Situated at 127 Dinh Tien Hoang Street in Tan Dinh Ward, Banh Cuon Tay Ho has been packed with lunchtime customers since getting a Michelin Bib Gourmand award this month. The recoginition is given to eateries serving delicious food at affordable prices.
Owner Tran Thuy Loan, who serves customers herself, says she has been in the habit of wearing an ao dai since taking over the shop three years ago.
"I wear it … to show respect for our guests."
In 1961, Loan's mother-in-law, Tran Thi Ca (1919-2006) from northern Vietnam's Ha Nam opened the shop on the former Gallimard Street (now Nguyen Huy Tu Street). Customers called the shop Banh Cuon Tay Ho because it was near a temple honoring reformist Phan Chau Trinh, whose pen name was Tay Ho.
The family later made this the official name.
In 1978, the shop moved to its location on Dinh Tien Hoang Street. The kitchen still has a 1965 photo of Ca making rice rolls.
Loan has spent over 30 years at the shop since marrying into the family, learning every step from her mother-in-law, from mixing batter to steaming rolls and making the filling and sauce. The family makes most ingredients from scratch, including grinding the rice and frying the shallots.
The batter preparation is given the most care. Rice is soaked overnight, ground, and steamed. The finished rolls come out soft and fragrant.
Cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with fried shallots, the rolls are served with bean sprouts and a sweet-and-sour fish sauce. Customers can order extra toppings such as pork sausage and fermented pork rolls.
Michelin praised the shop for preserving classic flavors while offering vegetarian options.
Prices range from VND40,000 to VND72,000 ($1.50 to $2.70). The shop recommends that diners should cut the rolls with a spoon and dip in the fish sauce before eating.
Thu An, a regular for more than 40 years, makes a point of visiting whenever she visits HCMC from Canada. She says the flavors have stayed the same even after the menu was expanded to suit modern tastes.
Christoph, a German tourist, ordered two servings of rice rolls with sausage on his second visit to the shop in four years.
He says: "The rolls were soft and warm, and they went well with the dipping sauce. This is a place that deserves Michelin's recognition."
Loan says: "I'm happy that the Michelin Guide has recognized us. It's an acknowledgment of decades of effort in serving our customers."
The place gets around 200 customers a day, with lunch and dinner being the busiest periods.
It is at the intersection of two streets and has free parking.
Guests are served free tea, and given raincoats during bad weather.
On Google reviews, the shop has a 4.6-star rating from 500 reviews, many praising the quality and variety of fillings, though some note the prices are a bit high for the category.
