Bun dau is the cousin of the famous bun cha. It is essentially the same but bun cha has grilled pork as its main meat dish instead of tofu. I was wondering around the streets of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam when I saw this small bun dau place that is full of locals.
The place piqued my interest, even though I’m not a huge fan of tofu. I reckon I could use some food to wash down all the fresh local draft beer that I had. 
The bun dau place is quite a simple setup with a place for frying and cutting tofu and the ubiquitous pieces of meat in flour and seating arrangements inside and outside.
I was overwhelmed by the chunks of rice vermicelli, deep fried tofu, and the veritable forest of herbs and vegetables that came so I started eating it with the dipping sauce (made of fish sauce – as most Vietnamese dishes are).
There was a table of three girls sitting beside me and after watching me for a while, one of them came over and showed me how to mix the dipping sauce:
You’re supposed to put some bird’s eye chilli and squeeze a couple of limes into it for the taste to shine through.
It tastes pretty good but I have to admit, I had a lot of trouble finishing it coz I really dislike tofu.
The place attracts a lot of people from different walks in life – I saw everyone from office workers to stall owners at the Old Quarter pulling up a chair and ordering some bun dau.
The chunks of rice vermicelli have a very interesting texture. It has no taste per se, but the way it rolls around and unravels in your mouth when you dip it is quite an epicurean experience that is worth noting.
The best part is that it only costs VND 20,000 with a bottle of Bia Ha Noi! That works out to slightly over RM 3 – not too shabby for a tofu dish. 😉
always love their super tiny chairs. man I kinda miss vietnam, went to HCMC 9 times over the years but haven’t had a chance to go to Hanoi yet tho
KY: I haven’t been to HCM but would love too…still have quite a bit of dong left from my trip. Yeah, those chairs are awesome. Heh!
so which one is your future mail order bride?
rocket: Er…none?
Haha! That’s not something I would go for. Unless I do a “say Yes for everything for a week thing”. 🙂
why not? not even she loves you long time and give you sukki-sukki? you are a hard man to please.
really like the way u travel! blend in with the locals and the like. i think i kind of overdid the touristy stuff all the time 🙁
really like the way u travel! blend in with the locals and the like. i think i kind of overdid the touristy stuff all the time 🙁
really like the way u travel! blend in with the locals and the like. i think i kind of overdid the touristy stuff all the time 🙁
rocket: Haha! I’m very easy person to please. I just want a nice person to be my wife that’s all. :p
That playa image has gotta go. 😉
kampungboycitygal: It’s the only way to travel! It’s fun to talk to the locals and all that and even though the language barrier is HUGE, they still try very hard. I was a regular at their fresh beer (delivered daily) draft outlets and got free beer from the owner, who introduced me as “The Malaysian”. Got to smoke their local pipes too. 🙂
I like your travel posts too though. 🙂
for food. . nothing beats HCMC KY . . .but for scenery and solid VN girl. . .go north or central.
HB – Thit = meat, cho = dog, ga=chicken,bo=beef.
wanna learn ome basic VN ?
The 3 girls that you mentioned..one doesnt look like a girl..uhohh..
HB, simple dish yet so interesting and special from Vietnam. I will try it out recipe.
20,000 VND = 1USD. Cheap 🙂
epicurean? Tell me you used a thesaurus for that word. I had to look it up! 🙂
I think those girls were hitting on your HB.
foodcrazee: Thanks for the tip! Yeah, need to learn some Vietnamese from you before the next trip. 🙂
xes: HAHAHA! Have to be careful sometimes in these areas. 😉
Erica: Cheers Erica! 🙂
I don’t know how to make the chunks though. 🙂
Tommi Chen Thet Ngian: Oh, I will just coz you said so. *sarcastic
kien truc dep: Yeah, it’s pretty cheap eh? The fresh beer is very cheap too. Nice! I like Vietnam. 🙂
Mike: Heh! Unfortunately, no I don’t have a thesaurus function since Office expired. :S
Hmm…I thought so too at that time. 😉
why you an’t be a playa? man, if your wife wants to change you, then she is a not a good wife. she should let you do what you need to do.
foodcrazee: Thanks for the tip! Yeah, need to learn some Vietnamese from you before the next trip. 🙂
xes: HAHAHA! Have to be careful sometimes in these areas. 😉
Erica: Cheers Erica! 🙂
I don’t know how to make the chunks though. 🙂
Tommi Chen Thet Ngian: Oh, I will just coz you said so. *sarcastic
kien truc dep: Yeah, it’s pretty cheap eh? The fresh beer is very cheap too. Nice! I like Vietnam. 🙂
Mike: Heh! Unfortunately, no I don’t have a thesaurus function since Office expired. :S
Hmm…I thought so too at that time. 😉
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Still can’t beat the allure of having pork patties in Bun Cha. 🙂
Any excess fat or flab will also be on show so engaging in a light work out schedule a few weeks or months before bikini season might be a good idea if you want to look really sexy!
wah so cute la. everyone is siting on these small stools and eating on small tables..
HB, the noodle rice cake is made by putting hot cooked noodle into tray and let it cool it will stick together and cut into chunk of noodle cake. Hope that what you refering to? Maybe I am wrong.
Me me! Me me! I love tofus! 😀 😀 😀 😀 The sauce looks nice! 😀
J2Kfm: I had it by itself! It’s damn good right, those pork patties! 🙂
Tommi Chen Thet Ngian: O RLY?
eiling: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun! 🙂
Come let’s go Vietnam one day. Leave your business class flights and 5 star hotels behind. 😉
Michael: AH! Yeah, that’s the info I was looking for!
Thanks so much Michael! 🙂
Appeciate the clarification on how it’s done. 🙂
Chee Ching: You can have my tofu next time we go out and eat. I HATE tofu, I’ll only eat it for two reasons – if it’s like covered with sauce e.g. mapo tofu, or if it’s something local when I travel. 🙂
Looks good, I will give this a go, thanks a lot.
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