Op La La!

Every morning on the pavement just outside our house in Saigon's District 1 a vendor arranged eight tiny plastic stools around a makeshift cooker. There, from about 630 until 10 in the morning, she served order after order of op la (fried eggs cooked with various sausages).

Back then Dave worked a different sort of job, one that required a shirt and tie and his presence at an office from an early hour, so we didn't partake often. But when we did, we marveled at the perfectection of her sunny-side-up eggs: lightly crispy on the bottom, whites just past the point of jiggly, and yolks runny enough to generously stain the baguette we ate alongside.

 

After we left Saigon in 2005 that op la served as our fried eggs gold standard -- until, on this last trip back, we were introduced to the op la at Hoa Ma Quan.

This 40-year-old establishment occupies a typically long, narrow corner shop in District 3. Tables overflow its small space onto the alley outside. And on Saturdays and Sundays and before office hours on weekdays, they're filled with folks digging into op la.

Hoa Ma Quan opened as a banh mi shop (we'll have more to say on that specialty later). The proprietress, who moved with her family from Hanoi, can still be found behind the counter taking money and making change while her daughters split and stuff baguettes.

At Hoa Ma Quan they do things the old-fashioned way, which means that most banh mi and op la ingredients -- mayonnaise, pate, and many of the sausages -- are made in house. Baguettes are kept warm in an oven heated with charcoal.

 

All of this attention to detail makes for an op la that is a cut above the average.

Think Western-style bacon and eggs given a twist and a leg up courtesy of Vietnamese culinary ingenuity.The eggs arrive in individual pans, yolks done just so and bottoms browned and crackly. Nestled in the egg whites are slices of pork sausage and a few chunks of a bacon-ish meat that, unlike many lesser pork products, really taste of the pig. Triangles of chewy gluten browned in pork fat add an intriguing textural dimension.

The op la is served with a plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and a bit of bracing carrot pickle. And, of course, a big warm, crusty baguette.

There's only one way to improve upon Hoa Ma Quan's op la, and that is to order it with a side of pate (smooth, mild, and very porky) and mayonnaise (impossibly rich and eggy). We allternated bites of egg and sausage and baguette dipped in runny yolk with bits of bread spread smeared with pate and freshly made mayonnaise. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

A couple of weeks ago, this was my birthday breakfast. And I couldn't help but imagine that starting the day with pate must be an auspicious way to start a new year.

Hoa Ma Quan, 53 Cao Thang, District 3. 6am-12pm (officially -- they close up shop when the run out of supplies, which can be as early as 1030am).

Comments

[Lina]

There's something especially bracing about having your morning meal perched on a stool only a few inches off the ground. I'm not usually an eggs in morning sort of person, but with a side of pate I could do it. Sounds lovely.

And happy belated birthday!

[borneoboy]

Oh this looks to die for ! Must get back to Saigon again.

Robyn, have you been to the Seafood Shop Quan 94 at 84 Dinh Tien Hoang Street District 1, HCMC. I had the best ever crab meat fried rice there. I will go back to Saigon just for that !

[meemalee]

Oh my goodness - that looks beautiful.

Definitely a cut above your average fry-up!

[Ashlee]

Oh wow, this looks divine! Those fresh crusty baguettes remind me of when I went to Vietnam as a 16 year old for a study tour. It was my first time overseas and being from a small Australian town, it was my first real exposure to Asian food besides dodgy Westernized Chinese dishes.

When I moved to Sydney for university just a few years later, there was a $2 Vietnamese roll shop just around the corner... those rolls and packets of IndoMie got me through my degree :)

[the lacquer spoon]

Vietnamese baguettes and breads were very impressive during my stay in Ho Chi Minh. The soft and wheaty aroma is just unforgettable. Hmm, must be back there!

[Mark @ Cafe Campana]

Great looking food. I love the concept of street dining like this.

[eastingfeasting]

wow, im not a breakfast person but the pictures make me want to get up early and have one just like that.

[Deng Huang]

Amazing!

[Mai@FlavorBoulevard]

Wow, this is a dream banh mi! And very generous portion too! The sign is funny, though, I like how they say "sốt sít" for sausage!

[J2Kfm]

Died and gone to heaven?! Haha ... sweet.
I love Banh Mi, paired with the fresh soy milk that they usually serve them with.

[Cheng Sun Do]

I grew up in Saigon. Your pictures bring me back to when I was a kid. Great Pictures.

[Tram]

Amazing photos!!!! I drooled on my keyboard. Really. I can just smell the op-la and hear the sizzles. AAAAHHH!!! Ur killing me!!!! I'm gonna have to make it at home tonight for supper :O

[Britinbangkok]

That egg and pork sausage looks incredible.

I was in Hanoi a few years back and, although I'm not a huge fan of Vietnam (much prefer Thailand), their take on western food was amazing. And cheap too!

Those photos, btw, look like they're just popping off the page. Think I'll be cooking sausages and egg for dinner tonight, LOL.

[AmericanVietnamese]

Wonderful photos. I live in Saigon and I think you really captured the street food experience well.

[Diana]

Oh my god I'm dying to go back to Vietnam. Your op la brings me back to that amazing stall I went to last year in Hoi An. You're right...the only thing that would have made it better was some of that paté and bread.

[Melville]

I was wondering if the name 'op la' come from french 'aux plats', meaning 'on plate'. 'Des oeufs aux plats' is a very common expression, and it is basically the same thing as 'op la' (sunny side up eggs)... I may be wrong...

[Thanh Nguyen]

You make me miss my country so much. i miss Op La La, Hu Tieu, Pho, Pho Sate (i think you should try it), Hu Tieu Nam Vang (Ty Lum is the best, district 5), Com Tam, Xoi man ( the best is Bui Thi Xuan stress), bun nuoc leo Soc Trang (tran cao van Stress),.... they are so delicious.
Thank you for your report about my country's food.

[Robyn]

Melville - interesting. Could well be! Thank you for your comment.

Thanh, you're welcome. If you think we are getting it right when it comes to Vietnamese food that makes us feel great.

[Fatty Liver Diet Plan]

Op la sounds devine. Friend eggs and sausage. What a great way to start the morning. Now, if only my fatty liver would agree. If I have a bite, no one's going to say anything, right? ;)

DJ