Banh Cuon Tan Dinh

 

1

5

Quyen C.

Newton, MA

Rating: 3.5 Stars

We went here for lunch today based on reviews I read on Yelp and the Portland food blog extramsg.com. I was psyched to try it because banh cuon is one of my favorite vietnamese dishes and it's hard to find because it's a breakfast item and most vietnamese restaurants don't carry it.

I was expecting the restaurant to have a long list of different banh cuon (rice crepe eaten with or without a filling) but they only have two different types. One is served "dac biet" (special style) and the other is plain (without the extras). They did have a complete vietnamese menu which includes rice dishes, bun dishes (vermicelli), goi (salad), pho (beef and chicken based), hu tieu (another type of noodle soup), banh uot (rice crepes a little bit different than banh cuon) and banh hoi (angel hair vermicelli served with grilled meats and vegetables).

We ordered:
-for an appetizer the nem noung cuon (summer rolls with nem nuong which is a kind of grilled seasoned ground pork)
-for main dishes the banh cuon dac biet, bun cha gio thit nuong (vermicelli with spring rolls and grilled pork), and pho ga (chicken pho)
-for drinks che sam bo luong (a dessert drink) and iced coffee with condensed milk

The banh cuon, the house specialty, were pretty good. The crepes were fairly thin (they generally taste better when the crepes are on the thinner side) and filled with ground pork and sliced wood ear mushrooms (both types of banh cuon served here are filled with the ground pork mixture). They were served with gio (a kind of vietnamese pork terrine), yam tempura (strange and nothing like the japanese kind. the yams were grated, battered and fried) and something I was told was banh cong (a weird fried shrimp cake which I didn't care for at all). I could have done without the extras because the best thing on the plate was the banh cuon.

The nem nuong cuon were decent. You get two rolls filled with lots of vegetables but not as much nem nuong. The bun cha gio thit nuong was also very good and tasted pretty standard (it's when it tastes "off" that I would be concerned).  However, I didn't care for the pho ga. It had a weird "gaminess" to it if you can have that with chicken. I think that's because they serve it with various chicken parts other than just chicken breast.

The restaurant also has a long list of drinks which include dessert drinks which are often eaten with the meal instead of at the end. Che sam bo luong is one of those drinks. It's hard to explain but I think there's seaweed, mung bean and gelatin in the drink. It's one of a few vietnamese dessert drinks that don't have coconut milk in it. It was good but a bit on the sweet side for my taste. The iced coffee with condensed milk was perfect though. Ask for it "to go" and it'll be served in a plastic cup with a straw so that if you don't finish it at the restaurant you can take it with you.

The service was attentive. There was only one server with many people in the kitchen but it wasn't a problem.

I would definitely come back, especially for the banh cuon. There's a varied enough menu that I could come many times and try different things every time. They also do take-out which is very convenient!

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Elite '08

73

211

Don B.

Portland, OR

How in the world did I avoid trying this place any sooner?!?!

This little Vietnamese joint located in the Fubonn center is definitely a diamond in the rough.  The tiny storefront disguises a big, deep eatery that holds a surprising number of tables.  The menu is extensive and contains a ton of dishes notably absent from many of the Vietnamese pho joints I usually patronize.  

I was cheerfully greeted by the main server (owner maybe?) who sat me down and asked me (in a non-condescending way) if I needed any help with the menu.  I looked it over, and with 71 items staring me in the face, I asked him what his specialty was. he pointed me to the Banh Hoi Bo La Lop (beef la lop salad roll platter).  I accepted his suggestion and eagerly awaited a new SE Asian adventure.  While I waited, I took in the decor - clean, minimal, Asian, nothing worth writing home to Hanoi about.

First to arrive was the bowl of hot water (for wetting the rice sheets), a plate with a bunch of rice sheets, and a bowl of sweet smelling nuoc nam (fish sauce with sugar and chili). When the platter arrived, I was immediately impressed by the amount of food I was getting for my $8.50. The platter consisted of a huge pile of lettuce, mint, and cilantro, a decent little pile of spicy pickled carrots and radish, a stack of sliced cukes, a plate of vermicelli noodles, and the beef wraps.  The beef wraps were about 1/2" thick by 2' long sausage shaped ground beef rolls with spices wrapped in greens, and cooked in a sweet sauce with ground peanuts.  There were many of them (I forgot to count how many, that's how excited I was to dig in!)

Here's where the fun part begins.  To make the salad rolls, you dip the hard rice wrapper for a few moments (maybe 10 seconds) in the hot water, then lay it flat on your plate.  You next add a beef sausage, some lettuce, mint, cilantro, carrots/radish, and vermicelli, then wrap like a burrito.  By this point, the rice wrapper has softened into a very pliable wrapping material.  Once wrapped, you dip and eat.

I have enjoyed this style of hand rolls at other Vietnamese places such as Tamarind and Saigon Pearl in Seattle, and have seen them on the tables at Pho Van, but never had ventured there in Portland.  When the head guy tells you that's the specialty, you gotta just go for it.  I was not disappointed.  

The meat was so flavorful - and the majority of the veggies were crisp and fresh (a few with some black spots, but I had so much extra it was easy to leave those).  These things are like thai salad rolls on crack and steroids.  Less noodles, more crispy veggies and flavorful meat.  Mmmm... I think what most impressed me, however, was merely the quality of the main meat part of the platter.  The salad rolls did not rely on any external seasoning besides the fish sauce, however that was not even necessary. The meat had such an intense and well-balanced flavor as to work a great balance from the fresh lettuce, mint, and cilantro additions.  I happily repeated the ritual (wet-pile-wrap-dip-eat-repeat) until the whole platter was nearly empty (and my stomach was more than full).

I look forward to trying many of the other items on the menu: Com Tam (broken rice), Bun (a huge selection), and other Banh Hoi style dishes. I am really thankful that this place is about 10 blocks from my house!

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3

15

Beth M.

Portland, OR

Seriously? This is one of my favorite places.  It is an eating adventure - the make-your-own rolls are SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. OH MY GOD.  I really recommend the Hanoi-style pork patties in lime juice - I fantasize about these sometimes.  I'm not kidding.

The rice porridge soup was a delicious surprise, as was the roasted chicken salad.  I'm sure we'll branch out and try different things on the menu in future trips, but the reason to go is for the bahn cuon.  

We've been at least 5-6 times in the last 6 months, and it's been fantastic each time.  The service is great - extremely fast and attentive.    They have an extensive catering menu, including REALLY cheap salt and pepper shrimp - I considered just ordering them for home!

Take advantage of some of the drinks they have - the lemon soda is great, as is the pennywort juice and the preserved plum drink.  They're all kinda funky, but definitely worth a try!

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4

9

Teresa C.

Portland, OR

I noticed this place on a visit to Fubonn and was intrigued the moment I saw Bun Cha Ha Noi on the menu.  I'm not sure there is anything quite like eating bun cha at the little shop on Hang Manh in Ha Noi, but I was willing to give it a shot. I've missed the delicious grilled pork patties that define bun cha.  

Luckily for me, they nailed it. The grilled meat's taste is so close to that in Ha Noi that I can only shout praises for it.  They like to serve it on a platter, but I prefer it the way I know... in a bowl.  Just dump it all together: nuoc cham, meat, bun and some vegetables. Squeeze a little  lime over it and it's Vietnamese heaven in a bowl.

I wasn't as impressed with their pho ga; the taste was great, but I prefer the thicker, flat noodles over the skinny vermicelli. The bun bo Hue was good, but not wonderful.  Again the noodles aren't my favorite, but it tasted good, just enough spicy bite  and loads of vegetables; it was fairly similar to the soup I'd eaten in Hue.  

They offer homemade yoghurt that is simply the best I've had.  For my son's birthday we ate there and enjoyed young coconuts, pho, bun cha, and summer rolls.  

If you're vegetarian, make sure to ask that *all* meat gets removed, not just the meat listed on the menu item itself.  Sometimes there's hidden meat (as my vegan friend found out!).  

The service is great and they'll bend over backwards to help you.  Probably literally would if you asked.  Great service, good (US) prices, and excellent taste.  Plus the guy who runs the place is super nice.

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Elite '08

11

95

nam h.

Portland, OR

Located on the right side of the Fubonn shopping center, this family owned and operated Vietnamese restaurant specializes in banh cuon, rice crepes.  They also have an extensive menu of other vietnamese dishes.  I like coming here for the bun cha hanoi and of course the banh cuon!!!

Closed on Tuesdays.

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