Bánh Cuốn Bà Oanh is a tiny corner shop that opened at the end of 2019 and specialising in bánh cuốn, a northern Vietnamese dish that is rather uncommon in Sydney. We’re accustomed to eating this dish prepared by D’s mum, but we’d noticed the long queues on previous visits to our much loved and nearby VN Street Food so wanted to understand the popularity for ourselves.

Bánh cuốn consist of thin, wide sheets of fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots. Sides for this dish usually consist of chả lụa, sliced cucumber, pickles, and herbs, with nước chấm.

In both of the dishes we ordered, the bánh cuốn had a silky-smooth texture, while each layer of the rice noodle rolls was thin but folded multiple times, resulting in a higher ratio of noodle roll to minced pork and wood ear filling than we personally preferred compared to D’s mum’s version.

Bánh Cuốn Thịt Nướng ($16.00), or steam rice noodle rolls and grilled pork.

Here, the minced pork complemented the delicate bite of the wood ear mushrooms. The bánh cuốn were enjoyable when dipped into the nước chấm, which offered a tart yet slightly sweet flavour, and was accompanied by fresh coriander and fried onions. The grilled pork and pork patty in the nước chấm lacked the smokiness of the version from VN Street Food.

Bánh Cuốn Tôm Thịt ($15.00), or steam rice noodle rolls with prawn and pork.

Incorporating prawns into the filling elevated the bánh cuốn with a luxurious umami flavour from the sea, enhancing the overall taste and adding a delightful textural contrast that complemented the minced pork and wood ear. We found this version to be exceptionally satisfying, and  one we would gladly revisit since it is a unique variation that D’s mum does not prepare at home.

Bánh Cuốn Bà Oanh is located at 343 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204.