banh cuon Archives - PEGFeeds

Ba Mien (3 Miền) – Bankstown NSW Restaurant Review

I really like myself some Vietnamese food, and Ba Mien came highly recommended by the online Vietnamese-Australian community for its selection of specialties from across the three geographical and culinary regions of Vietnam.

This banh cuon with fermented pork and beef ($17) was great. I don’t know if it’s me that’s changed since the first time I had banh cuon in Marrickville back in 2021, or the quality is actually better, but I really enjoyed it. The rice noodles were soft and silky, with good moistness and not a hint of the dryness that I experienced in past lives.

The banh cuon filling, though confined to only small pockets, was flavourful and umami. The spring roll was packed densely with meat and also very good, as was the nem nuong. Total recommendation on this one.

The banh xeo with pork, prawn, squid and scallop ($20) was a bit of a disappointment. It started off strong, freshly deep fried, warm and crispy, but as I ate towards the centre and delved through the greenery I became less sweet about it.

I think my biggest problem with the banh xeo was the unexpected protein. The four types of protein listed on the menu already provided more than enough taste and textural variety, and I did not need insect protein added to the mix as well. One of the reasons I like to eat at restaurants is that it means that I don’t have to wash and prepare my ingredients, but the normally unspoken hope in this is that even though I don’t have to, someone else will do it for me. I’m sad to say that my favourite banh xeo remains to be from banh xeo bar in Rosebery, which, given its vaguely fusion roots, I don’t know if that makes me a bad Asian.

Comments
The banh cuon was really good, but I think the washing of the vegetables would go a long way. Quite affordable.

Ba Mien (3 Miền)
324 Chapel Rd, Bankstown NSW 2200
0413 772 343

Banh Cuon Ba Oanh – Marrickville NSW Restaurant Review

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