Banh Cuon - Bankstown

This little shop/eatery is hidden away in an arcade on Chapel Rd. They specialise in Banh Cuon, this is my favourite Vietnamese dish and this place makes the best in Sydney. What they make is a master piece as the texture of the hand made rice noodle batter (Banh Coun) is very hard to perfect. The Banh Cuon is absolutely delicious, nice and soft that melts in your mouth yet the texture is firm enough to hold all the delightful fillings. Must try if you can find it.

It's a shame that this little place is tucked inside a shopping alley so the packed crowds walking up and down the Old Town Plaza seems to walk on by, oblivious to its existence. Banh cuon is the specialty here, and it excels in the execution of this dish. Making fresh banh cuon is a slow and labourious process where each roll of the banh cuon has to be made individually and the pouring of a flour mix over a steamy surface. The resulting banh cuon is soft and slimy, with the right texture and freshness that creates a great meal. Takeaways are also on offer and is great value to buy fresh banh cuon in bulk and just add your own pork roll and bean shoots. Because the banh cuon is made in-house gives it a freshness that is the best I've eaten in Sydney.

At the end of a narrow arcade running off Chapel Street in the vicinity of Saigon Place, you’ll find Bánh Cuốn Kim Thành. This tiny eatery makes the best slippery rice noodles I’ve ever eaten. Bánh cuốn, are a North Vietnamese dish made by steaming a lightly fermented rice batter on cloth stretched over boiling water. This process results in see-through, crepe-like sheets of rice noodle, which are eaten in a variety of ways, including at breakfast.As first time visitors we show a bit of indecision even with the pleasantly small menu. Warm, friendly staff notice immediately, and steer us towards the pork mince and wood ear mushroom stuffed rolls called Bánh Cuốn Thịt Nướng ($11).In Central Vietnam, Bánh Cuốn Tôm Chấy ($12) are the go-to version; with bright orange ground dried shrimp sprinkled over the flexible noodle sheets before they’re shaped into rolls. They’re earthy and light, and a good choice from this small menu.In other parts of Vietnam, Bánh Uớt ($11) is the preferred arrangement. In this version, the rice noodle sheets are served plain (rather than as rolls), but eaten with fried shallots, Vietnamese pork sausage (chả lụa) and nuoc mam cham sauce. This ubiquitous Vietnamese condiment blending fish sauce with garlic, chilli, sugar and lemon juice shows a nice balance of sweet, hot, salty and sour here.Now, if you can’t decide, Bánh Cuốn Đặc Biệt ($12) is a great sample platter (and a bargain at the price). There are also some excellent fried dishes, from shrimp and mung bean cakes, to shrimp and sweet potato fritters, that will draw me back to try out soon.While you’re in the neighbourhood block out some time to have a stroll around Saigon Place, it’s a colourful and interesting area.

What a lunch I'll tell you what we ate.. Banh cuan nhan chay, the vegan rice roll.. Banh cuan thit nuong, grill pork steam roll Goi Cuon, Vietnamese

Banh Cuon = Steamed Rice Rolls. I think this is the most authentic and delicious Vietnamese steamed rice rolls in Sydney.