A snowdrift of crumbs mark my bust and chin. My lips sting from chilli. The villain is Banh Mi - a Vietnames Pork roll. But that's part of the joy of Banh Mi.
BaBa is also the only South Melbourne place that serves the ubiquitous rolls and that's why there's often a queue outside this small market stall.They offer a few variations on typical crusty Vietnamese baguette, including chicken. Fresh rice paper rolls are also available from the Banh Mi counter.
In South Melbourne there are two places to get Vietnamese food. This is the cheaper of the two. Both venues serve South Vietnamese dishes. The other is in Clarendon Street.
But back to the market - Ba is Vietnamese for 3, but it's not stall 33 of the South Melbourne Market food court, so go figure? It replaced a really popular Indian takeaway, and the family decided to slowly evolve their offering from Indian to Vietnamese. So if you want something spicier, some Indian curry and samosa's are still on offer in their bain marie.
Now they have introduced a small repertoire of bun (pronounced boon - rice vermicelli) and com (rice) dishes. There is pho (pronounced fur) too but it's a modest example. So while these dishes don't reach the grand heights of some of Melbourne's venues in Footscray or Springvale, what is on offer is serviceable and approachable to those who wouldn't venture to the more traditional places.
I eat here occasionally for a quick, cheap meal and acknowledge that the food is slightly toned down for non-Asian palates. But I've spotted a few Vietnamese tucking into a fix of the lunch dishes, so clearly I'm not the only Vietnamese home cook that eats here.
And the rest of the people in the queue? They're the ones who want something less rich than a schnitzel, paella, roast potato, debreciner banger or a cabbage filled dimmie. read more