The Best Bột Chiên ~ A Tastey Late Night Snack at Dat Thanh

Dat Thanh
277 Vo Van Tan Street
District 3

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Hai and I just returned from our Christmas/ New Years (western) 3-week vacation in Europe.  The food in Italy was outstanding and we absolutely loved some of the classic Italian dishes that are totally unavailable in Vietnam (and even difficult to find back in California).

A dish of squid and green peas in a spicey tomato sauce at a tiny family restaurant in Trastevere neighborhood in Rome brought me back to my grandfather’s kitchen almost 50 years ago in New Jersey.  And the freshly-filled cannolis in their crispy shells kept me wandering the streets of Rome late at night seeking a still-open bakery.  But, by the end of week 3, both Hai and I were missing the fresh, light , and unique flavor combinations of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants and street foods.  Tonight we ventured out on the streets of Saigon to satisfy our longings.

We began the evening at a Bun Cha restaurant that we had frequented many times before.  It was a refreshing change from the heavy tomato and pasta dishes of recent weeks – but we both agreed that the cook must have already left early for next week’s Tet New Year trek to his countryside home.  Sadly, it simply wasn’t up to par.  I wondered whether our taste buds were fully seduced by Roman and Sorrentones chefs and worried something fundamental might have been lost in our culinary lives.

So, even with full bellies, our longings persisted.  Disappointed, we headed home on our motorbike.  Halfway back, I said to Hai, Let’s stop for some bột chiên!  I was almost thrown off the back of the bike when he swerved onto a side street and agreed it was an excellent idea.

We soon arrived at Dat Tan.  There wasn’t a single empty table – a good sign I thought!

We ordered bột chiên and soon everything changed!  Life was good again 🙂  The simplest of ingredients,rice flour and eggs had been magically transformed into a major flavor taste treat.

The whipped eggs were fresh,  fluffy, and flavorful . The fried rice flour cakes were presented as 1/2 inch cubes – smooth and tender inside, coated  with a thin crispy browned crust – better than any home fry or french fry I can ever recall.  The rice cubes had been dusted with a rice flour before being fried to perfection  – they were served amongst the whipped egg omelet. The sauce,  a simple blend of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar spiked the flavor of the dish without in any way diminishing the flavor of the eggs and rice cubes.  An impressive achievement for such a simple dish.

That would have been a very memorable treat all on its own – but I notice an unfamiliar food item on the grill sitting beside the egg/rice cake bột chiên.  Hai asked the woman serving us what it was called. She said Bánh Hẹ.  An item I had never tried in my 6 years of Vietnam food exploration!  Surely we had room for one more dish :-).

Bánh Hẹ –  a hockey-puck shaped disc of glutenous rice paste – again dusted in rice flour and sizzled on the grill until it was enveloped  in that same perfect light and crispy outer crust.  In the middle of the smooth sticky-rice puc was a layer of fresh, bright green, very tasty Hẹ – very much a spinach look and flavor. (I now understand it is Chinese leek).  We ordered one up, together with one more omelet . The bánh hẹ was served in the middle of the fluffy omelet with the same yummy sauce as served with the bột chiên. It was the crowning touch to our 2nd meal of the evening, and rocketed Dat Thanh towards the top of our charts for a must-try eatery in Saigon. Best for a late-night snack!

Open from 1:30 pm to 11:00 pm.

UPDATE – March, 2016:  Still as fun and yummy as ever.  Also still running out early in the evening of my favorite, Bánh Hẹ.  A definite treat!

UPDATE – January, 2020:  Still a a yummy late evening treat.  Also still running out early in the evening of my favorite, Bánh Hẹ.

UPDATE – February,  2023:  In just the past two weeks enjoyed another wonderful meal here.  

Dat Thanh
277 Vo Van Tan
District 3   

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