Chip Chip

A very simple ad hangs on the tree with names and prices for crispy fried bananas, crispy fried sweet potatoes and crispy fried corn, deep fried in batter. All these delicious cakes are available on Yen Phu street near the Thang Loi hotel on the pavement.

There are two woman partners in this business for over 6 years. Ms Thu, the older lady has been open for business forover 16 years, selling sweet che. They do business all year, selling che from May to October and these fried pieces from October to May. She is just a lovely calm lady who is always smiling and speaks to you softly and this may be one of the reasons why people keep coming back.

She spends two hours from 5am to 7am preparing and starts trading at 9Am and continues till 6pm. Most of the supplies are delivered and she only does the final phases such as peeling the skin and chop it into pieces. Bananas she presses to make flat and cooks straight away.

If you drive past this area, you will see lots of people sitting on small plastic stools, enjoying the fried cakes with a piece of news paper wrapped around the cake. This is a classic way and I love it. The winter is coming and these are great on a cold afternoon.