Bún Chay Đặc Biệt: Bà Năm's Special Vegetarian Vermicelli, Adelaide
★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist
Every bún menu has its "everything" bowl, and Bún Chay Đặc Biệt is the vegetarian one at Bà Năm on Grote Street. Đặc biệt means "special", and in practice it means you don't have to choose: golden fried tofu, shredded crispy bean curd and vegetarian spring rolls all land in the same bowl, over cool rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, lettuce, cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts. A vegetarian dipping sauce goes over the top as dressing rather than a broth underneath — this is a dry bowl, not a soup. At $24 it's the fullest vegetarian plate on the vermicelli list, and one of the easiest ways to eat well without meat in Adelaide Chinatown.
What Is Bún Chay Đặc Biệt?
Bún Chay Đặc Biệt breaks down simply. Bún is thin rice vermicelli. Chay means vegetarian. Đặc biệt means special — and on a Vietnamese menu, "special" almost always signals the loaded combination, the bowl that gathers the best toppings from its siblings into one order. So where Bún Chả Giò Chay gives you vegetarian spring rolls and Bún Tàu Hủ Chay gives you tofu, the đặc biệt gives you the lot.
It belongs to the family of Southern Vietnamese dry vermicelli bowls — the same style as Bún Thịt Nướng, just built without meat. The noodles sit at room temperature over salad, the toppings go on warm and crisp, and a light vegetarian dipping sauce is poured over everything at the table. Nothing swims; everything gets tossed. It's a texture dish as much as a flavour dish, which is why the fried elements matter so much.
Bà Năm's kitchen leans on recipes shaped by Bà Năm Lời, who has been cooking in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh since the 1970s — a part of southern Vietnam where vegetarian cooking is taken seriously rather than treated as an afterthought. The restaurant itself, opened in 2023 by Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo, keeps that same attitude: not a luxury venue, just very genuine. At $24, it's the standout loaded bowl on the vegetarian side of the menu.
What's in the Bowl
Look at the bowl and you can read the whole dish before you pick up chopsticks. On one side, cubes of golden fried tofu — crisp outside, soft inside. Below them, a tangle of shredded crispy bean curd, fried until it eats almost like a savoury crackle. At the centre, two or three vegetarian spring rolls, usually cut open so you can see the vegetable filling inside the shattery wrapper. That's the đặc biệt trio: three different textures of fried, all in one bowl.
Around them runs the fresh half of the dish — mixed lettuce with a bit of purple leaf, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, julienned cucumber and a scatter of chopped herbs and spring onion. Underneath it all, though you won't see much of it until you dig in, sits the bed of rice vermicelli that ties everything together.
The last element arrives on the side or over the top: a vegetarian dipping sauce that works as the dressing. It's what turns a plate of separate components into one dish — a little sweet, a little tangy, soaking down through the noodles as you eat. At Bà Năm, Bún Chay Đặc Biệt is $24.
How to Eat It
The one rule: mix it. A bún bowl arrives arranged in neat sections, but it isn't meant to stay that way. Pour the sauce over, then use your chopsticks to pull the vermicelli up from the bottom and turn everything through everything else. Each mouthful should carry a bit of noodle, a bit of salad, a shard of something fried and a slick of dressing.
Pace yourself with the fried elements — the spring rolls and crispy bean curd are at their best early, while they still crunch, and the tofu holds up all the way through. If you want a drink alongside, Trà Tắc or Trà Đào Cam Sả cuts through the fried richness nicely, coconut water ($8) keeps things clean, and a Vietnamese iced coffee at the end is never a mistake.
The Vegetarian Special vs Its Sibling Bowls
The vegetarian vermicelli section at Bà Năm is a short, logical list. Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20) is the spring roll bowl — vegetarian chả giò over noodles and salad, and the pick if crunch is your whole personality. Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) is the tofu bowl, gentler and a touch lighter. Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) simply refuses to choose: spring rolls, fried tofu and crispy bean curd together, for $4 more than either single-topping bowl. If you're hungry, or it's your first vegetarian order here, the đặc biệt is the sensible answer.
It also has a meat twin: Bún Đặc Biệt ($24), the loaded combination bowl on the other side of the menu, drawing from Bún Thịt Nướng, Bún Gà Nướng and Bún Chả Giò (each $20). Same price, same "everything bowl" logic — handy if you're a mixed table and one of you eats meat while the other doesn't. Everyone gets the special; nobody's order feels like the compromise.
More Vegetarian Options at Bà Năm
If you're building a fully vegetarian meal, start with Gỏi Cuốn Chay — vegetarian fresh cold rolls, three for $14 — or Chả Giò Chay, four vegetarian fried spring rolls, also $14. Either pairs naturally with the bún, though if you order Chả Giò Chay as a starter and the đặc biệt as your main, be aware you're doubling up on spring rolls. Some people call that a problem; others call it a plan. More on the fresh-vs-fried pair in our rice paper rolls guide.
Two honest notes, because honesty is the house style. First, these dishes are vegetarian, not certified vegan — if strict vegan matters to you, talk to the staff about how things are made before you order. Second, Bà Năm doesn't make allergen guarantees. It's a working Vietnamese kitchen, not an allergen-controlled facility, so if you have an allergy, say so and ask questions. The team would genuinely rather have the conversation than have you guess. The full rundown is on the vegetarian Vietnamese guide.
A little recognition: Bà Năm was a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards, and Glam Adelaide featured the story behind grandma's recipes — later covering us in their 2025 Adelaide restaurants roundup as a finalist, not a winner, and we're happy to say it straight. We're not a luxury venue, just very genuine — but it's nice when people notice.
Bún Chay Đặc Biệt in Adelaide Chinatown
Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street, right in Adelaide Chinatown and a short walk from Central Market — which makes it an easy stop whether you're doing a market run, working in the CBD or wandering Gouger and Grote comparing lunch options. The restaurant opened in 2023 and built its name on the phở side of the menu: an 18-hour broth made with local beef, Sunday farm runs, and the Phở Tái "red coin" of paper-thin rare beef that cooks in the bowl under boiling broth. If you want that story, it's in the best phở in Adelaide guide.
But the vermicelli bowls are the other half of the story, and the vegetarian ones aren't token entries. In 2025 the restaurant was a finalist in the Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards (Vietnamese Restaurant category) and has been featured by Glam Adelaide — decent signals, though the better one is the queue at lunchtime. For more of what's nearby, see the Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD guide.
Visiting Bà Năm
You'll find Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown, open seven days from 11am to 9pm (stretching to 9:30pm over summer, October to March), public holidays included. Walk-ins are welcome, and you can book via OpenTable — though fair warning, peak times can mean an honest 15–30 minute wait. Groups of 8 or more should call (08) 8151 0106 ahead. Prefer to order ahead? Our app is at order.phobanam.com.au.
Come hungry, mix the bowl properly, and don't skip the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bún Chay Đặc Biệt vegan?
It's vegetarian, but not certified vegan, and the kitchen doesn't make allergen guarantees. If strict vegan or allergen requirements matter to you, ask the staff about ingredients and preparation before ordering — they'd rather answer questions than have you guess.
Is Bún Chay Đặc Biệt a soup?
No — it's a dry vermicelli bowl. Cool rice noodles sit under salad, herbs and the fried toppings, and a vegetarian dipping sauce is poured over as a dressing rather than a broth. You mix everything together before eating.
What's the difference between Bún Chay Đặc Biệt and the $20 vegetarian bún bowls?
Bún Chả Giò Chay ($20) is topped with vegetarian spring rolls, and Bún Tàu Hủ Chay ($20) with tofu. Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) combines the lot — spring rolls, fried tofu and crispy bean curd in one bowl. Đặc biệt means "special", and here it means the loaded combination.
How much is Bún Chay Đặc Biệt at Bà Năm?
It's $24 — the same price as its meat twin, Bún Đặc Biệt. The single-topping vegetarian bowls, Bún Chả Giò Chay and Bún Tàu Hủ Chay, are $20 each.
Do I need to book to eat at Bà Năm?
Walk-ins are welcome, though there's an honest 15–30 minute wait at peak times. You can book via OpenTable, call (08) 8151 0106 for groups of eight or more, or order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au. Open 7 days, 11am–9pm (9:30pm in summer, October–March).