There are mornings when I don’t want to eat anything fancy, don’t want modern restaurants. Just want a simple place, a hot bowl of noodles, steaming broth and delicious smell. So I remember the crab noodle shop in Phu Minh – Soc Son, where I stopped by one foggy morning, and was surprised because the noodle taste was “like home cooking”.
The shop is right by the roadside in Phu Minh, no big sign, no logo, no air conditioner. Just some yellow plastic tables and chairs, some fans, but every morning is crowded. Low tables and chairs, close to the ground, just like a typical Hanoi breakfast place.
First impression is cleanliness: all ingredients are covered with white mesh cloth. Look at it feels safe. No flies, no dust, feels like eating at someone’s home kitchen – familiar and cozy.
I ordered a full bowl of crab noodle. What I got was a steaming hot bowl, smells full of crab, fermented shrimp paste and scallions. The bowl is not decorated fancy but looks very tasty, full of toppings.
Minced crab meat: Not canned crab, but real field crab, ground and filtered, cooked and formed into golden pieces. The taste is naturally sweet, no MSG needed. Rich crab flavor, fatty but not greasy.
Vietnamese pork sausage stick (Gio): Cut long and thin, crunchy when eating, not powdery. I like this more than round-cut sausage because it feels more like “real meat”.
Betel leaf pork roll (cha la lot): This is the highlight. Minced pork seasoned well, wrapped in betel leaf and fried on high heat. Outside is golden and fragrant, inside is soft and sweet. This isn’t traditional for crab noodle, but a very nice and creative addition.
Fried tofu: Cut into small squares, fried till golden, crispy outside, soft inside. Soak it in the broth and it melts in the mouth.
Thin sliced beef: Thinly sliced, lightly cooked. Not chewy or dry. When mixed with crab broth, adds richness and flavor.
Scallions: A lot of scallions, just my type. Every spoon of broth brings strong smell of scallion, very appetizing.
Crab broth: This is the soul of the dish. Sweet from crab, added a bit of fermented shrimp paste for deeper flavor. Honestly, some people may find it strange, but once you get used to it, it’s the taste that stays in your memory.
I love noodles. Fish noodle, chicken noodle, grilled pork noodle... I’ve eaten many times. But this crab noodle in Phu Minh gave me a totally different feeling.
Compared to fish noodle: Fish noodle is light, clean, has crispy fried fish. Crab noodle is richer, sweeter and heavier. Fish noodle is good when you want something light, crab noodle is better when you want full energy in the morning.
Compared to chicken noodle: Chicken noodle is safe, light, easy to digest. But it’s usually simple: shredded chicken, bamboo shoots, herbs. Crab noodle has 5–6 kinds of toppings, every bite is different.
Compared to grilled pork noodle (bun cha): Bun cha is dry, eaten with dipping sauce. Crab noodle is with broth. But if talking about richness, crab noodle is not less. The betel leaf pork roll in crab noodle even tastes better than regular grilled pork in bun cha.
After eating one bowl, I feel warm, full, like someone in the family cooked for me. Price is also very cheap, only around 30,000–40,000 VND (~1.5 USD), very good for a full breakfast.
Pros:
- Clean food, cooked carefully
- Rich toppings, homemade taste
- Simple space, familiar vibe
- Cheap price, good for workers, students, market people
- Only sells in the morning, around 9am starts to run out
- No air conditioner, can be hot if summer day
To me, crab noodle here is not just a breakfast. It’s a part of memory – of morning in the hometown, of fermented shrimp paste, scallions, of kindness in every spoon of broth.
This article has images and content 100% from me @a-alice!!
See you in the next post
