Freshness in Every Bite - Bún Thịt Nướng
If there is one dish that defines Vietnamese food, this is it. Generally speaking, Vietnamese food is as fresh as it gets. They’ve perfected the use of all of their fresh ingredients and herbs. This is true even when we’re talking about any of the delicious noodle soups, like phở or hữu tiểu, or any of the rice dishes. However, bún thịt nướng has freshness written all over it. It’s neither too hot nor too cold. It’s made of vermicelli noodles, strips of lettuce, cucumbers, bean sprouts, fried spring rolls, grilled pork, green onions, peanuts and drenched in spicy fish sauce, well that’s how I like it anyway. It’s a dish that I always ordered at the local Vietnamese restaurant in Fort Smith, Arkansas (Phở Hoang, 2111 Grand Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72901). And it’s the dish that my mom has put her own twist on, with her homemade egg rolls.
Luckily, we live on a street bustling with street food all day long. Just a few hems down from ours, is a sweet lady who sells bún thịt nướng for just 15,000 VND! Ambiance is not the reason to come to this food stall. The food is definitely the reason. She cooks the fried spring rolls (chả giò) while a gentleman cooks the grilled pork (thịt nướng). You can get this dish at most chain restaurants and you can find food stalls around Saigon, but hers is by far the best. She’s open for lunch only or until she runs out of food, which is usually between 11:30am and 2:30pm. Check it out!
61B Trần Văn Đang Ward 9, District 3
