For our final meal in Saigon, our friend Hawkins insisted on lunch at Bánh Cuốn Hải Nam. Narrow as can be, this restaurant has been serving the city’s best crêpes for decades. While service and decor is mostly minimal, the food keeps customers coming back time and again.
The restaurant’s tidy alfresco kitchen faces the street, greeting customers with the aroma of hot crêpes as they walk in.
Every serving is steamed and stuffed to order in the minimalist kitchen. We didn’t wait but a moment for our plates of the house special bánh cuốn to arrive.
Bánh cuốn, a northern Vietnamese dish, is made of thin and pliable rice crêpes stuffed with a mixture of ground pork and woodear mushrooms. Each plate is served with neatly julienned herbs, bean spouts, and fried shallots. There’s a jug of fish sauce at every table, allowing diners to douse as they please.
I was expecting the bánh cuốn to be quite good, but didn’t anticipate Hải Nam nailing it on all fronts. The texture of the crêpes was outstanding, while the fish sauce was well-balanced and pitch perfect.
To supplement our modestly portioned bánh cuốn, we garnished each plate with thick slices of chả lụa (Vietnamese ham). Even with the additional protein, we were all jonesing for more food after polishing off our initial plates and ordered another round straightaway. That’s how we do in Vietnam.
While walking back to the hotel to collect our luggage, I could not resist stopping at the PappaRoti stand for a taste of “The Father of All Buns.” This chain of Korean bakeries has established quite a presence in Saigon. In fact, we ran into another outlet at our favorite MaxiMark.
The crackly and boob-shaped bun was served fresh from the oven. With a slight mocha flavor, light texture, and buttery innards, it’s easy to see why they’re so popular with the local set.
So yes, my last bite in Vietnam was a Korean import.
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For more Vietnamese food adventures from our summer 2011 trip, check out these posts:
- Saigon Classic: Bún Bò Huế Yên Đỗ
- Saigon Classic: Flaming Roadside Bánh Xèo
- Saigon Dinner Crawl: Squeaky Meatballs, Sesame Sludge, Spicy Duck Tongues, and More
- District 4, Saigon: Our Home Away From Home
- Saigon Classics: Goat Three Ways, Coconut Ice Cream, and Vietnamese Fried Chicken
- Vietnamese Steak and Eggs at Quán Lệ Hồng
- Life After Bourdain: Reuniting with the Lunch Lady
- Phở Hòa Pasteur: Phenomenally Phamous Phở
- Family Knows Best: Saigon’s Finest Bánh Mì, Glutinous Bananas, and Chicken Sticky Rice
- American Doughnuts on Saigon Soil
- Hủ Tiếu Cá – Vietnamese Fish Noodle Soup
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Bánh Cuốn Hải Nam
11A Cao Thắng
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
PappaRoti
Cao Thắng
District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
You blog article on Vietnamese crepe cause me to find a Vietnamese place last night to order from, but they did not have banh cuon and their bo kho was average at best (not as good as mine and clearly not as good as grandma’s). their cha gio was good though.
Hm these Vietnamese crêpes look fantastic!
Unless there is another chain with the same name, Pappa Roti is actually Malaysian. I absolutely love their buns, they go great with a cup of coffee!
I love Pappa Roti! Have you eaten at the one in Pasadena?
OMG, what a coincidence. This banh cuon joint was just steps away from our hotel where we stayed (Sen Viet Hotel). I loved the banh cuon here, it came second to a tiny stall I was obsessed with on the island of Phu Quoc. Thanks for bringing back a great memory. 🙂
Pappa Roti is actually a Malaysian Import, not Korean. They are delicious!