Bun Mam, Constructed

Before I ordered this I wasunsure if I ever had this dish and was afraid it might be unpalatable. Afterall, the name suggested its soup base may originate from some Mam Tom - the infamous purple Vietnamese condiment made from fermented shrimp.

Mam Tom is so popular here that when the government warned that the cholera outbreak earlier this year might have been caused by some bad Mam Tom, folks still continued to eat it. And continued to get cholera. Generally I don't like Mam Tom, outside of using it as a dipping sauce for green peaches.

Thankfully this thing didn't seem to have any Mam Tom; it would've been rude to leave a bowl of uneaten food.

This noodle dish is really eclectic - there is shrimp, white fish, cuttle fish, cha (ie a pork sausage like thing), and roast pork. The soup base is dominated by pickled aubergine (nee eggplant), and the purple (and green) veggie on top is this reedy, celery-like contraption unique to SEAsia. I've had this veggie before by itself in a great, plain soup.

Overall, the Bun Mam had a bit too much going on for my taste buds.