For this foodie trip to Ho Chi Minh City, I left myself in the good hands of Aaron and family who know the city very well. So, when Aaron brought us to this little corner of old Saigon on a rainy afternoon, I didn't know what to expect, except that it's going to be another interesting hyperlocal experience.
Both the lunch hour peak and the rain had just passed when we arrived (yeah, we were here smack in the middle of the May - Nov rainy season in the Mekong Delta).
The residential neighbourhood was quiet and calm with a few food stalls humming away. It was still drizzling though the sun was peering out from between the leaves above.
Friendly lady at the stall. We couldn't communicate much beyond smiling and waving but she made us feel very warmly welcome.
Fast forward to Singapore - it's only when I got back home and started to write this post that I realised that this was the famous Lunch Lady stall of Saigon featured in the late Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations series in 2009 (13 years ago). This stall like many such street hawkers in Vietnam had no name before and was known only to locals. It was Anthony Bourdain who dubbed it "Lunch Lady" and the stall is known to the world as such ever since.
Back in Saigon, we settled in the little plastic tables and chairs shielded from the drizzle by a large leafy tree and colourful canvas.
The Lunch Lady stall weathered the Covid-19 pandemic though the tourists have not yet returned in numbers.
Lunch Lady serves a different dish every day of the week. Today's was a rice noodle soup with shreds of pulled grilled chicken, blanched minced pork, pork slices, prawn, and quail egg. I don't know the name of this dish 😬 🤷
I wasn't blown away, I wasn't supposed to be. It's a homely, comforting noodle soup with nicely balanced, familiar mildly sweet savoury flavours from fresh prawn, chicken, minced pork, sliced pork, quail egg with fried shallot, chopped spring onion, etc., lending their aromas. The Lunch Lady hand picks the ingredients every morning at the market so we can taste their uber freshness.
This is real food for real eating, not for bragging rights on social media. I am glad Lunch Lady remained that way despite her fame.
Without knowing any background on the Lunch Lady, I fell in love with the quaintness of this quiet makan (eating) corner of old Saigon. There are a few other interesting little food stalls here for an authentic taste of Vietnam. Aaron said we will be coming back here to this section for one of the best pho in town tonight.
Written by Tony Boey on 23 July 2022
I'm a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain and always wanted to go eat where he's been. Thanks Tony Boey
ReplyDeleteThe dish is available all over Souther Vietnam and is called "Hu Tiu Nam Vang " aka Phnom Penh Noodles. Allegedly introduced by the Teo Chews of Cambodia to this big swathe of Mekong Delta. Hu Tiu is the mee hoon like noodles & it always has an al dente bite to it. You can have either a wet or dry version and usually will come with quail eggs, minced pork, small piece of ribs, sliver of kidney or a bit of intestines etc Never ever had it with Chicken morsels though. If one were to reside at the hotels of the Mekong Delta in Can Tho City, My Tho City etc this Hu Tiu Nam Vang dish will usually be served for breakfast albeit with large pieces of dehydrated prawns ( Hae Bi )
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the insight :-) (from Tony)
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ReplyDeleteBourdain is dead… and by that, I mean the love, the compassion and shear joy of cooking and sharing food he spoke of with the Lunch Lady is dead. It, like too much of the world, has been replaced by greed and a street level hustle.
ReplyDeleteShops around the once iconic Lunch Lady have clearly posted pricing, but not this place. Because they charge and overcharge for everything. I am amazed they did not actually charge for the vinegar, chilis and lime on the table I had to use to make the broth hit some kind of acceptable note.
I was extremely excited to try the food Antony spoke so highly of. So 3 weeks ago Saturday, I made the 40 minute walk to get happy happy. But instead, I was sad and somewhat pissed at the food, the process and the price.
Quick review: Stock was basic at best. Neutral, somewhat bland and unseasoned. Proteins overcooked. Service brings out amuses but charges you for them whether you eat them or not. They brought a fried shrimp pancake dish that was saturated and cooked in older oil that your tummy will try to evacuate from your body as quickly as possible 25 minutes after eating it. Two very tiny rolls with a strong never identified meaty substance. And some cut up Chinese type bread to put in your noodles. The price they charged is way out of line with other food vendor pricing and portion size.
Normal noodle cost: 60,000. Lunch Lady demanded 140,000. When I questioned the price all the sudden no English. I left paying 120,000 and felt ripped off.
Disappointing meal, disappointing experience and most disappointing is that after being so helped by a westerner to build this business they now choose to steal from them.
Bourdain’s spirt is dead here. Skip this place.