This blog has never been about providing detailed insights into each molecule of food consumed, and in fact there is often several weeks or months of delay between actually having the meal and writing about it. I ate at Banh Cuon Ba Oanh in January 2021, eleven months ago, and this – together with the fact that the meal was eaten in a fugue like state following a night shift means that my memory is a bit hazy.
I’m fairly certain that this is the banh cuon dac biet (Ba Oanh’s SPECIAL steam rice noodle roll, mixed pork pieces and grilled pork – $17) with an extra side of cha que (Homemade fried cinnamon pork – $3). This was my first time trying banh cuon and I didn’t really know where to begin. (I now have a cool Vietnamese friend from work who I send photos of food to to ask how to eat them). My very uninformed opinion was that the whole thing was a bit dry, particularly the rice noodles which kind of just sucked moisture out of my mouth. The meat was fine, though also not very moist, and I definitely didn’t need to order extra meat on top of what was already included with the main meal. I wonder if a bit of tea or something might’ve gone a long way.
I’d probably like to come back and actually know how to eat what I’m eating before I eat it.
Banh Cuon Banh Oanh
343 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9059 0259