The hedgerow hits keep on coming

This is Hoang Ty Restaurant at 459 - 461 Cach Mang Thang Tam street in Saigon's District 10. It's ugly, it's popular and it serves a bewildering array of Vietnamese standards and Trang Bang specialities. I'm here for the Banh Trang phoi suong - a rice paper, pork, hedgerow and health wrap, roll and guzzle number. I've blogged about it previoulsy in this post. With your help, I've also attempted to dissect the collossal bush that arrives with the carnivorous end of this dish. Alors, I vill not prattle... suffice to say it is my favourite southern Vietnamese dish.

Hoang Ty does the full Vietnamese: White plastic chairs, shiny metal tables, fluorescent lighttubes, mammoth TV (turned on) and monsterbig sound system (also turned on) All in all this restaurant is designed to utterly destroy your dining pleasure. The fact that it fails is testament to one thing only - the food. It is superb.

The satellite imagery above just chops off the dish of beansprouts, cucumber slices and a bowl of mam nem on the far left The menu offers three meat variations, we skip trotters and fat and go lean. Cannot find fault with any thing going on here. It's excellent, even better than the Nguyen Van Thu street version in District 1.

Although the Hoang Ty number comes minus the he (a kind of chive) but with the welcome addition of bun (vermicelli noodles) and the not so welcome addition of mam nem (pungent friend loser). The nuoc mam (fish sauce) pictured above works just fine for this dish, IMO.

And here's the tab for three, with softdrinks at lunchtime - bit confusing with the sister restaurant address at the top, but won't deny the sentiment at the bottom. Hen gap bloody lai indeed. More photos from Hoang Ty.

Comments

[Sticky]

Pieman - that colossal bush looks far from the delicate Vietnamese herbs I know. Looks like something hardy and chewy, something a koala might enjoy?

[meg]

I'm so excited to have just found this blog. After days of reading food blogs and then clicking to other food blogs until I've exhausted any and every desire to look at food, I've finally found you!

(comment not meant to be creepy at all - I hope)

I'm just excited that I've found a food writer who writes about Vietnamese food and enjoys banh trang as much as I do. And the fact that you're writing about a place a mere half an hour by Honda from my family's home is something to smile about too.

[bill]

How do I start? What kind words can I say that haven't already been spoken to/about you? How about THANKS! I am Viet. born in the good ol' America. I never really consider going back to Vietnam but after reading you post and all of your archive for the last 2 weeks I feel I am ready. Thanks!

[msnguyen]

When I was in Saigon last summer, a friend of mine took me to a Bánh tráng Phơi Sương place in Phú Nhuận. That place was in an alley just a few meters away from the major road. It was dark and I didn't know the area well, but I think it's the address printed on your tab. I have to say, it was my first time eating it and I was in love. :)

Did you eat it with the mắm nêm or just simply with fish sauce?

Good thing you brought this up again!

[Tu Cong Van]

Been there done that, great food and I just about post it today :) Well, I have to wait for month now.

[Larry]

Sticky,
I recognize one of the giant green you see from pieman's photo are young mango leaves. The Trang Bang people use it regularly in their famous Bánh Tráng Phơi Sương.
msnguyen,
It really makes me "homesick" everytime I see this dish... :(
--Larry

[Mr. No Star Where]

A receipt?!

[dztran]

I have to agree with you about the smell of Mam Nem, No Channel No. 5.
But at least once, try to block out the smell and concentrate on the taste.
Add a dash of ruou de.
Heaven! IMO.

[pieman]

Thanks all :) Yup - I now believe the shiny leaf IS mango leaf:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noodlepie/55895454/in/set-72057594087937051/

And yes - a receipt!! - a cash register machine printed receipt. Is this a first in a joint like this???

And as for Mam nem dztran, I AM a fan, but not with this dish. Bo la lot - yay - not banh trang phoi suong, just my opinion...

[nhuynh]

hey Sticky that's not bush nor herb. If you know bit about fresh vege (literal translation of "rau song") you know they are the spirit of Banh Trang Phoi Suong.Actually that is what attracts the Viet's to this dish,which otherwise is quite plain and easy to cook at home. Those vege are not easy to find in the city, so far I remember there are 4-5 essential sorts plus a few others, at least at Hoang Ty.

This restaurant's fame started years ago when the first restaurant was opened in Thanh Da, with no branch yet. I had the good luch to try back then it was superb, rice cake in real authentic taste (got to be a Viet to appreciate this) and a whole range of vege. However last year when I came back and tried at Hoang Ty in the city it all changed, rice cake so crunchy and dry, nothing like "soaked in morning dew" ! The only good thing is they still preserved a good variety of vege.My disappointment indeed. Yeah, hen gap bloody lai.