or,
Binh, Bun Bench.
Having at least sampled the various bun permutations at every Vietnamese joint within walking distance of downtown at one time or another I can authoritatively assure you that the best is at BMQ.
Here we have BMQ's bun thit, a good example of what makes their bun the best around here. The vegetables are a nice balance of impeccably fresh mint, bean sprouts, daikon, carrot and cucumber, not skewed heavily toward sprouts and iceberg lettuce as one often finds. The ample share of cukes in particular elevates the freshness of the bun.
The rice noodles are the skinnier variety, which to me is preferable to the more common thicker, almost unnaturally white version. They are crowned with ribbons of slightly chewy grilled pork, topped in turn with well-roasted, deeply nutty peanuts, a few translucent, crispy cubes of fried pork skin, and a light scattering of green onions, lightly sautéed-"oiled green onions" in the menu's charming parlance.
The bun sports enough bright, fresh mint sprigs to deliver a minty hit whenever one is desired, amping up the flavor, particularly in concert with the chunky chile paste. The pale-hued nuoc cham is well-balanced between salty nam pla and vinegar.
While the portion is a bit smaller than the cheaper places' offerings, I am always well-satisfied when polishing off a bun from BMQ- if anything the others are too big. $6.50 all in.
Binh Minh Quan
338 12th between Harrison & Webster
893.8136
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