Vietnam is famous for a particular noodle soup dish, for good reason. But phở, as good as it is, is hardly representative of all of Vietnamese food, and on occasion receives far too much of the spotlight when many other soup noodles go unmentioned.
One such underrated dish is bánh canh, a thick, chewy noodle often served in soup. It is a dish we would have gone the duration of our stay in Vietnam without trying if it hadn’t been recommended by a friend of a friend, one whose judgement we trusted from all the discussions we’d shared over food, eating, and everything related. This particular version of the dish is called bánh canh cua, which uses a thickened crab soup.
Bánh canh cua Út Lệ is a restaurant famous for that dish exactly. Though a little out of the way from the city centre, we were prepared to do some travelling in the name of good eats. Keen as we were, turned up right at its 4pm opening time, and even so weren’t the first ones to be seated. If that wasn’t a good enough indicator of its fame, we could definitely tell by the restaurant itself. Út Lệ operates out of more than one shopfront on the same strip of buildings, each headed by the sign sporting a perturbed crab holding a bowl, possibly filled with noodles seasoned by its enemies. We can’t say for sure, but it’s difficult to miss.
We were seated in one of the shops at the very back, in a room that had nothing but tables and chairs. One half has regular-sized furniture but we opted for the lower stools and knee-high tables, partly out of the novelty than convenience.
The kitchen operates from a small stand outside, allowing for proper maximisation of space. We could only imagine how busy it would get at peak hours.
Though there is no menu, we followed the general trend of restaurants with one specialty; we simply indicated that we wanted two servings, and that was that. Though there are bigger dishes, which we assume have more toppings, we figured that we could get by okay with just one each.
We weren’t wrong, either. The bowls are a good size, hefty and bubbling with a thick soup. Each portion is loaded up with toppings which include fishcakes, seafood, blood tofu, quail eggs, and fried fritters. Try as we might, we couldn’t find any large chunks of crab, just tiny flakes dispersed throughout the soup. Still, at only ₫45,000 (US$2), there was hardly anything to complain about.
The noodles were thick and chewy, its texture the result of the tapioca flour used to make it. While it didn’t soak up the flavour of the soup, the gravy-like consistency due to thickening it with starch allowed the broth to cling on as you slurped the noodles.
The soup was light with a strong umami flavour that was brightened by the addition of fresh chopped spring onion and coriander leaves. Delicious on its own, we also went free reign on the condiments that accompanied. Noms went with the little dish of sauce that was served alongside the noodles, whose funky, citrusy, peppery flavour brought out the sweet, rich seafood flavours of the broth. Jos went with fresh chilli and lime, which lightened the flavour through citrus and heat. Of course, there’s no right answer as to how to eat these noodles. It’s simply preference, so go with what you like the most.
In comparison to other meals in Vietnam, this one can be considered both expensive and a little tricky to get to. Even so, we thoroughly enjoyed it as a refreshing culinary experience we otherwise wouldn’t have thought to seek. If you’re heading out to try it, we recommend reaching the address by Grab, the Southeast Asian rideshare app equivalent to Uber.
Bánh canh cua Út Lệ
210 Tô Hiến Thành, Phường 15, Quận 10, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Mon-Sun 4pm-10pm
