Lunch Pickings

This is kind of an up-market com bin dan, the Vietnamese equivalent of a sandwich bar, but instead of having your selections slapped in bread, they are plated and delivered with a tub of rice. It's essentially a lunch tradition and not far off what you could expect if you were in a local home for a meal. It's what a Vietnamese mum might cook up, though with more choices and no-one telling you to eat your greens.

Normally on the streets near office complexes, markets and stations - anywhere really - com bin dan eateries can be identified by frenetic activity around a smorgasboard of plastic plates loaded with meat, fish, eggs, tofu, vegetables and occasionally offal, silkworms, snails or seafood. The dishes are prepared throughout the morning, put on display over lunch before being devoured by the local workers in the area.

This place has lots of competition in one of Hanoi's famous lunch zones near the intersection of Thi Sach and Le Van Huu streets, where eateries of the same ilk along with one dish wonders, like this pho cave and this bun rieu joint, pack in the punters, causing traffic jams and parking problems for a good 90 minutes. This one is up-market in the sense that it has a gleaming glass cabinet in which to exhibit its wares, an actual menu and an upstairs section with numbered tables and air-conditioning - unheard of for a com bin dan.

Our spread this lunchtime consisted of prawns done sweet and sour, pork and egg stewed, pork ribs, fish cooked in a claypot, boiled eggs and cabbage, pickled carrot, daikon and eggplant, sweet and sour fish broth and enough rice to feed an army. Plus beer.

Now I know why the locals have a lie down after lunch.

Dishes range from 15,000-30,000VND (USD93c-$1.86, AUD$1.22-$2.44)

Com Tam Saigon
24 Le Van Huu
Hanoi

Comments

[HanoiMark]

Mmm. My favourite on Le Van Huu was Com Ly. Must just be a couple doors down from this one.

[Kellie]

Is that an egg in the centre at top of the picture?

[Sticky]

Mark - the friends I was actually eating with on this day said that Com Ly was a regular place of theirs. I'm not a really big fan of com bin dans, truth be told.

...and Kellie, an egg it is, one that has been stewed in a claypot awhile with fish sauce and sugar etc - very well done!!!

[CapriR]

Kellie - I think they are tomato

[panasianbiz]

What a clean facility! I am very impressed, and more hungry now than when I started reading this blog. I am beyond jealous that you get to have such food at lunch time, not to mention a beer to wash it all down with too!

[Kim]

Hi,
it's very nice reading your blog;
but I think it's "Com Binh Dan"; not "Com Bin Dan" as you have mentioned.
I love Bun rieu at Thi Sach; it's so cheap and delicious!

[Sticky]

Sharp Kim, very sharp! Thankyou, you are right. I'm normally quite careful with the spelling. Must have had too much beer that day ;)

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