Stall 1074 - Bo Bittet

I've been out of the UK for a few months now and I think the first signs of comfort food lust kicked in over the weekend. It's a sure sign when something approaching love is felt at the sound of eggs frying in litres of lard. The fact that I can't get me one of these means an oriental fat fix will have to suffice. I discovered my gastronomic methadone spitting hot oil and egg white at me from stall 1074 on the perimeter of the food hall at Ben Thanh market.

Bo Bittet is a northern Vietnamese fry-up. It's the greasiest dish in the east, but will it slake the fat thirst of a British breakfast junky? What we have here is a furiously hot, cow shaped metal plate sitting on a wooden frame. Inside there are thin strips of beef and finely diced tomatoes doused is a sweet marinade. Not sure quite what goes into the marinade, but the flavour is far from overpowering. Sling on a couple of onion slices and in with your eggs. Sizzle 'n' serve. There's a side salad of tomato, lettuce, carrot and raddish. And you'll find a couple of sliced red chillies shoved in a bowl of soy sauce. A banh my baguette rounds off your brekkie.

Wear your finest pressed white flannel shirt at your peril. This beast will spit and growl at you for a good few minutes before surrendering to your stomach. Vietnam's finest fat shower. Bo Bittet is a serious sizzler. The snap above doesn't do it justice. Bo Bittet the movie comes closer, but you really need to try this one yourself. Stall 1074 also sells two versions of Hu tieu 8-12,000VD and Op la (Fried eggs). Bo Bittet will set you back 12,000VD. As fat fixes go, this is one of the better ones.

Comments

[santos]

hi pieman

i'm curious--is this a brekkie thing only or an any meal thing? would you be served this in someone's home? i could probably power myself for a coupla days with a meal like that. and do you have any idea as to what's in that massive pressure cooker behind lady sizzler?

[Reid]

Hi pieman,

Too bad you didn't have this on a toasted French loaf. You could have submitted it for Anthony's EoMEoTE#2! Looks so good, but not as good as your COMPLETE English breakfast! =P

[Julia]

how'd you get that lady into such a sexy pose for you, pieman? anything more and it'd be another "wardrobe malfunction". If that happens, it'd cause more sizzles than that plate of bo bittet.

[pieman]

It's an all day dish Santos, never seen it served in someone's home, but you can buy the cow plates on the market and in the supermarket, so I guess it happens. Sorry, I have no idea what's she's got stuffed in her pressure cooker. In Hanoi it's slightly different. No marinated to speak of and they throw a few chips onto the hot plate and serve with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

You're quite right Reid - although I have been juggling with submitting my trademark pizza chilli omellette. However, I don't think I'll be thanked by anyone for that.

Julia, this is the new look noodlepie. I'm trying to carve a tabloid Saigon streetfood niche... don't think I'll have a lot of competition. Can't fail.

[FatMan Seoul]

That's some awesome-looking, artery-choking, sizzling-hot breast .. err ... grub. Looks great .... the food I mean.

The lady's quite nimble, isn't she? All those years of squat-frying on the side-walks does have its long term effects.

[MrsT]

wWow!! and you know why.. i said that. ;P
and for the food.. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm........... Mmmmmmmmmmmm........ Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........ ;)