Lunch Lady | Bun Bo Hue | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I have mixed feelings about this bowl of bun bo hue. One on hand, I enjoyed it and easily finished my bowl. On the other hand, had I tasted it without knowing it was suppose to be a bowl of bun bu hue, I would have guessed it to be a delicious Thai-inspired soup. Taster’s Delight does not review mediocre or underwhelming food, but Taster’s Delight does review good joints so I felt this experience warranted a post. You hear the hype about the Internet famous Lunch Lady, you pull up to her sidewalk turf filled with umbrella shaded mini tables & stools that allow the nearby water breeze to cascade among eaters, you are greeted by a warm and genuine smile reminiscent of that Grandma you love and miss — you immediately fall in love with her and you immediately want to love each of her daily bowls of soup just as much.
The Lunch Lady uses a whole pineapple in her bowl of broth in order to tenderize the beef better. Apparently that is a lot of pineapple for bun bo hue - I believe that a slice of pineapple (if any at all) is the norm for this dish? The whole pineapple technique results in an overwhelming citrusy broth that masks any signs of spice. And though the pieces of beef were cooked fine, they weren’t super tender. It was an obviously different take on bun bo hue, and sure, I liked it okay. Had it actually been another type of bowl of soup, I probably would have loved it. So I didn’t 100% click with Lunch Lady’s Friday bowl of soup, there are still six other bowls I gotta try, and I will report back once/if I get my mind blown.
-Noreylee
