Vietnam Bistro by Mama Hanh Canggu — Restaurant in Bali

I was happy to get a call letting me know they are opening vietnam bistro in canggu. As much as I love their pho, truth be told the drive to legion was a deterrent to visiting more often. So I indulged less in my Vietnamese food craving. So here is the good, not so good and great things about the new location.

So let get the not so good out of the way .. we sat in the corner table close to the street and it was warmer than I like and the speaker was right over my head so it was a little louder than I like. I think a fan and few more speakers will make a great improvement especially for that table.

The good….. the food is as good as in the original location and they even added few more items which I find endearing because it was already good and they added things like free range chicken dish that just makes the dining experience a joy. Not only has the selection been expanded but it’s even more healthier and tastier. I love this chicken because while it’s not overly meaty like the boilers I am use to in the states and even here in Bali which is meaty. But you know you are eating growth hormones and antibiotics filled meat. Instead I was treated to chewy chicken meat with texture and taste which I know is wholesome and nutritious. The price is the same as the legion location which by canggu standard is 25% less than all other comparable restaurants nearby while the overall food quality is at least 50% better.

The great….. great food selection, taste, value, in even nicer setting. The truth is the legion location was a food tasting journey where I liked that the decorations left only the food as the only factor in deciding if it was a place worth dining. Yes, it is a bit …. but Vietnam bistro canggu brought all the great food, value and wrapped it in a tasteful interior which made me wanted to linger long after I was full and slipping into food coma. The lighting was warm and the wood tones was inviting me to try the Vietnam coffee and the Plan desert.

As I look at the mural of miss hanh (chef) in a boat clutching water Lillies it occurred to me, not only was the mural better but the mural represented all that was better about this place in canggu. They kept the same ingredient that made Vietnam bistro a place worth driving an hour to eat but improved in it an unexpected and delightful way. Well done ! Well done …. Now I recede into my food coma joyful.

I went back again recently…. Not sure what happened but not the same as...

This review is coming from a Nguyen who is a hardcore Vietnamese foodie…this is the best viet food I’ve had outside of vietnam—and is as authentic or more than the places in vietnam. 🇻🇳❤️‍🔥🥢

I am absolutely shocked to find this in Bali! I have travelled to 35+ countries and spent extensive time in Vietnam, and I always must try the food in various countries, hoping to find food as delicious as what my bà (grandma) cooked.

Mama Hanh makes amazing food, every dish with love. I have tried 6 dishes now and felt she made them perfectly.

It feels as if she took the best dishes from all over vietnam, made them as authentically + delicious as possible, and put it all into one menu.

The owner is a beautiful and kind Vietnamese woman with powerful cooking abilities. The service was extremely quick and pleasant, much exceeding my expectations. The restaurant was spotless and peaceful, filled with many vietnamese people. Prices are fair to cheap, especially given the quality of real ingredients used.

I brought with me a friend who says Vietnamese food is plain, he has tried it many times and simply doesn’t like it—he says this restaurant completely changed what he thought of Vietnamese food forever and that he loves it now!

This is the only vietnamese restaurant in Bali I have enjoyed (which I was very sad about), and after being here for 1 year, this food took me home!

Thank you mama hanh 🙏🏼✨

Favorite dish and drink: -Nem...

인도네시아 여행 중 최악의 경험

이곳이 왜 후기가 좋은지 모르겠습니다. 신종 인종차별과 매출 올리려는 수법인가요? 맛도 없고 주문오류로 돈까지 더 내고 기분만 상했습니다.

지나가다가 뜨끈한 국물을 먹고싶기도 했고 외부에 있는 직원들이 친절하게 안내해서 방문했습니다. 메뉴를 주문할 때 분명히 Pho No.2 bo tai 하나, Goi Coun(fresh spring roll) 하나를 주문했습니다. 직원도 주문을 다시 한 번 확인 했습니다.

음식이 나왔는데 쌀국수 2개에 스프링롤 하나가 나왔길래 쌀국수 하나는 저희가 시킨 게 아니라고 말했습니다. 그 때까지만 해도 다른 테이블 음식이 같이 나왔구나했는데 메뉴 주문받은 직원이 오더니 짜증난 얼굴로 ”내가 아까 분명히 넘버2라고 말했을 때 너가 오케이 하지 않았냐 이건 취소 할 수 없으니 먹어야한다“고 말하길래 너무 갑작스럽고 어이없는 상황에 말문이 막혔습니다.

저희는 이미 저녁을 먹었고 야식으로 뜨끈한 국물이 마시고싶어서 간단하게 먹으려고 들어온 식당이어서 쌀국수를 1인당 1개씩 먹기엔 배불렀지만 직원이 곤란할 것 같아서 알겠다고 하려고 했는데 갑자기 쌀국수를 다시 주방으로 가져가길래 취소 해주려나보다라고 생각했습니다. 근데 갑자기 포장을 해놨다고 이따 계산할 때 같이 결제를 하면 된다고 했습니다.

직원이 No.2를 두개로 착각한 것 같은데 오히려 제가 못알아 들어서 생긴 문제라고 지적하는 직원의 독단적이고 무례한 태도에 기분이 정말 나빴습니다. 쌀국수라 포장해가도 불어터지고 저희는 배불러서 먹지도 못하고 그대로 버렸습니다.

백번 양보해서 주문을 서로 확인했으니 소통오류인건데 왜 저만 손해를 봐야 하나요? 친절하게 “서로 소통오류가 있었던 것 같은데 음식을 버릴순 없으니 혹시 결제 해줄 수 있나요?“ 이렇게 말했으면 그나마 나았을텐데 먹지도 않은 음식에 돈까지 내고 이런 불친절한 태도를 견뎌야 하나요? 75k 루피아 때문에 그 날 제 하루가 최악이 되었습니다. 식당은 손님한테 짜증내고 음식값도 다 받고 아무 손해가 없었습니다. 결제를 했더니 다시 친절하게 잘 가라고 하더군요.

맛있었으면 기분은 나빴지만 그래도 맛있는 식사 했으니 위안은 삼을텐데 심지어 맛도 없었습니다. 쌀국수 국물맛도 텁텁하고 비렸고 스프링롤도 제가 좋아하는 새우가 들어갔음에도 맛도 없고 질겼습니다.

영어는 제 모국어가 아닙니다. 하지만 저는 해외에서 일하고 거주한 경험이 있어 영어를 못 알아듣지는 않습니다. 무조건 너가 잘못 말했다식으로 말하는 게 제가 외국인이라서 인종차별하는건가라는 생각이 들정도 였습니다. 싸우기 싫어서 그냥 넘어갔지만 제가 인도네시아를 여행하던 중 가장 최악의 순간으로 꼽을 경험이었습니다.

Worst Experience of Traveling to Indonesia

I don't understand why the reviews here are good. Is it a new type of racism and a way to increase sales? It was tasteless and uncomfortable.

My friend and I stopped by the restaurant in the evening because we wanted to eat hot soup, and the outside staff kindly guided us to our visit. When we ordered the menu, we definitely ordered one Pho(Vietnamese noodle soup) No.2 bo tai and one fresh spring roll (Goi Coun). The staff also checked the order again.

When the food came out, two pho and one spring roll came out, so we said we didn't order one pho. Until then, I thought another table dish came out together, but the staff who checked the menu came over and said with an annoyed face, "Didn't you say okay when I said it was pho 2 earlier? I can't cancel this, so you have to pay it." I was speechless in such a sudden and ridiculous situation.

We already had dinner and wanted to eat hot soup as a late-night snack, so we came in to eat a simple meal, so we were full to eat one pho per person, but I thought she would get in trouble with her boss, so we were going to say okay, but suddenly she took the pho back to the kitchen, so we thought she would cancel it. But she took the food and suddenly wrapped it up without explanation and said you have to pay this as well when you pay the bill.

I was really pissed off at her dogmatic and rude attitude of saying that it was my fault that she mistook pho number 2 for two pho.

Even if she packed the rice noodles, we couldn't eat it because the noodles were swollen, and we were already full. In the end, we couldn't even eat and threw away the food.

Because we checked the order together, we had same responsibility. Why am I the only one who should victim? I wish she had been kind to me and said, "I think there was a miss communication. Can you pay for food you haven't even eaten?" Should I endure this rude attitude while paying for food I haven't eaten? The 75,000 rupiah has made my day worst. The restaurant got angry at the customer and was paid for the food, but no damage was done. After I made the payment that she was kind again.

If I had a delicious meal, maybe I forgave that but it was not delicious. The taste of soup was fishy, and the spring roll was tough and tasteless even though it contained shrimp which is my favorite.

English is not my first language. But I have experience working and living abroad, so I understand English enough.

I even thought it was racist, because she treated me like I would have misunderstood I was a foreigner. I just let it go because I didn't want to fight, but it was one of the worst moments of my trip...