Yesterday the weather was hot like fire, the sun in Vietnam is very uncomfortable because it is very harsh and the humidity is high, so everyone is sweaty all over.🫠🫠🫠 I hate summer in Vietnam because it is really uncomfortable. Normally in summer I just stay at home and turn on the air conditioner all day, but yesterday I had something to do and had to go outside and endure the burning sun.🤒🤒🤒
I was riding around Soc Son town looking for a place to have lunch and I remembered a crab noodle soup restaurant that I had eaten at a long time ago. In my memory, the place looked quite bright and clean.
There was also a glass cabinet containing rice and savory dishes that looked very tidy and decent.
After a while searching, I found it. Looking from the outside, it seemed like the restaurant had air conditioning so I didn’t hesitate, went straight in with the hope of eating a hot bowl of noodles in a cool space. But life is not like a dream😮💨I sat for more than ten minutes and still didn’t see the air conditioner running. I asked and the staff said today they don’t turn it on. Omg!! Outside it was nearly 40 degrees and inside was also very hot. My sweat was dripping onto the table while eating – a quite funny scene if you were an outsider looking in, but for me I just wanted to eat quickly and leave.😭😭😭
Diverse menu – crab, fish, and snail noodle soup all available
Even so, since I already went in, I still had to eat. 😤Looking at the menu on the wall, I saw the place specializes in noodle dishes like crab noodle soup, fish noodle soup, snail noodle soup... There was also a full rice cabinet with dozens of dishes that looked like “home meal” food.
Me and my friend decided to order two bowls to try: one crab and fish noodle soup and one crab noodle soup with pork crackling.
This is the part that made me a bit down: had to wait almost 15–20 minutes to get the noodles. Normally, noodle shops only take 3–5 minutes because the ingredients are already prepared. I don’t know if that day the place lacked ingredients or what, but it was slow. Waiting in the heat was truly “light torture”, felt like testing myself.
Crab noodle soup with pork crackling:
Putting aside the waiting part, I have to admit the crab noodle soup with fat pork fried was quite good. The broth was rich, had a slight smell of shrimp paste, slightly sour from tomato. The crab paste here was quite good quality – made from real crab fat so when eating it had a fatty, rich taste, not the fake or tofu-taste.
The pork crackling was crispy, eating it with hot broth gave a fatty and crunchy feeling, especially when adding fried shallots and raw vegetables. Anyone who has never eaten crab noodle soup with pork crackling should try – more interesting than imagined.
Crab and fish noodle soup: crispy fried fish, fresh noodles, good broth
The second bowl was crab and fish noodle soup – quite simple but delicious. The fish was fried golden, crispy skin, inside soft not dry. Noodles were white and fresh, not mushy.
Price and rice dishes also good😗Each bowl costs 35,000đ (1.5 usdt) I think the price is reasonable. A full bowl with crab paste, tofu, green onion, tomato, hot broth. If the weather wasn’t too hot I could have eaten more.
The place also sells rice dishes like home meals. I didn’t try but looking at the glass cabinet I saw dishes like: fried pork with sesame, braised chicken, stir-fried green beans, boiled vegetables, fish cake with tomato sauce, braised pork with radish, fried tofu with lemongrass, salted roasted peanuts... In general, if you want to eat clean and home-style rice, this is also a good choice.
Various drinks but iced tea is the best for me now☺️This shop sells many drinks like milk tea, juice, soft drinks, coffee, lemon tea... But in the burning heat, I only asked for a free iced tea – and maybe it was the best part of the meal, because it helped me survive the heat of both the weather and the steaming hot bowl of noodles.
Conclusion: worth trying but... go on a cool day
✅ Pros:
Tasty food, rich flavor, clean.
Good quality crab paste, crispy pork crackling.
Reasonable price.
Has home-style rice for those who don’t like noodles.
❌ Cons:
No air conditioner even when very hot.
Service was a bit slow, not sure why.
If you’re in Soc Son and looking for a lunch place with reasonable prices and delicious dishes, you can try this restaurant – but better go on a cool day, or at least bring a mini fan if you want to eat crab noodle soup at noon in summer!
😌Score: 7/10
(I will come back to try another food... but in winter!)🥹