Saigon Eats : Bun Bo Hue



Hue - photo courtesy of vietnamuniquetours.com



Huế is the capital city of Hue province. Between 1802 and 1945, during the reign of the Nguyen dynasty, it was the imperial city. This feudal dynasty dominated much of southern Vietnam in those times.

Now where there is royalty, there is good food, presented beautifully.  The theory is - the palace cooks and the citizenry in general do their utmost to please the king/emperor. 

And so, Hue cuisine is regarded in Vietnam as the best.

Besides phở, another popular Vietnamese soup is bún bò Huế. Key ingredients are rice vermicelli (bún) and beef (bò). It usually includes thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, chunks of oxtail, and pig's knuckles. Bun bo is commonly served with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, sliced onions, thinly sliced banana blossom, mint & basil, and mung bean sprouts. Fish sauce and chili sauce can also be added to taste.

There's a restaurant chain which goes with the same name.

The one we frequent is the one in 39 Ngo Duc Ke St. (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). It's usually full, especially during lunch time. 

We enjoy the fragrant, hearty, spicy soup and generous chunks of meat and meatpaste.

After an afternoon of shopping, my daughter and I were famished and tired, and headed there for some snack.  We sat by the window.  It was 5pm, only a few diners were inside.

There was the banh nam on the table (glutinous rice with minced shrimp wrapped in banana leaf and steamed).

We opted instead for a platter of steamed mini-cakes made from rice flour and cassava flour,  and with shrimp and meat topping/filling.  These were eaten with nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Hue cuisine is characterized by small serving sizes with a refined presentation.


We also had a bowl of soup each.  This time I tried the one with crabmeat paste.

with crabmeat paste

with beef flank and pork paste

A serving of the house yogurt refreshed and cleansed the palate afterwards.



Such a simple, satisfying meal.  The cost was quite reasonable at VND 250k (US$ 12.50) for us two.

Plus we had some free entertainment - cockfighting right by the window where we sat.

         







In case anyone is wondering why Huế ceased to be the capital after 1945 ...

On August of that year, Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated to Hồ Chí Minh, who unified south and north Vietnam. The capital of the government became Hà Nội in the north.