A large, crackling turmeric-yellow crepe of rice flour and coconut milk, fried until lacy and folded over shrimp, pork and bean sprouts, then torn into pieces, wrapped in mustard leaf and herbs and dipped in sweet fish sauce.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
The name banh xeo means sizzling cake, for the hiss the batter makes hitting a screaming-hot pan. A Southern and central Vietnamese dish, the Saigon version is large and generously filled, its batter coloured and flavoured with turmeric and coconut milk. It is a hands-on, communal dish: you tear off a piece, roll it in lettuce or mustard greens with a fistful of herbs, and dunk it in nuoc cham. Specialists like Banh Xeo 46A near Tan Dinh built reputations on a single well-made crepe, and the dish drew international attention when Anthony Bourdain filmed at a Saigon banh xeo stall.
Common allergens: Shellfish, Fish
Tip from the editors. The pan must be very hot and the batter thin; a thick, cool crepe steams instead of crisping.
Banh Xeo 46A is the sizzling-pancake specialist off Tan Dinh, where turmeric-yellow rice crepes stuffed with shrimp and pork come wrapped in herbs and greens.
Signature: Banh xeo, Sizzling rice pancake, Nem nuong
Order: A whole banh xeo, torn into lettuce with herbs and fish sauce.
Tip: One pancake is bigger than it looks; order one to start and share before adding more.
Secret Garden hides on the rooftop of an old apartment block off Pasteur, serving home-style Southern Vietnamese cooking on a breezy open-air terrace.
Signature: Banh xeo, Fresh spring rolls, Grilled pork
Order: Banh xeo and the fresh spring rolls with boiled pork.
Tip: It is up several flights inside an old building; look for the small sign and keep climbing.
More cities are in research. Want banh xeo covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.