Bánh Đập in Bạc Hải

Bánh Đập in Bạc Hải

Three young girls, a couple of plastic chairs, a tiny stove blazing with red-hot coals, and some great central-Vietnam recipes.  And lucky for Hai and I, all within walking distance from our apartment.

But last night we chose drive to Bánh Đập on our motorbike … lazy?  Maybe.

Some months ago we first ran across Bánh Đập when we were driving around the Bạc Hải cafe district looking for an evening sinh tố (fruit shake).

Only a half-step above “street food”, Bánh Đập eatery is born each afternoon when the three girls here set up a handful of tables (a few on the street and a few inside their open-to-the-street living room), then get to work, chopping veges, frying ground pork, mixing a unique mắm nêm dipping sauce for their various central-Vietnam dishes, and creating their bánh đập.

If you might recall, on our last trip to Hội An, Hai and I were really wowed by a small eatery called Quán Bà Già just a bit outside of Hội An’s Ancient Town center beside the Thu Bồn River.  It featured bánh đập served as a “dipping tool” to enjoy several amazingly sauces served at each table and their special hến xúc bánh tráng (a bowl full of tiny local river clams, sauteed with shallots, garlic, chili, mint and ginger (plus some secret ingredients).

Here at Bạc Hải’s Bánh Đập eatery, the bánh đập consists of two frisbee-sized rice paper discs, one placed atop the other.  The first disc is a crispy rice paper sheet grilled over a red-hot bed of coals.  Then, the second disc – a gummy-chewy, steamed rice paper disc – is placed on top of the first. It is immediately “painted” with tasty mixture of ground pork, sauteed spring onion, and some secret herbs.  Then folded over (calzone-style) and placed before you at your knee-high table.

Eating Tip #1 – THE CRACKER:  It is critical that immediately upon being served bánh đập you place your open palm on the large 2-layered cracker, press firmly, and crunch it into bite-size dipping pieces.  (If you wait too long, the gummy interior takes over and makes the bánh đập spongy andun-crackable.)

Eating Tip #2 – THE SAUCE:  Enjoy the bánh đập to the max by dipping it into the mắm nêm served at the table.  Mắm nêm is a uniquely-flavored central-Vietnam sauce of fermented anchovies (the whole pulverized fish), pineapple, lime, garlic, chili and sugar. For most tourists, this sauce will be an excellent test of your culinary adventurism.  Nước mắm, traditional fish sauce, is a do-able challenge for most visitors.  Mắm tôm, on the other hand, is not possible for most (simply can’t get past the smell).  So, for many, mắm nêm may be the answer (initially challenging, but ultimately tasty) – to reach your maximum Vietnam culinary limits without crossing into the unbearable.

Bạc Hải’s Bánh Đập also serves a variety of other central-Vietnam treats.  The bún mắm nêm đặc biệt (a noodle dish with Vietnamese herbs and vegetables,also topped with mắm nêm sauce) was okay, but by far, the bánh đập was our favorite here.

For a simple, tasty central-Vietnam culinary street adventure here in Saigon, Eating Saigon! rates Bạc Hải’s Bánh Đập as a YUM on our Yum Meter. And the prices are low low!

OPEN from 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

Bạc Hải’s Bánh Đập
10 Hồng Lĩnh
District 10