Prawns Coated on Sugar Cane ($17)

There’s no shortage of good Vietnamese restaurants in Canley Vale, and though we tend to stick to our favourites, we’d been past Bach Dang so many times we thought we’d give it a try too.

It’s much larger than it may first appear, there’s even a function room tucked away on the side, and the place is bustling with large groups when we visit on a Saturday night. Menu-wise, it is quite similar to next door (Hai Au Lang Nuong), just with a slightly nicer ambience and modern décor.

Papaya, Prawn, Jelly fish salad ($17)

We start with our favourite papaya, prawn and jellyfish salad which comes with thin strips of crunchy fresh papaya in a light, tangy sauce. Prawn chips add a pleasant crunch. It’s delicious on its own but we actually find it a great addition to our rice paper rolls too!

Prawns Coated on Sugar Cane ($17)

Prawns on sugar cane are always a crowd pleaser, the prawn mince fresh and bouncy, a delightful sweetness imparted from the stick of sugar cane in the middle.

Prawns Coated on Sugar Cane ($17)

There’s three sticks per serve, but once cut up and incorporated in a rice paper roll, it serves plenty.

Seafood Spring Rolls

Make sure you try their seafood spring rolls, which are unlike any other spring roll we’ve tried before. They’re massive deep fried balls packed with seafood, in the form of prawns, calamari and fish, coated in a crispy batter that is slightly sweet and reminiscent of Korean corn chips.

Roast Quails $14
Roasted quails are super crispy, as always a little fiddly to eat but worth it for the tasty tender meat.

Vietnamese Sour Soup (Canh Chua) with whole Fish

The Vietnamese Soup soup with whole fish comes as a hot pot. It does take some time for the soup to heat up and then to cook the fresh fish pieces but its well worth the effort for a tasty sour soup. It’s a little more on the bland side compared to the version we’re used to next door.

Claypot Caramel Fish

For a hit of flavour, go for the caramel fish which is a little on the salty side for our tastes, but is also equally sweet.

Mud Crab with Tamarind Sauce

The mud crab is definitely something different, stir fried in a tangy tamarind sauce.

Stir Fried Snow Pea Sprouts with Linh Zhi Mushrooms ($22)

We’re disappointed when the snow pea sprouts turned up as snow peas, but the Linh Zhi Mushrooms are something different, served in a savoury glaze, almost like a vegetarian abalone.