Before we begin, it’s pronounced “boon.” Short, sharp. Bún. Knowing that will help you in reading this.
A signature Vietnamese dish served in a bowl, bún consists of bed of rice vermicelli covered with thin-sliced vegetables, a variety of meats, herbs and other goodies. A topping I’ve frequently seen is egg rolls chopped into bite-sized pieces. Called chả giò, it came into vogue in the mid-20th Century as Vietnamese street food.
Because bún is a decidedly Vietnamese dish, I chose two decidedly Vietnamese restaurants — not French Vietnamese or pan-Asian. They are Nambo Kitchen in Pinellas Park and Pho 813 in Tampa.
NAMBO KITCHEN
The small, stand-alone building that houses Nambo Kitchen sits just west of the Shoppes at Park Place. This section of Park Boulevard is commerce-heavy and often traffic-jammed, so its best to keep a sharp eye out for the restaurant.
The building is kind of ramshackle, like a roadside dive, but it had an inviting air. Maybe it’s the porch, which was empty during our visit at 7:30 Monday. Inside, the place is well-lit (just this side of too bright), basic — it has a drink case — and comfortable. Our party of two hungry people out for a late (for us) dinner ordered the combination bún with grilled pork, shrimp and egg roll ($16.50); grilled pork spring rolls (2, $6.95); and fried dumplings ($7.95). I got a mango smoothie ($6.95).
Appearance
I saw thin-sliced cucumber, julienned carrots, chopped shallots and what looked like crumbled peanuts mixed in with the proteins. The vermicelli peeked through in places. I knew my chopsticks would soon be discarded in favor of a fork.
Taste and Texture
This bún, like most of the others I’ve eaten, tasted like a fresh spring morning. The vermicelli, slightly warm, acted as an accompanist for the other ingredients, but without these skinny rice noodles, the dish would be much diminished, if even worthwhile.
My favorite topping was the egg roll, which added a flaky, comfort-food element to complement the slurpy noodles and crunchy vegetables. I liberally dosed the bowl with a house-doctored fish sauce, which a added a welcome wave of sweetness.
We were impressed with the spring rolls, the dark brown of the grilled pork showing through the clear rice paper. We dipped them in a thick peanut sauce and make them disappear.
The velvety smoothie — lighter than a milkshake — came in a cute branded cup.
Pho 813
Pho 813, which the owners of Yummy House opened in early 2021, is located on Henderson Boulevard just north of the clogged intersection with Dale Mabry. We had the scheduling misfortune of heading there during early rush hour, arriving at 5:15 on Thursday.
The spacious interior has an airy, modern feel, with light hues of brown and beige complemented by white chairs. We ordered the combination bún with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and a sectioned egg roll ($19.99), plus grilled pork summer rolls (2, $8.25) and a beef bahn mi ($11.99).
Appearance
The bowl was big and deep, loaded with toppings, with a smaller bowl of fish sauce on top. It looked like a lot. The noodles were buried.
Taste and Texture
This bún was harder to attack than its competitor. I had to dredge the noodles to the top and pair them with proteins. The small egg rolls were rendered all but inconsequential. The meats had a nicely grilled flavor. My fave was the beef, which was more tender than expected.
The meats came in large pieces, which required me to split them into smaller pieces by hand. It was either that or pull them out of the bowl and cut them with a knife. Sorry, I’m not that refined. As for the acouterments, the daikon was a nice touch, but the abundance of lettuce got in the way. The fish sauce was not as sweet as that of Nambo.
The spring rolls had hefty cuts of grilled pork, noodles, mint and a leaves of romaine lettuce bound in rice paper. They were next level. The bahn mi was thick with beef, which was also notably tender, but its toppings lacked the pickled punch that I’ve had in other versions.
And the Winner of the Battle of the Bún Is …
Nambo Kitchen.
No question I liked both versions, but the relative simplicity of Nambo’s bún gave it the edge. The components stood on their own while working as a whole. Two other factors: bigger, better egg rolls and the sweeter fish sauce.
Pho 813 served a bigger portion with a lot more stuff, so if you like your bowls loaded, this would probably be the one for you. I gave the nod to Pho 813 in the spring/summer roll competition.
