Ha Nam Ninh

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I'm still on the hunt for the perfect bowl of hu tieu and to find why everyone raves about this popular noodle dish.  This time I ventured out to the Tenderloin where everyone raves about the 25 Dry (Hu Tieu).

For being in the middle of the TL, this restaurant is packed.  There was a nonstop rush of people the whole time I was eating.

I don't usually wrap my egg roll in the lettuce, mint, or basil leaves, but the mound of super fresh herbs and lettuce was too tempting to resist.  The lettuce and herbs tasted just as fresh as they looked.  It offset a little of the guilt from eating the fried egg rolls.

When you ask for the noodles dry style, the soup is served on the side.  The broth is pretty much pho broth without the noodles or meat with a generous amount of pepper.  I think the black pepper was too strong and took away from the delicate broth.

The sweet and salty sauce was served on the side so you can add as little or as much as you like on your noodles.

The plate of fresh herbs and vegetables for the hu tieu included cilantro, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and lemon wedges.

The hu tieu is the most famous dish here.  It might even be one of the most popular dishes in the Tenderloin.  I'd probably say this and the duck leg noodle from Hai Ky Mi Gia (see post HERE) and Turtle Tower's chicken pho (see post HERE), and Saigon Sandwiches (see post HERE) are why people risk their lives to eat in the Tenderloin.  The reputation of this dish is so widespread that most people don't even know the name of this restaurant.  Its just known as the restaurant with the #25 Dry. 

All the ingredients in the dish: chicken, fishcake, pork, squid, shrimp, and fish are really fresh.  They are placed on top of vermicelli noodles and you can add the sauce to taste.  It wasn't the lip smacking dish that I was hoping for, but still satisfying and delicious.

 

They don't have any housemade pickled jalapenos here, but they do have a housemade chili garlic sauce.  It's not very spicy, but it does add a nice flavor to the noodles.  

     

Address:                 Ha Nam Ninh
                                337 Jones St.
                                San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       Vietnamese

Popular chomps:     Hu Tieu (#25 Dry)

Chomp worthy:       Hu Tieu (#25 Dry)