BackEat & Drink » Hanoi Ngõ Nooks » Ngõ Nooks: Autumnal Golden Hours Are the Key Ingredient in Cô Thoa’s Bún Bò Nam Bộ

Ngõ Nooks: Autumnal Golden Hours Are the Key Ingredient in Cô Thoa’s Bún Bò Nam Bộ

Hanoi’s fascination with bún is endless. There are more varieties in this city than anywhere else in Vietnam. Bún has a lot more to offer than phở, especially as it can be served cool and dry, as seen in bún chả and bún đậu — both popular choices on hotter days when a steaming bowl of noodles is less appealing.   

There’s also a middle ground, however — a compromise between the convenient everything-in-one-bowl serving style and the desire for refreshing coolness, and it comes in the form of bún bò Nam Bộ. In a small,informal spot on Ngo Trang Tien alley, named after its owner  Thoa, you’ll find exactly that.

The premise of bún bò Nam Bộ is simple, almost to the extent that you could make it at home. Just add stir-fried beef, bean sprouts, fried shallots, roasted peanuts, fresh veggies, and herbs into a bowl of bún, and add a splash of sweet and sour sauce. This style of mixing all ingredients together with a special homemade sauce is called trộn in Vietnamese and is also evident in other non-soup noodle dishes such as bánh đa trộn.

But, hold on — why is it called bún bò Nam Bộ? ‘Nam’ means ‘south’ — are we talking about a dish that’s originally from southern Vietnam? If you try asking anyone from Southern and Central regions, they wouldn’t even know what it is. Instead, they would call this bún bò xào (stir-fried beef noodles).

So here is a little-known fact: There was once a street in Hanoi called Nam Bo, which is allegedly where the dish got its name. A street vendor there is said to have made a twist on traditional bún chả by using beef instead of pork, a shift that proved popular. Yet there is no sign of such a vendor in Hanoi nowadays, and the street’s name was changed to Le Duan in 1986. The dish’s name, therefore, has lost its meaning, creating confusion throughout the country about its origin.

This eatery on Ngo Trang Tien is known for its bún bò Nam Bộ and, particularly, their supremely tender and succulent beef. Of course, beef is the meal’s core ingredient, and preparing the meat right determines half the taste. More often than not, stir-frying can result in the beef being slightly overcooked and tough. Many other vendors slice the beef into tiny pieces which, unfortunately, reduces the pleasure of munching them. But here, Co Thoa seems to have a secret stir-frying technique that maintains a perfect balance between size and texture.

The remaining taste comes mostly from the sauce. Unlike most bún bò Nam Bộ you’ll find in Hanoi, the sauce here contains gravy from the cooked meat as well, so it’s not just the common sweet and sour fish sauce. It is warming and cooling at the same time. A harmony of the soft, juicy beef and noodles with the crunchy veggies, fried shallots, and peanuts. All this for just VND25,000, and if that wasn’t enough, the place is also famous for its cơm rang dưa bò (fried rice with beef and pickles).

This spot is open from 7am to 7pm. You can find it at 10 Ngo Trang Tien.

 

To sum up:

Taste: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Atmosphere: 3/5

Friendliness: 5/5

Location: 4/5

Hieu Tran follows the trail to good food and turns it into literature. 

Bún Bò Nam Bộ

10 Ngo Trang Tien

Print
icon

Related Articles:

Hẻm Gems: Piquant Broth and Tangy Snails at Bun Oc Co Hue

Ngõ Nooks: Kamon – Authentic Japanese Cuisine Served With a Side of Persian Rugs

Hẻm Gems: Bún Cá With a Twist That Takes Guts to Try


Related Articles

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: In Phủ Cafe, Community Engagement Brings a Sense of Belonging

Three flights of stairs separate the street from Phủ Café’s timeworn interior. Their small sign won’t grab your attention if you’re passing by, but attracting new customers isn’t necessarily the aim.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Blissful Fish Feast at Bún Cá Sâm Cây Si

As hot as it gets, Hanoi’s scorching summer is no match for delightful fish rolls and refreshing sour soup.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Classic Thanh Trì-Style Bánh Cuốn That Took a Century to Perfect

Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành is nearly a century old, and both the eatery’s name and the authenticity of the food they serve stem from the same source: the culinary wisdom of Grandma Hồng.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Secret Garden Leads to a Haven for Hanoi's Young Creatives

Immediately after strolling through the gates of Café Tu Luc, a leafy new reality helps one feel at ease.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Spicy Bún Lòng Cá From Hải Phòng That Takes Guts to Try

Út Hà Quán looks nothing like the kind of traditional Hanoi street food eatery that makes it to glossy magazines and world-famous food channels. There’s no grumpy grandma, no mold on the walls an...

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Steaming Bowl of Mỳ Vằn Thắn to Ward off Winter’s Chill

The Old Quarter’s labyrinthine streets contain so many eateries that newcomers can easily feel overwhelmed.

Partner Content