Michelin Guide mentions 5 'affordable' restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, including Ba Ghien broken rice and Pho Phuong

Michelin Guide just published an article introducing 5 Bib Gourmand establishments - the most delicious and affordable in Ho Chi Minh City.

Broken rice - one of the typical dishes in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Michelin Guide

The Michelin Guide article quotes famous chef Anthony Bourdain to explain why Vietnamese cuisine is incredibly amazing, inspiring and deeply impressive, which is a source of pride.

Everywhere people try their best at what they do. Improvisation, overcoming mistakes and constantly updating and innovating.

"Anthony Bourdain was right," wrote the Michelin Guide.

This guide also writes quite humorously: Ho Chi Minh City is a city that "cooks" non-stop when thinking about familiar but touching meals, surprisingly strange snail restaurants and sizzling grilled dishes combined with a perfect glass of wine.

Traveling to Ho Chi Minh City on a budget? Michelin Guide says "don't worry".

From humble eateries to hidden gems, they offer soul-soothing cuisine, all prepared with care and creativity.

Michelin Guide selected 5 street food stalls in the Bib Gourmand list (delicious, affordable) in Ho Chi Minh City.

Beef stew stall

The beef stew here comes in a rustic earthenware bowl that is both eye-catching and heartwarming. Pick your favorite and pair it with crusty bread.

Beef stew Ganh is one of the favorite places of diners - Photo: Michelin

The broth strikes the perfect balance between sweet and salty, brimming with rich, delicious flavor.

The Michelin Guide also suggests diners "don't forget to indulge in a variety of spices and sauces for a richer experience."

Ky Dong Chicken Vermicelli

The restaurant started with a small cart, selling chicken noodles at the beginning of Ky Dong Street. Later, as more customers came, the owner rented a space and opened a more spacious restaurant. In 2004, the restaurant bought a space on the same street and has been operating ever since.

Chicken vermicelli or chicken pho costs 55,000 VND/small bowl, 65,000 VND/large bowl and special bowl costs 70,000 VND.

Ky Dong chicken vermicelli - Photo: Michelin

According to the Michelin Guide, the chicken noodle dish here is a masterpiece of simplicity. The broth is rich and delicious, simmered from chicken bones for 3-4 hours.

Pho Phuong

Pho is of course the restaurant's specialty, but the "real star" in the eyes of Michelin reviewers is the oxtail pho.

The oxtail here is stewed for more than 40 hours until the meat is tender and the skin is tough and elastic.

Oxtail Pho at Pho Phuong - Photo: Michelin

Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, the restaurant owner, said that in the past, her mother did not use oxtail when making pho, but in her generation, she added the tail to make the broth sweeter. That is how the oxtail pho dish was born.

This is a dish that not every pho shop in Saigon sells, and not everyone sells it well. A bowl of oxtail pho here costs about 110,000 VND.

Hue Beef Noodle Soup 14B

Vermicelli noodles, tender beef, beef tendon combined with rich broth simmered from beef and pork bones with a bit of onion, bring a pleasant complex flavor.

Bun bo 14B caused controversy when it was listed on Michelin's list.

Diners can also add bean sprouts, a little chili, lemon juice and fish sauce according to their preference.

Ba Ghien broken rice

Since the 1990s of the last century until now, Ba Ghien broken rice has been nearly 30 years old. This is considered "the broken rice restaurant with the biggest piece of rib in Saigon".

Signature dishes include perfectly grilled pork ribs with broken rice, served with pickled radish and rich sweet and sour fish sauce.

Ba Ghien broken rice, the only broken rice restaurant listed in the MICHELIN guide - Photo: Michelin Guide

Here, a special broken rice dish with ribs, pork skin, sausage, meatballs, fried egg, and Chinese sausage costs 149,000 VND. The cheapest dish is 81,000 VND. When eating at the restaurant, diners get a 5,000 VND discount.

When Ba Ghien was honored by Michelin, many people on social networks said that the price of broken rice here was too expensive to be on the list of affordable restaurants.

Responding to Tuoi Tre Online at that time, the restaurant owner Truong Vinh Thuy said: "I can guarantee that in Saigon there is no restaurant that sells a 81,000 VND lunch box with ribs as big as mine. My ribs weigh an average of 4.5 ounces, some up to 5 ounces. I get fresh hot meat every day."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/michelin-guide-nhac-5-quan-gia-phai-chang-o-tp-hcm-co-com-tam-ba-ghien-pho-phuong-20241208005541557.htm