Grilled sticky rice banana on the sidewalk is the most popular in Ho Chi Minh City, Western guests enjoy it in the rain

In March 2023, grilled sticky rice banana was mentioned by CNN in the list of "The World's Best Desserts". This vote was part of the Culinary Journeys program, which is broadcast monthly on CNN International. "The dish is crispy, hot and fragrant, best enjoyed with coconut milk and roasted peanuts. This is a must-try when coming to Vietnam", the famous American newspaper introduced.

Grilled sticky rice banana is a rustic snack in the West, very popular in Ho Chi Minh City today. However, there are not many places that sell grilled sticky rice banana that are long-standing, delicious and crowded.

The grilled banana shop at the beginning of alley 378 Vo Van Tan (Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) is a place that attracts Ho Chi Minh City residents, domestic and foreign tourists. The shop is open from 7am to 9pm and is always crowded. Nearly 30 years ago, this was just a small sidewalk stall. Later, the owner built a house about 10m2 wide.

The owner of the shop is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu Mai (69 years old). To keep the shop open all day and serve the large number of customers, Mrs. Mai has "more than a football team" of employees, divided into 3-4 people on duty at the shop to grill bananas and sell, and a few people at home to do the preparation steps.

Ms. Mai has shared many times in the press that this small shop can sell 600-700 grilled bananas and grilled sticky rice bananas every day, and at peak times it can be up to more than a thousand.

It is known that the type of banana used by the restaurant is the banana or Siamese banana. The banana must be the type of banana that is ripened on the tree with the right ripeness. The type that is just ripe or overripe is difficult to process or grill. Sticky rice is mixed with grated coconut to make it both fatty and not sticky before cooking into sticky rice. The sticky rice is scooped out and skillfully wrapped around the banana. The banana that has been wrapped in sticky rice is then wrapped in another layer of banana leaves on the outside. Thanks to this layer of banana leaves, the cake does not burn, and the baker can conveniently watch the cake cook.

The restaurant uses mangrove charcoal because this type of charcoal is less likely to explode when grilling, the fire burns evenly but with little smoke. When the banana leaves are charred, the sticky rice skin is golden and crispy, and smells fragrant, it is done.

Grilled sticky rice bananas will be served with rich coconut milk and a little roasted peanuts. The sweet taste of ripe bananas mixed with the fragrant sticky rice, the rich taste of coconut milk and the nutty taste of roasted peanuts create a simple dish that many diners love. According to the owner, the coconut milk is also meticulously and elaborately made and can only be preserved for about 6 hours under normal conditions.

Currently, grilled bananas are sold for 20,000 VND/fruit, grilled sticky rice bananas are 22,000 VND/fruit. The restaurant has no seats, so customers have to buy take-out or stand on the sidewalk to enjoy the hot food right away. This is a minus point of the restaurant.

Two German tourists Luca and Ira eagerly awaited to enjoy grilled sticky rice bananas on their journey to explore Ho Chi Minh City's street food scene. This was the first time they had heard of this dish, but from afar, they were attracted by the irresistible aroma. "The Vietnamese tour guide introduced us to grilled sticky rice bananas and took us here. This shop seems to be very popular with locals, they come here to buy continuously. Vietnamese fruits are delicious and there are many ways to prepare them. This makes us even more passionate about Vietnam," Luca (wearing glasses) shared.

Mr. Pham Quang Huy (tour guide) said that for over two years he has been taking tourists to the grilled banana sticky rice restaurant on Vo Van Tan. His visitors are all satisfied with the taste of this street food.

On rainy days in the city, the weather is a bit chilly, this dish is even more attractive to diners, making many people willing to wait in the rain to buy it.

At rush hour in the evening, the restaurant is often very crowded, customers even have to wait in line, calling out orders and urging loudly. Some customers said that in recent years, some restaurant staff are not as friendly and welcoming as before. On social networks, there are also articles saying that the staff of this grilled banana sticky rice restaurant are "snobbish" and "uncomfortable when customers ask about the dishes". This has become an unfortunate minus point of the restaurant.

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