After a failed attempt at getting Bún bò Hue (BBH) at Nha Trang in TST, I manage to convince my…read morefriend to go to the Nha Trang in Times Square instead, much to my friend's opposition to Causeway Bay crowds... It wasn't too bad, a fairly tame 'crowd' on a Friday night...
No lines thankfully, as we arrive fairly late - almost 9:20pm - for dinner. We decide to share the Spicy Hue Beef Noodle Soup (Bún bò Hue), the Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls (Cha Gio), and the Cold Vermicelli Bowl with Grilled Lemongrass Pork Cutlet (Bun Xuong Nuong).
Within 5 minutes of placing our order, a steaming hot bowl of BBH comes out. "THIS?!" we shout out loud at the same time and burst into simultaneous peals of laughter. It does not look like the BBH we are used to seeing in Southern California --- which, for your information, is supposed to be bright deep orange in color, with LOTS of thin beef shank slices, thick round noodles, and a cube (or two) of congealed pork blood (ha, not for everyone...). We call over the waitress to double check, "Is this the Bun Bo Hue?" I ask. "Yes, number 409 right?" she confirms. Okay okay, here comes the taste test.
I kid you not, it was spicy. Perhaps my taste buds have subsided in their resistance to spices ever since leaving California (where bottles of Sriracha, Cholula, Tabasco, Tapatio were the norm for any college student). Was it that soul-searching, soul-satisfying, soul-edifying bowl of BBH we were looking for? Ehhh...to fulfill our BBH craving, I'm afraid not. But it was a solid bowl of noodles, nevertheless. We'll have to keep looking, even if it means scourging the entire HK territory for this special BBH. But hey, that means more food adventures! And who doesn't like those?
I don't consider myself an expert at Vietnamese cuisine (although I absolutely love its intricacies and multitudes of flavors), so to avoid making a fool of myself, my friend demonstrates how to eat the spring rolls with lettuce leaves -- break off some basil and mint leaves, dip or douse your spring roll in nuoc cham (Vietnamese fish sauce), and assemble your roll with the lettuce as your wrap. The vermicelli bowl with pork was quite refreshing (think of it as a summer salad with fish sauce as the dressing) and provided a nice balance against the spicy BBH.
Overall, the meal was healthy and very filling!