Ngoc Mai

A new herb for my noodle soup?

Ngoc Mai is known for its dishes from Hue, the ancient political and culinary capital of Vietnam, and from that section of its menu I chose bun oc ($6.50), a "clam noodle soup" also rife with pork, squid, and shrimp. The namesake "oc" literally refers to golf-ball-size sea snails that presumably are not available in the Bay Area, at least not from Manila Oriental Market, whose calendar hung behind the register. You can see those (gray) snails, withdrawn from their shells, on the display table outside this Hanoi storefront; in the prepared dish they were hidden, largely by bean curd.

Ngoc Mai's bun oc stayed clear of such encumbrances, and the clear soup itself had a much more delicate flavor. Some of it came from the leaf shown above, which appeared atop the accompaniments plate of lemon, bean sprouts, and the usual herbs. Rau răm goes by common names that include Vietnamese coriander and Vietnamese mint, though botanically it's unrelated to either coriander or mint, but (for me) it enjoys more fame as the eponymous laksa leaf of the Singaporean and Malaysian noodle soup. In my Singaporean katong laksa (one of many varieties), the shredded leaves were delivered to the table in the soup spoon; in San Francisco, the fresh leaves themselves are there for the picking.

Ngoc Mai
547 Hyde St. (Geary-O'Farrell Sts.), San Francisco
415-931-4899
Breakfast and lunch only

Comments

[linda]

I would love to come and try this food