Alice’s Budget Breakfast (REVIEW)

in #food4 days ago

In my morning wanderings around Soc Son town, I discovered a small eatery located right on Street No. 2 – a street that is not very prominent but gathers quite a few shops serving local residents.😚 This street is small, but surrounded by many schools, markets, and administrative centers, so within just 1km there must be more than a dozen breakfast places. ☺️Compared to the noodle shops I’ve reviewed before that specialize in one dish, this place gives a completely different feeling: not specialized, not elaborate, but sufficient like a homemade breakfast.🫶🏻

IMG_6127.jpeg

🪑 A space full of "Vietnamese morning" vibes

IMG_6123.jpeg

IMG_6126.jpeg

IMG_6138.jpeg

The eatery is modestly located by the roadside, no prominent signage, no well-planned decoration, but it carries the very typical vibe of Vietnamese breakfast shops: a few stainless steel tables placed close together, low plastic chairs just enough for customers to eat quickly before heading to work. Each table is already set with essential condiments for noodle dishes: pickled garlic with chili, spicy pickled chili, salt, fish sauce, pepper, and a basket of fresh herbs for sharing. Everything is arranged neatly and practically; anyone eating noodles would need these condiments.👏🏻👏🏻

🍜 A breakfast mene with everything

Unlike many places I’ve been to – which only sell fish noodles or only grilled pork noodles – this eatery is like a mini “breakfast combo”: from fish noodles, fish noodle soup with brown rice noodles, grilled pork noodles, to hot rolled rice cakes and herbal balut eggs, all are available. For a reviewer like me, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. A challenge because I can’t try them all, an opportunity because I can observe and pick out the highlights to write about.

My friend and I decided to order two familiar dishes: a bowl of grilled pork noodle and a bowl of fish noodle soup with brown rice noodles.

I usually have the habit of ordering fish noodles, so this time I changed to fish noodle soup with brown rice noodles – not a new choice, but always gives a refreshing taste due to the clear difference.

IMG_6131.jpeg

IMG_6135.jpeg

The brown rice noodles are dark brown, flat, wide, and much chewier than regular white noodles. When eating, it feels heavier but also richer and more substantial. The broth is light and sweet, with fresh green mustard greens to balance the flavor. However, a minus point lies in the fish: the fish pieces were fried thoroughly, but a bit dry and dull in color. The fish didn’t smell fishy, but lacked the softness and fattiness I was expecting.

IMG_6136.jpeg

IMG_6137.jpeg

This bowl didn’t have many toppings like other places I’ve been to, only tomato and mustard greens. The color of the broth wasn’t as appealing as I had imagined.

IMG_6133.jpeg

IMG_6130.jpeg

The grilled pork noodle bowl was served with grilled pork and pork bone broth. Overall, it looked fine, but the taste didn’t satisfy me. The grilled meat lacked the signature aroma of charcoal – the soul of this dish. Instead, it felt like the meat had been pan-fried or cooked in a skillet, resulting in a dry texture and no attractive charred fat edges. After asking carefully, I found out the meat was indeed grilled over charcoal, but just not marinated or grilled carefully like in more professional shops I had visited.

👀 Extra observation – Hot rolled rice cakes and the atmosphere

IMG_6124.jpeg

While I was eating, customers kept coming in, mostly locals – they seemed very familiar with the place. 🥸Many people ordered hot rolled rice cakes, and I noticed the shop owner was busy making them right there. Unlike many places that pre-steam and slice the cakes, here the cakes were freshly made, steaming hot and soft. 😗Although I didn’t get to try the rice cakes today, seeing the owner pouring batter, steaming and wrapping filling on the spot made me curious and I might come back another time.🫶🏻

💵 The price surprised me...

Each bowl only cost 30,000 VND – about 1.2 USD. 🤩While other noodle shops in this area have raised prices to 35,000–50,000 VND (about 1.5 – 2 USD),☹️ this is really cheap. For workers, students, or anyone wanting to save, this price is very reasonable.

Of course, the price goes with quality: the food is decent, not outstanding, but enough to fill you up and start your day.😎

This breakfast shop is a typical representation of Vietnamese-style budget breakfast: diverse, quick, cheap, and not too fancy. Not the ideal choice for those picky about quality or looking for a gourmet experience, but if you need a sufficient, familiar, and “good-for-the-price” meal, this is a place worth trying.
😚😗
Maybe next time I’ll come back to try the hot rolled rice cakes – a dish I missed today while being too focused on “tasting” the noodles and brown rice noodle soup.😁

📌 You can refer to the two noodle shops I highly rated in this area:

This article has images and content 100% from me @a-alice!!

See you in the next post