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North Vietnamese Food @ Jane's Nem Sec. 17 PJ

Sec. 17, Petaling Jaya, Selangor - May 2022

Looking for good Vietnamese food in Petaling Jaya? Look no further, head for Jane's Nem in Section 17; it's operated by Jane who speaks good English as she had stayed in the U.S. before. She hails from Hanoi and the food she serves is the North Vietnamese style.

Let's kick-off with their Bánh mì. My favourite is their Coconut Pork Bánh mì. Jane bakes her own baguette which have a thin, crispy crust and fluffy inside.

I tried Googling for this but ended with Vietnamese Caramel Braised Pork Bánh mì, which looks like a totally different style. Jane uses fresh coconut water to season the pork which somehow ended up tender and very juicy. Just look at the above picture and you get what I mean..... this is definitely a winner! YummY!

The "Char Siu" - Barbecued Pork Bánh mì; I am tempted to say it's a fusion with with Chinese food. But it's more that Northern Vietnamese fare has been influenced through the ages by it's proximity to Southern China.

The "Char Siu" peeping out - it looks good and smells good too!

The classic, traditional Pate & Pork Ham Bánh mì came with lots of coriander garnishing.

These are quite easy to find at the French Indochina countries, in Cambodia they are know as Num Phang, and can often be found at street side stalls.

The ham is self-made, and is often closer in texture and taste to luncheon meat. The garnishing also includes lots of strips of cut red chilli giving it a special oomph. What seems to be lacking in their Bánh mì here are the pickles, perhaps the northern style don't include these.

Phở is like the national dish of Vietnam, it can be seen sold everywhere - at the side alleys, road-side squat stall, small shoplets, restaurants, etc. At any restaurant, how good the phở is will indicate how good and well known the restaurant is.

And the most renown phở is Phở Bò, - beef phở; and the one here at Jane's is up to mark!

And they are very generous with their Thai basil (Vietnamese: húng quế) and tasty adequately thick slices of beef.

The soup stock was with a strong beef flavor, heady enough to awaken all my taste buds!

A closer look at the rice noodles (bánh phở), a nice spoonful of noodles topped with a slice of beef, Thai basil and spring onions. Usually the northern version use a thinner strip noodle compared to the southern type.

Bun Cha Hanoi, dried-style phở, was serve authentically with the bún on a flat rattan basket. We ordered the pork (chả) type, which came with a couple of deep-fried pork balls and a skewer of pork done satay-style, some salad-herbs on one side, and a bowl of sweet-sour sauce.

One way to enjoy this dish is to use chopsticks to pick up some noodles, dunk them into the sauce and then eat with satay meatballs and herbs.

We save the best for last: Nem (Vietnamese Imperial spring rolls) and went for the nem rán (deep-fried style), in South Vietnam this is called Chả giò.

Rolled inside were seasoned ground pork, mushrooms, vermicelli, and diced vegetables such as carrots, kohlrabi and jicama. The combo was just nice, slightly juicy from the pork yet balanced by crunchy vegetables.

What is a Vietnamese meal without Vietnamese coffee? We went for both the iced white coffee (cà phê sữa đá) and the hot white coffee (Cà phê sữa nóng). Thick and strong, it's tasted good but not as good as those we had in Vietnam itself; probably because the condensed milk is here is not as creamy.

Better still, go for their Vietnamese drip coffee!

Heady, with a lingering flavour.

While there, check out the murals of market street hawkers painted onto the external walls of Seventeen Mall.

Below are Jane's Menu, prices are at the time of our visit.

Jane's Bánh mì Menu.

Jane's phở & Rice Menu

Jane's Side Dishes, Dessert & Drinks Menu

Glossary

Cà phê sữa đá : Vietnamese iced white coffee.

Bánh mì : short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture inside that is often split lengthwise and filled with various savory ingredients as a sandwich.

Bánh xèo : A savoury fried pancake made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder. Some common stuffings include: pork, shrimp, diced green onion, mung bean, and bean sprouts.

Bánh tráng : Edible Vietnamese rice-paper wrappers used in Vietnamese cuisine, primarily in finger foods and appetizers such as Vietnamese nem dishes. Bánh tráng wrappers are made from rice flour supplemented with tapioca flour or sometimes replaced completely with tapioca starch.

Chả giò/nem rán : Ground meat, usually pork, wrapped in rice paper (bánh tráng) and deep-fried. This is the deep fried version of the more popular Gỏi cuốn spring rolls, but often the fillings are different. These are served with peanut sauce or other Vietnamese dipping sauces, such as nước chấm, a condiment based on fish sauce.
Bún thịt nướng : A cold rice-vermicelli noodle topped with grilled pork, fresh herbs like basil and mint, fresh salad, giá (bean sprouts). The dish is dressed in nước mam fish sauce (nước chấm).

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JANE'S NEM
Happy Mansion, AG5, Block A, Jalan 17/13, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: +6012-3311835

Hours:

Saturdays & Sundays 8:30am to 3:00pm

Monday to Friday 10:00am to 8:00pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesNem

Website: https://janesnem.oddle.me
GPS & Directional Map: 3.12421, 101.63462

(Click here for Google Street View)

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