Banh Tom

We sit on plastic stools pulled up to laminate tables in a near empty shopfront. We are down a dead end street, opposite a temple, waiting for Banh Tom (West Lake prawn fritters). Three tables of colleagues, chattering over the ever present construction noise, simply happy to be free of work for another week. Meanwhile, an elderly lady supported by a large family group, shuffles in and sits queen-like at a neighbouring table.

Nom bo kho: salad with dried beef.

Almost giddy with excitement at the coming bounty I’m disturbed by the confused looks beaming at me. “Do you like seafood?” Miss Linh asks. A strange question as they’ve spent all afternoon laughing at how excited I was to be eating banh tom. On mentioning this, Linh laughs at me “But this is not seafood. This is from the lake… Fressss water”. Apparently in Hanoi there is a difference, and tonight we’re eating lakefood.

Regardless of what it’s called, I’d prefer not to think about where this lakefood came from. Really, it’s better that way. Dispel thoughts of pollution and dead fish and enjoy these deep fried sweet potato cakes topped with prawns, shell intact, heads blessedly removed. Crisp cake, tender prawn with surprisingly pleasant shells are best when given a quick nước chấm bath. But this is all in the future, we are still waiting. A plate piled high with fritters is heading towards us, then at the last minute veers to our neighbours. Being a timid foreigner I grumbled under my breath while several of my companions took a stand and complained loudly. I don’t understand much Vietnamese, but I’m pretty sure they were saying “Hey lady, those fritters are ours! We were here first and if we don’t get some satisfaction soon there’ll be a riot”.

Large plates of riot-averting snails arrive first, intoxicatingly fragrant with lime leaves and ginger. Burn your fingers extracting the sweet flesh from the blistering hot shell, the pain will be more than soothed by these tender mollusks. Dunked in a special concentrated nước chấm with chilli and lime leaves, these are the very best snails I have ever eaten.

The banh tom exceed expectation. The fritters aren’t heavy, sweet or potatoey. In fact they are the polar opposite of the idea ‘sweet potato fritters’ conjures. Think light and clean, only enhanced by the accompanying nước chấm. I think I ate half the plate.

Other options here are bun oc and bun rieu, so I’m slightly confused when an improbable salad arrives. Heavy with perilla and a fish sauce dressing, the highlights of the nom bo kho (other than it’s name) are the well roasted peanuts and tangle of finely shredded dried beef.

The best bit about my job is the snacks my co-workers bring in. To celebrate special days on the lunar calendar, weddings and birthdays (though keeping well to office tradition, birthday cakes are cardboard tasteless), as well as just because. Going out to eat with my co-workers comes in a close second in the ‘highlights of my job’ race (I’m not sure what gets bronze, but it sure as hell isn’t being told that I’m a man, that I look like a boy and that I’m fat. This is Vietnam, after all).

This lakefood banquet is the clear winner of all work meals, ever.

Banh Tom
Eateries surround the pagoda at the lake end of Dang Thai Mai.

More photos on flickr