M
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[Update Jan 23, 2025] I finally tried this again. I had only tried it once, and that was around a year ago. It continues to be extremely popular. All the tables are taken pretty much during the entire evening rush. For me, they wanted my money enough, they put me at an occupied table of a father & young daughter. There is more seating on the alley side of the restaurant.
The taste of the duck was real before. This is probably going to be either the best or of the best duck you will have in Vietnam - I have had it a few places around HCMC. The meat is juicy and flavorful; it just falls off the bone (I should have taken a video splitting off the drumstick, not just flipping it over...).
That being said, I noticed the worker wrote down 110K for the bill, even though the menu states 108K/$4.30. It's a matter of pennies, but it's the principle I care about. I intentionally did not use the wetwipe they gave me, knowing it would cost 2K (I believe that should be free for a 100K+ meal). Upon paying the bill, it was explained to me that she gave me sauce + the radish (?) side dish, and that costs 2K/$0.10. The radish wasn't great, and I forced myself to eat half because I didn't want to waste it, but I did use the sauce. Had I known the sauce wasn't free, I wouldn't have taken it. The duck is good enough without sauce. It's the fact she forced me to pay for it when it wasn't what I ordered. I ordered specifically the 108K duck (pointing to the menu). I did not point to or indicate I wanted the sauce, which is on the menu at the bottom, which she pointed out to show me it's listed.
You don't need the sauce, but it does taste good (teriyaki/soy based sauce).
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If you check my reviews on Google or Naver (kimchi4dinner), I rarely use words like "best" or "ever." This place is so popular when I walk by, I wanted to try it, but I get dissuaded when I see too many people in such a tight space... I passed on it the night before, so I waited this time (a few minutes). I got a seat across another (Korean) gentleman eating alone (the only seat available).
I don't know if there are multiple duck dishes here, but if you've never tried duck before... this is the place to try it; specifically, you need to try the duck noodle soup. This may be the best duck I've ever had. I've had duck in multiple countries and it's usual prepared the same (baked, roasted, maybe grilled), however this duck is prepared, it's juicy, flavorful, and the meat pretty much falls off the bone - which is how you want any meat, whenever/wherever you have it.
I don't know how to say it, so I pointed to the guy's food across from me. It's 108K ($4.45), which is maybe 2.5 or 3 meals in this area, but it's worth it. Presumably, it's 108K specifically because they assume you don't bring your own napkins/wet wipes (like I usually do, but didn't this time) and will use it... and like most places, they cost money (not a lot, but...); 2K ($0.10). It would have been 110K, but I got water because they don't serve or give tea water (which, for a place as popular/that makes as much money as this, they can't give that away for free, like a lot of other places...?). Regular size Aquafina is 12K ($0.50) - the same price as a 1.5 liter bottle at most convenience stores.
**The noodles are from across the street.**
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There's a noodle place almost across the street that doesn't appear to have a name or I can't find it on Google Maps [I've tried to add it several times, but it won't be accepted despite my Maps reputation and activity]. But the guy makes good noodle dishes for cheap. I ate there a few nights ago and had two dishes (mostly because I was hungry and they aren't the biggest servings). If you are facing the street outside of this place, look for a guy with a noodle stand and his wife has a juice/beverage stand (they are to the nearest left, across the street).
The noodle photos are from there; most are [35K/$1.40]. The top one, mi xào bo are ramen noodles with beef and the second one (nui xào bo) is long macaroni noodles with beef; both are good.
