Banh Canh Cua Qui Nhon

Honest to god, this was the best banh canh cua I ever had.
Wherever you are, please come back…

We ordered 2 portions of the Banh Canh Cua/​Dac biet, and 1 order of the Banh Beo.
I thought the Banh Canh soup was okay, but I was expecting some fresh, home made style Banh Canh noodles. The noodles they use do not look like the are made in house. The soup is thick with okay flavor. I like how they use real crab on top of the soup.
My partner did not really like the Banh Canh or the soup.
The Banh Beo is average, but I think they used the wrong type of Nuoc Mam.
My partner did not like that either.
These are the reasons why I rate this place average.

First thing’s first… the menu calls the noodles «udon». Yes, it’s a round, thicker noodle, but I think you can learn one more Vietnamese *bánh* word besides bánh mi (a bánh guide–
). Japanese udon is usually wheat based, whereas bánh canh is rice and tapioca based and more transparent, curly, and chewy.
One of my favorite dishes in the world is bánh canh cua (crab). I didn’t grow up eating it but my first exposure to it was my good friend’s mother’s recipe. Her noodles are hand-​made. The soup is a thicker, almost gelatinous broth, and the broth is sweetened from fresh crab and seafood. When the fresh bánh canh sits in the broth, the starchy noodles help thicken the soup. I beg to be invited over whenever her mom makes the soup in the colder season.
I’ve tried the dish at My Canh in SF, where the broth isn’t very thick and way too oily. Surprisingly, Ana Mandara, one of SF’s original upscale Viet restaurants, serves up a good tasting bowl with house-​made noodles. But $ 10 for a tiny bowl that’s really a side dish is definitely unreasonable.
I nearly jumped out of the car the first time I saw this new restaurant so close to my parents’ house in east SJ. The soup base was a thick, rich, crabby flavor (not oily at all). But there were no crab claws, only 3 big prawns, a couple fish cakes, and some crab meat. The noodles were fresh but not hand-​made which was a little disappointing… I also thought there was too much noodles. With this dish being the restaurant’s namesake, I was really hoping it would go above and beyond. But overall, I was satisfied with the bánh canh cua and will definitely be back when I get the craving. Their menu has about 20 dishes and today’s special was bánh xeo, yellow crêpe w/​meat and bean sprout filling. I know ya’ll love phở, but there are so many delicious Viet dishes… give this one a try.

This is my first time having Banh Canh so I have nothing to compare it to.
The soup was what made it so yummy! It was a crab udon soup. The soup is a very thick soup. so it will fill you up fast.
This place would be so good on a cold day!

YUMMY!
I love this place! The crab udon is tasty! Both the broth and the noodles seem fresh and the atmosphere is casual and CLEAN! This is by far the best udon that I’ve ever had.
Why 4 stars instead of five? The only complaint that I have is that they are a bit over-​priced and the portions are quite small despite the $ 7/​bowl price. The portions are small, I think I could have eaten double what was in their regular sized bowl…