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 Those of you who have enjoyed Vietnamese sandwiches abroad are familiar with the Bánh Mỳ Patê. With origins from the French colonial period—these are fresh baguettes filled with a slab of county style pork pate. While purists stick to the basics, you can also add cucumber and sausage slices, greens and a squirt of chili sauce for the perfect eat as you go snack. Another variety is the breakfast or Bánh Mỳ Trứng, which is a baguette filled with eggs (your choice of how many) scrambled with scallions, and like the bánh mỳ pate, with optional toppings such as cucumbers, herbs, and spicy sauce.
Where to find it?
There are many little temporary stands that pop up in the early morning hours serving bánh my trung. One fixed location serves up a tasty version of the breakfast sandwich as well as a variety of bánh mỳ patê all day. Coordinates: 51 Hàng Điếu, at the corner of Hàng Nón, just a few meters north of Bún Bò Nam Bộ, also on the east side of the street. This is the same place that serves up a refreshing Tào Phớ (reference/link to sweets). Bánh mỳ patê is about 10,000 dong or bánh trưng, 4,000. Look for the small yellow sign advertising Tào Phớ and Bánh Mỳ Patê.
Another spot that has been around for decades and is still doing brisk business in bánh mỳ sandwiches is Bánh Mỳ Patê, Restaurant Francais, at no. 17 Lý Quốc Sư, between St. Joseph’s Church (Nhà Thờ) and Hàng Gai street.
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Vietnamese salads are wonderful for their super fresh ingredients. Exotic when compared to standard leafy greens, some Vietnamese standards star key ingredients such as banana flower, lotus stem and green papaya.  Nộm đu đủ is a slightly sweet and sour green papaya salad, topped with your choice of meat topping (dried beef is most commonly found in restaurant versions of this dish). When you order a nộm đu đủ plate, the seller will put some shredded papaya and carrot in the dish first, then she will add your meat topping of choice, herbs such as coriander, mint, basil, freshly roasted ground peanuts, and nộm broth made of sugar, fish sauce, vinegar infused with minced hot chili and garlic. The dish has interesting textures and zesty because of herbal flavors mixed with chewy meaty topping, crunchy papaya, and buttery taste of peanuts with sweet, sour and spicy broth.
Where to find it?
While an array of local salads can be found on all menus serving Vietnamese fare, the green papaya salad (nộm đu đủ) is the only one that has single dish vendors on the street. Meat toppings on the street include dried beef jerky or assorted pig parts, such as stomach, ear, liver and tail. Coordinates: Head to no. 25 Hàm Long, between Hàng Bài and Ngô Thì Nhậm Street Look for the few tables set out along the concrete wall with colored stamps on it. About 10,000 per small plate, serving 10AM-7PM. |
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