When it comes to Vietnamese food, often it is the journey and the destination, as much as it is the food, and this was the case with trying bun thit nuong.
In fact the journey here did not have us even expecting Vietnamese food, with the so called Cafe Apartments being much more orientated to coffee than streetfoodesuqe dining.
In fact Cafe Apartments mixes a plethora of themes from countries across South East and East Asia, with me enjoying a Taiwanese dessert before stumbling upon Madame Quyen.
Madame Quyen
Nestled on the 5th floor of Apartment Cafe you are initially dram here by the smell. This is because it breaks down the omnipresent aroma of coffee that dominates the rest of the building.
The restaurant itself is small and simple and could perhaps fit in 50 people at most, but it is this quietness that also gives it some charm.
A charm only furthered by the decor, with posit notes that whip within the wind as doors move granting an almost eerie feeling to the place.
The menu here is far from eclectic, but it is clear that Madame Quyen has clearly concentrated on making a few dishes very well, with your recommendation being the Saigon bun thit nuong.
What the Saigon bun thit nuong?
Bun thit nuong is served throughout Vietnam and even in Cambodia, meaning that it really does not need the Saigon moniker. We have though included this as the dish tends to be served a little different depending on where you are.
If you have not tried Saigon bun thit nuong then you really need to, with many describing it as like heaven in a bowl. Said bowl contains a real eclectic bunch of flavors, featuring rare Vietnamese sweetness, sourness, and crunchiness. And as was the case with Madame Quyen at least fabulous presentation.
So what is bun thit nuong? To break it down a bit “bun” here means noodles – in this case very thin vermicelli style, while Thịt nướng literarily means baked or barbecued meat. In our case at least this meant pork, although it is possible to use other meats.
And with Saigon bun thit nuong or rather southern bun thit nuong this is combined with Vietnamese herbs, salad onions, scallions and the kicker peanuts. These are then expertly mixed to the fashion you want with Vietnamese fish sauce. Of course one can add spicy sauce as they see fit, but at least at Madame Quyen this was not at all needed.
A great dish, perhaps a slightly underrated one, enjoyed around the fabulous ambience of not just Madame Quyen, but also the whole vibe that is Cafe Apartments…