Authentic Vietnamese home-style snacks — medium-rare beef pho with basil shrimp rolls

Reported by Tsai Meng-hsiu / Taipei

On hot summer days when appetite wanes, Southeast Asian cuisine is a great choice to stimulate the appetite. Among them, Vietnamese food, with its moderate use of spices and not overly intense flavors, plus the combination of fresh greens and rice-based dishes, offers a particularly refreshing taste. Located in Banqiao's Far Eastern commercial district, a small eatery tucked away in an alleyway — "Hometown Vietnamese Snacks" — is always fully booked at meal times. The shop’s authentic Vietnamese flavors once attracted two department stores to approach it for business cooperation, and it has even caught the eye of a major business owner, who invited the shop to set up in the company’s employee cafeteria.

A little after 2 p.m., nearing the lunchtime closing hour, the daughter of the eatery’s owners greets customers. Following the staff’s suggestion, we ordered several signature dishes. First to arrive wasthe shop’s most popular beef pho,which may look like a simple, light noodle soup but delivers an extraordinary taste. The broth is simmered from beef bones, enhanced with special seasonings and the aroma of onions and green onions, resulting in a rich and deeply flavorful base — the soul of this bowl of pho.

▲ The beef is prepared similarly to Tainan’s beef soup, where raw beef is poured over boiling bone broth, keeping it at a perfect medium-rare for tender texture, as you can still see hints of red in the meat. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

▲ The pho noodles soak up the rich beef bone broth, making the taste even more delicious, with the noodles carrying the sweet umami of the stock. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

The pho also performs exceptionally well — aside from the springy and firm texture of the noodles themselves, what’s most important is how well they absorb the broth, making every strand flavorful. As for the star ingredient, the beef, the portion is generous. Each slice is thick, almost needing to be folded to fit in your mouth, and importantly, the texture is nothing short of excellent.

The eatery’s owner’s daughter, Li Yi-chieh,explained that the beef in this dish cannot be fully cooked, so it’s served by pouring hot broth directly over raw slices. This allows the beef to absorb the broth’s flavor while retaining both color and tenderness. Paired with Vietnamese-imported peppercorns, it becomes a dish full of color, aroma, and taste. Moreover, to maintain the quality of the beef pho, only domestically produced Taiwanese beef is used, which also means higher costs.

After the beef pho, another recommended dish isthe shrimp rolls,made with a mix of pork, basil, leaf mustard, fresh shrimp, Vietnamese rice noodles, and more, all wrapped in thin rice paper. The translucent skin of the shrimp rolls clearly reveals the colorful fillings, especially the bright red shrimp, which are incredibly appetizing.

▲ The shop uses generous portions — the photos clearly show the amount of shrimp, and the price is very affordable at just NT$70 per plate. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

▲ In Vietnam, locals typically eat the rolls whole, but in Taiwan, the shop cuts them into pieces for easier eating. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

The shrimp rolls themselves contain no added seasoning. The shrimp and pork are blanched, paired with vegetables and Vietnamese rice noodles, resulting in a refreshing taste. The shop also provides homemade fish sauce on the side, which is moderately salty — much less “dead saltiness” than store-bought versions. Customers can also enjoy the pickled red and white radish strips in the dipping sauce. It’s a dish that’s perfect for summer and ideal for women.

For those who don’t prefer noodles, the shop also offerschicken curry rice,another popular item. Made in the Vietnamese style, this dish comes with a lighter curry sauce, unlike the thick curries of India. Due to Southeast Asia’s hot and humid climate and its proximity to Thailand, the dish includes basil and coconut milk, giving it a rich flavor.

▲ This chicken curry rice features large chunks of chicken and a sauce with coconut milk, which gives off a subtle creamy aroma when mixed with rice. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

The rice used is long-grain rice common in Southeast Asian countries, with distinct grains and a balanced stickiness. Paired with the sauce, you can taste the faint hint of coconut milk. As for the chicken, similar to the beef pho, the portion is quite generous — there are many pieces of diced chicken, even outnumbering the carrots. Notably, some of the chicken pieces include thigh meat, and even the breast meat remains tender and juicy without being dry or chewy.

After sampling three main dishes, we ended the feast with a drink. Guests should try Vietnam’s classic beverage“coffee with milk tea,”which is made by mixing drip coffee with condensed milk, resulting in a rich and bold taste suitable for those who prefer stronger flavors. Because the owner refuses to use cheap instant three-in-one coffee, you can already smell the strong aroma of coffee before taking a sip.

▲ The drip coffee mixed with condensed milk makes for a rich-flavored coffee milk tea, more suited to those who enjoy bold tastes. (Photo / Tsai Meng-hsiu)

Li Yi-chieh said that this small eatery has been in business for 10 years. The early days were tough, and her family had considered giving up, but the owner’s wife insisted on persevering. It was her dedication to flavor, business philosophy, and ingredient quality that built the shop’s reputation, attracting interest from department stores and corporate executives.

But the cheerful owner’s wife turned down all offers and has always stuck to her philosophy of“just getting by in life.” As a result, in ten years, only a few items have seen a price increase of NT$5, while others have remained unchanged. The shop runs on a small profit margin with high sales volume, and the highest-priced item on the menu is only NT$80.

▲A humble shop tucked away in an alleyway serves extraordinary cuisine, and tables are hard to come by during regular mealtimes. (Photo by reporter Tsai Meng-hsiu)

Li Yiji then explained that her family is actually of Cantonese origin, belonging to the Vietnamese Chinese community. Before she was born, the entire family had moved to Vietnam with her grandfather to start a business. Back then, they were considered a well-respected local family in Vietnam, living in a whole standalone house and running a coffee business. However, when the Vietnam War broke out, the family evacuated from Vietnam, and relatives scattered in all directions. They chose to settle in Taiwan and began serving Vietnamese cuisine using the culinary skills they had mastered in Vietnam.

In fact, there are still many other dishes in the shop worth trying. Due to limited appetite, only a few can be briefly introduced here: beef brisket rice, turmeric pancakes, fried spring rolls, salted lemon juice... etc., each with its own unique characteristics. Additionally,the shop also offers dishes that emerged during Vietnam’s French colonial period, such as the iconic Vietnamese baguette sandwich and beef brisket baguette. These are made by pairing French bread with Vietnamese-style main fillings, and the way they’re eaten is somewhat similar to convenience store-style combo meals like the Big Gulp burger.Next time you visit Banqiao, why not take a detour and try this hidden gem of international flavor nestled in the alleyways.

Shop Information:

Address: No. 20, Ren’ai Road, Banqiao City, Taipei County
Phone: 02-8951-8099
Business Hours: Monday to Thursday, Sunday 11:00–15:00, 17:00–21:00; Friday 11:00–15:00

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