermicelli, beef vermicelli, and recently they have added mixed vermicelli with prices ranging from 30k, 35k, 40k (VND). This is a quite popular dish, but today I had a truly different experience, especially in terms of food quality and price. Normally, mixed vermicelli like this costs from 35k to 40k at other restaurants, but here, I ordered 2 servings of 30k and was really surprised because the portion was so big. A serving of vermicelli like this is not only full but also very rich with many side dishes, enough to make you full.
If you order a serving of 40k/person, you definitely can't finish it because there is too much food. Compared to other vermicelli restaurants, the price here is very cheap, but the portion is extremely full and more diverse.
The mixed vermicelli with bean curd here is special because of the combination of many rich and attractive ingredients. First of all, we have to mention crispy fried tofu, fried until golden brown, crispy on the outside, but still soft and smooth on the inside. Crispy tofu is eaten hot and very tasty, when combined with vermicelli, it creates a perfect blend of crunchiness and softness.
One thing that cannot be missed is mixed fried spring rolls, this spring roll is made very elaborately, with ingredients such as wood ear mushrooms, minced meat, carrots, vermicelli, eggs, all rolled in thin rice paper and fried until crispy. The fried spring rolls have a moderate crispiness and are fried until crispy in cooking oil.
Besides, the insect intestines also impressed me no less. The intestines here are made from pig's blood, green beans, Vietnamese coriander and peanuts, all stuffed in pig's intestines and then fried until crispy, creating a dish that is both crispy and sweet, giving a very strange and interesting feeling. This dish has the perfect combination of ingredients, both rich in the fatty taste of pig's blood and crispy from peanuts and Vietnamese coriander.
It is impossible not to mention the thinly sliced boiled pork, this meat dish is processed very meticulously, thinly sliced but still retains the natural sweetness of the meat, extremely fresh and delicious. The pork is not dry, but soft, easy to eat, helping to balance other fried dishes.
The “doi” dish is also very special, similar to sausage but has pork cartilage inside so it is extremely crispy. This dish brings an interesting feeling when eating, because the crunchiness of the pork cartilage combined with the fatty taste of the meat is very delicious. In addition, there is also the fried sour spring rolls, made from thinly sliced pork skin mixed with pork loin, all coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. This dish has a wonderful crispiness, combined with the characteristic light sour taste of spring rolls, it is very strange to eat and stimulates the appetite.
Another dish that I am very impressed with is chả cốm. Cha cốm here is made from ground pork with young com (green rice grains), creating a very fragrant and delicious dish. Young rice brings a unique flavor, both soft and slightly sweet, combined with very soft ground pork, creating a dish that is both strange and familiar.
The vermicelli here is cut into large, bite-sized pieces, and when eating, you can dip the vermicelli in fish sauce with garlic, chili, and lemon, which is very delicious and tasty. If you like shrimp paste, you can also choose to dip it in shrimp paste, although I am not used to eating shrimp paste so I chose fish sauce. The fish sauce here is very special, with a moderate saltiness, a little spicy from chili and a little sour from lemon, creating an extremely harmonious flavor.
In addition to the main dishes, the restaurant also serves a plate of vegetables with cucumber and herbs such as Vietnamese coriander and basil, to help balance the fried dishes. Such a dish is not only delicious but also full of nutrients, creating a cool, pleasant feeling when eaten.
Although this restaurant has a rather ordinary, even a bit ugly, space, the food is extremely delicious and the prices are very reasonable. Because it is located next to schools, this is definitely the reason why the food here is cheaper than other places. The restaurant has existed for more than ten years and is associated with the childhood of many generations of students. If you come here, in addition to eating noodles, don't forget to try a glass of coca to help with digestion, or other types of tea and soy milk, which are very suitable to enjoy after the meal. In total, two people spent 75k VND, equivalent to about 3.1 USD, an extremely reasonable price for a delicious and complete meal.
With the excellent quality of food and reasonable prices, I will continue to visit this restaurant in the future.
