PHỞ LAI
48/24 Mê Linh
P.19
Bình Thạnh District
09 3327 9773
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Our favorite Bình Thạnh neighborhood, where Hai and I have been staying each time we’ve returned to Saigon for the past many years, is changing at an extreme pace – just like all of Saigon.
Not so many years ago, when we first stayed at the then-new BonBon Residence, I was one of the very few “white guys” on the street enjoying my morning stroll along the Thi Nghe Canal canal. Cappuccinos were a distant hike away into District 1. And traditional Saigon street food was the only option for lunch or dinner in the neighborhood.
Nearby Com Tam 43 was – and happily still is – my favorite place to enjoy a traditional and delicious broken rice breakfast in Saigon.
Chiều Cháo Lòng was – and happily still is – serving the best Vietnamese porridge in Saigon just a block away from our room here.
But then came the burst of development!
Lots of new Japanese eateries … high-end cafes (see Bosgaurus just a short Grab Ride away) … stylized dining eateries (see here & now) … bakeries offering the best of breads and gourmet sandwiches (see my latest post on Café Tartine Saigon) … and Westerners strolling the streets everywhere.
Of course, it’s wonderful to have excellent gourmet food options at our fingertips here. But, quite worrisome to fear the classic neighborhood street food vendors could soon disappear.
So, it was a real treat when this week we stumbled upon a “real” Saigon street food phở vendor at the dead-end of a small alley, off another small alley, just a few blocks away – Phở Lai.
The owner, Lai, works with his wife, Mai, to create this perfect little street eatery. While they’ve served their phở on nearby streets for almost 35 years, they’ve taken their eatery to their new house here tucked away at the end of a neighborhood alley. Tables are located in the ground floor of their home, as well as in the alley itself just in front of their home.
They prepare a really delicious bowl of phở in the morning / lunchtime, rich with the flavor of star-anise and served with a mound of fresh herbs and tender beef. A truly lovely Saigon street food setting for a delicious meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
[Oh, and by the way, in the evening hours, they serve up hủ tiếu noodle soup – though I haven’t yet tried it].
UPDATE – February, 2023: In just the past two weeks, I enjoyed several more good bowl of phở here.
OPEN
6:00 am – 1:00 pm
3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
PHỞ LAI
48/24 Mê Linh
P.19
Bình Thạnh District
09 3327 9773