The Ban Tôi (Vietnamese for “my friend”) Restaurant entered the Savin Hill neighborhood in 2019, expanding the availability of Vietnamese food in the area. Opened by Chieu Nguyen, a former nail salon owner-turned-chef, his passion for food allowed him to bring a variety of comforting southern dishes to the scene, such as Vietnamese hot pot and various street foods.
We spied the conch salad (gỏi ốc giac) for $10.50 on the menu and immediately wanted to try it. A popular dish that can be found in Phan Thiet along the coastline, fresh ingredients are key to the success of this ensemble. Thinly sliced, chewy conch pieces were stacked on a mound of cucumbers and onions, dressed in a delicious sweet and sour sauce, and topped off with chopped peanuts. The dish was refreshing, with hints of spice and perfectly flavored.
Next came the salt roasted squid (muc rang muoi) at $15.50, which was beautifully fried and served with a special roasted salt along with some fried onions and peppers. Despite the name and our expectations, the salt was not overpowering, and brought the flavors of the squid together into a well-balanced dish. It was a different, but entirely welcome break from the more common salt and pepper fried squid that can be found in other Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants.
Before our soups came out, the usual plate of herbs and lime slices was presented to us. It is very important that this plate has only the freshest herbs, and ours did not disappoint with the Thai basil, coriander, shredded cabbage, and bean sprouts, sliced chilies and lime wedges.
We were surprised to find an extremely pungent Vietnamese gumbo-style soup, known as bún mắm, for $12.95 on the menu. This dish is not for the faint of heart, possessing a strong umami flavor from fermented fish paste. Mắm. short for mam ca loc, should be a combination of fishy, salty, sweet and sour flavors all in one bowl. Eggplant, pork, shrimp and squid add to the hardiness and carry the flavors through. The version we tried was weakened (but still delicious) compared to the typically strong, fermented fish experience, which may disappoint guests like my friend, who has a fondness for the more odorous punch.
Another rarely found menu item was the dried noodle soup (phở kho) at $11.50 a bowl. It is a chicken phở, served with the broth in a separate bowl from the noodles and mix-ins. Phở (pronounced “fuh”) is the unofficial national dish of Vietnam, and can only be traced as far back as the 20th Century influences from both the French and the Chinese. The French inspired the common use of beef as a topping, and the spice mix in the broth came from spices typically found in Chinese cuisine. Phở is commonly eaten for breakfast, with chicken phở only gaining popularity in Hanoi around 1939, due to the Vietnamese government attempting to curb beef sales. The dry style we were served was a refreshing change of pace. The noodles had a nice bounce and were dressed with the house special sauce, with shredded chicken placed atop. After I added the lightly flavored broth topped with green onions and cilantro, I found it was not as intense as beef phở, but still delicious and wonderfully fun to eat.
After our experience, we are definitely interested in returning to Ban Toi to try their other dishes, such as the snails. Our waiter was friendly, but was the only one on the floor, so he was a bit overwhelmed as the dining room was almost full during the late Sunday afternoon. Next time you are in Savin Hill and you want to try some new Vietnamese dishes, do swing by Ban Toi.
