Saturday, October 24, 2009

Bánh Xèo Ăn Là Ghiền, Saigon

Bánh Khọt Miền Tây Chay

After all of that food today, we figured that we'd keep it light tonight, and the thought of a bunch of fresh herbs paired with bánh xèo sounded pretty good. This shop (54A Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, 8847-9574) tried to take a healthier stance with mushrooms and the like, so we grabbed a watercress version called bánh xèo rau mầm. It got a bit soggy but did the job.

We also got some of those tart-shaped things above called bánh khọt miền tây chay. And while they still provided that leaf that I dislike, I pretty much liked all of the other varieties they had...and I loaded up in particular on that fresh basil.

Interestingly, my favorite thing of the night wasn't even the bánh xèo, but rather something called bì cuốn, which I had never tried before. Wrapped up in rice paper like its close relative gỏi cuốn, the fillings in this one, such as shredded pork skin and rice powder, instantly resonated with me. I liked those things so much that I ordered two more just to round out the meal. I think I just like that thick rice paper.

1 comment:

Pete said...

That "bánh khọt miền tây chay" sure looked like something I had at the Slanted Door in San Francisco. Simply loved them! But am sure the Vietnam version would taste better!