Bún bò Huế

I love a good bowl of Pho, but there is just something about a bowl of Bún bò Huế (BBH) that I feel is worth writing about.

If you are unfamiliar with this Vietnamese dish, here’s a brief description:  The broth is made by simmering beef bones with lemongrass. It is seasoned with fermented shrimp sauce and sugar and topped off with spicy chili oil  later. It usually has thin slices of marinated and boiled beef, pig’s knuckles and cubes of congealed pig blood.

Like Pho, it is served with several sides that can be added to the soup including: lime wedges, cilantro, diced green onions, raw sliced onions, thinly sliced banana blossom, red cabbage, mint, basil,  or Vietnamese coriander, saw tooth herb or mung bean sprouts.  Thinly sliced purple cabbage is sometimes substituted for the banana blossoms.

I’ve had this dish before, but it wasn’t until I moved to Houston, with it’s large Vietnamese community and restaurants, that I had a really good bowl and started to crave it as I do with Pho. Pig blood and pig feet are favorites of mine and I enjoy lemongrass and spicy food, so this is a dish I can really get in to!

It’s rare that I go to a restaurant and the way you order is simply telling them what size you want because there is only one dish they serve.  You know when you end up at a place like that, it’s bound to be really good.  That is how Bun Bo Hue Duc Chuong Midnite is and where I frequented several times whenever I was craving BBH in the past.  The soup is flavorful and I like that you can request extra pig blood cubes here which is a bonus!

Bun Bo #1 is new to Houston and a place my friends and I wanted to try out, so we went on Monday.  You also tell them the size you want when you order here.  Between the two we agreed we like the flavor of the soup more here than the aforementioned spot we have been going to as it seems more robust yet balanced.  This was spicy enough for me who enjoys heat yet not overly so for my friend who doesn’t tolerate too spicy dishes well.   I didn’t finish my large bowl and asked for to-go containers and they actually took my bowl and packed it up for me – notably, with the soup in one container and the noodles and beef in another.  The fact that they separated the soup was a big plus for me because I would have separated it at home if they didn’t.  Because of it’s location, which is closer to my house, I will likely go here more often than the other place.  But they do have different hours and Bun Bo Hue Duc Chuong Midnite is open until midnight and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights, so is still the place to go when having a late night craving!

If anyone knows of good BBH in Vegas or the Bay Area, please let me know!  I’d love to try more places in other cities and compare to what I’ve had in Houston.