A lunch that can make you happy for 35,000 VND (about 210 yen)

What should I do for lunch? There are so many days when I find myself thinking that. On days when work or errands drag on endlessly, and standing in the kitchen to cook just for myself feels like such a hassle. Ho Chi Minh City afternoons are hot, and after opening the fridge and muttering "hmm..." for a while, my motivation to cook drops to zero. At times like that, the local diners around the neighborhood really come in handy. In Vietnam, there are these humble, everyday eateries called Cơm bình dân, where home-style dishes are lined up for you to choose from.

【Around 20 kinds of side dishes lined up every day!】 Out front, large aluminum trays are lined up, packed full with simmered fish, stir-fries, fried dishes, and vegetable dishes. Beside them are big stockpots filled with a different soup every day, and next to those, there are even two rice cookers. At the back of the shop, there are also small plastic chairs and tables, and many people eat right there on the spot. The bigger places have stainless steel tables, and everyone eats crammed together, all mixed in together, that's the style. There are really so many of these popular local eateries in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. That said, some places have a strong sweet-and-spicy seasoning, while others, closer to the northern style, have a slightly saltier taste. The way the side dishes are arranged, how the oil is used, the taste of the soup — it's all quite different from shop to shop. So, in order to find the shop you personally like best, There's nothing to do but walk around and eat. There are also five or six shops like this in my own neighborhood, and I switch between them depending on my mood. But the one I end up going to most often is this shop.

It doesn't have a name. It's not even marked on the map. It's near an elementary school. Around 8 in the morning, plenty of side dishes are laid out. So rather than a breakfast place, it's more of a shop making food for lunch, aimed at midday. A father and a mother, a small eatery run by the family together. The mother isn't particularly friendly. Or rather, she almost never smiles. But the way they work calmly, steadily, somehow feels like a craftsman's touch. Silently scooping rice, one after another dishing out side dishes, never stopping their hands. When lunchtime comes, customers who seem to be regulars come in one after another. After all, this shop has such a wide variety of side dishes. Braised pork and egg, fish simmered in sweet and spicy sauce, fried fish stewed in tomato, simmered whelks, stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork, shrimp simmered in fish sauce, fried tofu stewed in tomato...... Even when I go there having decided 'I'll get this today,' I usually end up changing my mind along the way. When the shopkeeper grins and says, 'this one, I recommend it,' I just can't help myself and end up buying it. Honestly, if you change your mindset a bit, it's basically like the food hall in a department store basement. On this day, I went with fried chicken karaage and a stir-fry of bitter melon with egg. The karaage was well-seasoned with nuoc mam, and the flavor had soaked deep into the meat. It seems they use the thigh meat, so it's plump and satisfying to eat. What's more, each piece is huge — the size of an adult's palm! There's a bit of a spicy kick too, and I find myself eating it thinking, "Huh, this is kind of like KFC.

【Just transfer it onto a plate at home, and it becomes a proper lunch】 Goya (bitter melon) and egg stir-fry is a dish I end up ordering with pretty high probability whenever I come to this restaurant. It's surprisingly close to the taste made in Japan, and so comforting~. What's a little different is that Vietnamese goya has less bumpiness on the surface than the Japanese kind, and is smooth to the touch. Because of that, the bitterness is gentler too. The pale green of the goya, and the yellow of the egg. Just seeing this combination of colors makes me happy. This alone is enough to keep me eating more and more rice—it's one of my go-to side dishes. This restaurant has a lot of male customers. That's because it's cheap, fast, delicious, and the portions are generous. One main dish plus vegetables comes to about 35,000 VND. Even with two main dishes, it's from 40,000 VND. And it comes with soup, too. They'll even add chili for you. The rice is packed tightly, jam-packed into the case.

【This comes with chopsticks and a spoon too, for about 210 yen】 I sometimes can't finish it all, so I split it into two servings. These kinds of casual local eateries are popping up a lot in tourist areas too. They're clean and easy to step into, so I think they're reassuring for travelers. (Just be careful, though — sometimes the price can be on par with a proper restaurant in Vietnam.) Local eateries have the warm steam of everyday life. I point at the menu to order, have it packed in a plastic bag, and bring it home while it's still hot. Sometimes I just buy the side dishes and save them for dinner. This ordinary Vietnamese home-cooking restaurant has saved me more times than I can count. [Shop Information] *Cơm bình dân — it doesn't have a name. *Address: here (next to the Japanese restaurant "Ateya," across from the elementary school) 50 Mê Linh, Thạnh Mỹ Tây, Ho Chi Minh City ＊After 1 PM, the selection of items becomes limited as we begin preparing to close. Relocation Life Ranking