The entrance to Phan Dang Luu Banh Duc restaurant is a small, simple alley. Although the atmosphere is a bit quiet, there are times when this restaurant can be heard with loud laughter and the sudden joy of someone returning.
A full bowl of banh duc costs 30,000 VND - Photo: DANG KHUONG
The small banh duc shop located at 116/2/3 Phan Dang Luu, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, has been selling for over 40 years in Saigon.
Looking through the menu, besides banh duc, Phan Dang Luu banh duc shop also has banh it tran, Singapore cold tofu, Da Lat cheese yogurt... But according to long-time diners, banh duc is a must-try dish when coming here.
A bowl of banh duc looks simple but you can't stop eating it
A bowl of banh duc at the restaurant consists of only rice flour, fried onions, scallion oil, green beans and minced meat. All are layered on top of each other, and the seller "bathes" it with a few spoons of fish sauce, which is the soul of the dish.
Fried onions are the highlight of Phan Dang Luu's rice cake - Photo: HO LAM
Holding it in hand, the faint aroma of fried onions immediately "seduces" the eater.
The onions are fried until golden brown. Crispy, fragrant, and especially not too floury.
This is almost the "key" ingredient that brings out the aroma of the rice cake.
So it is common for customers to ask for more fried onions.
On Facebook, a gourmet said: "This rice cake would not be as delicious without fried onions."
Lying under the fried onions is a thick layer of minced meat mixed with wood ear mushrooms. The meat is tender and not mushy, combined with the crunchy texture of the wood ear mushrooms, it is a perfect combination.
The cake flour is the bottom ingredient. The layer of flour is thick, smooth and white. When you roll the spoon down, the flour is still soft and smooth, almost returning to its original shape when you take the spoon out of the bowl.
Phan Dang Luu rice cake shop is located deep in a small, simple alley - Photo: DANG KHUONG
When the fish sauce covers the food, it can be said that the bowl of banh duc is a picture that is not too diverse in color, but unique in flavor.
The fragrant feeling of fried onions combined with the sweetness of fish sauce makes it hard to resist and "satisfy your mouth".
The fish sauce is rich, sweet but still a bit salty. However, thanks to the bland meat and flour, it blends well with the fish sauce, not too unpleasant. However, many people complain about the saltiness when tasting this dish.
A bowl of banh duc includes ingredients such as rice flour, fried onions, scallion oil, green beans and minced meat - Photo: DANG KHUONG
80 years old and still remember Phan Dang Luu's rice cake
That day, around 3pm, an elderly customer walked into Phan Dang Luu’s banh duc shop. It was Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhung, 80 years old this year. She happily greeted the shop owner, asked about his family, and bragged that her son had taken her to eat banh duc today.
Confiding in Tuoi Tre Online , Ms. Nhung shared that she has been eating here for a long time because she keeps remembering the old flavor of this small banh duc shop:
"I have been eating at this restaurant since the 1980s. At that time, the banh duc restaurant was still located on the street front. Every afternoon, I often stopped by the restaurant.
The taste of the banh duc is so special and delicious that I still remember it even though I am 80 years old this year. In the past, I often took my son here and now it is my son's turn to take his mother to eat here."
On the Google Maps review page for this restaurant, Thai Uyen Ngo shared that she has been eating and loving banh duc here for 15 years: "The restaurant is small but like a hidden gem in the heart of Saigon. The flavor of the restaurant has not changed over the years, still rich and delicious as ever."
The restaurant uses bricks to make tables for customers - Photo: DANG KHUONG
However, besides the taste, many customers think that Phan Dang Luu rice cake shop is also "famous" for... the owner's attitude.
Thao Trinh commented on Foody: "This restaurant has always been famous for the attitude of the sellers, but luckily I didn't have any problems when I ate there, there must have been improvements...".
Nga Tran commented: "The famous hot rice cake shop that I just came to eat at. It's located in a house at the end of the alley with a pretty flower trellis. But the seller is a bit cold. Those who want to take it home have to stand in line, those who want to eat at the shop have to sit on the chairs in the yard...".
Although it has received many mixed opinions, perhaps in the minds of many Saigonese, especially those in Phu Nhuan district, Phan Dang Luu rice cake shop is not simply a restaurant, but also a place of memories and reminiscences...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/banh-duc-phan-dang-luu-ngon-con-tuy-mieng-nhung-thai-do-nguoi-ban-hoi-bi-lanh-lung-20241029162941867.htm
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