Xuan Anh Banh Cuon

With its prime street-facing location at Footscray Market, this mainstay has become a crucial player in its suburb’s all-star Vietnamese roster. Banh cuon rice rolls are just the right amount of chewy and hearty, loaded with chunks of meat (pork, prawn or chicken) and wood-ear fungus.

Topped with a mountain of fried shallots, they’re a textural delight. Each comes with a side: choose pork meatloaf, sweet potato and prawn hash brown, or fried squid cake – the latter being the true star, especially when dipped in nuoc cham. Perfectly taut rice noodles mean soups are equally compelling.

The rich meaty broth of banh da rieu cua cha muc, Northern Vietnamese red rice noodles, is particularly unmissable. Load it with herbs and dollops of chilli-vinegar paste from your table’s sauce station before loading up on some of the city’s best-value fresh produce.

Good to know: Banh cuon is the hero, but the noodles and sides are equally as good (if not better).

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