Barbecue boulevard

Saunter down pretty much any street between 10am and mid-day and you'll find someone somewhere (usually a man) sparking up a pavement grill and fidgeting the meat over the coals. Usually it's pork, sometimes it's beef, occasionally chicken. I find this smokey stall at the hectic corner hub of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Cach Mang Thang Tham Streets in District 3 outside Thu Thuy restaurant.

It's a weasel's whisker away from the KTC Macfixit men and I drop by, revived Mac in hand, to pick up a takeaway Bun thit nuong (Grilled marinated pork with cold vermicelli noodles).

They push this dish from the mobile stall front of the restaurant with a bright yellow stencilled idiot proof sign that says it costs 7,000VD. I'm sold.

Out front, the bosses daughter gets busy with the herbs. Inside there's a small seating area and the backdrop tells me they're Hue food specialists - Cac mon an Hue. However, these guys have a lot of bases to cover.

There are two menu boards and bags to choose from and an awful lot we haven't covered here... yet.

I wouldn't say the Bun thit nuong I took home with me was that good, it wasn't. In fact it was a cough below adequate and a sneeze above crap. However, there was plenty of it. That said, the number and variety of dishes on offer could make this an interesting stop off if you're in a scoff-sampling mood. It's also located in a reasonably central spot, easy to find.

The outdoor, stall side soup pot alone has four lipsmackin' varieties on the go. If I was in the vicinity again, I'd certainly consider dropping by for a cheap no frills fill. Friendly service too.