Bún Đặc Biệt in Adelaide: The Special Vermicelli Bowl That Combines the Lot

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

Some days you want grilled pork. Some days you want crunchy fried spring rolls. And some days you stand at the counter at 65 Grote Street genuinely unable to choose. Bún Đặc Biệt — the "special" vermicelli salad bowl — exists for exactly that moment. It's the combination bowl at Bà Năm, our family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Adelaide Chinatown, loading the best of our grilled and fried toppings over cool rice vermicelli, fresh herbs and salad, all pulled together with a ramekin of house nước chấm. Not a luxury venue, just very genuine — and this is the bowl for people who want a bit of everything.

What Is Bún Đặc Biệt?

Bún Đặc Biệt translates roughly as "special vermicelli" — and in Vietnamese menu language, đặc biệt is shorthand for the works. Where a standard bún bowl carries one hero topping, the special combines several. At Bà Năm, that typically means grilled meats and fried spring rolls sharing the same bowl, layered over rice vermicelli noodles with shredded lettuce, carrot, cucumber, mint and herbs, finished with spring onion and served with nước chấm for pouring over the top.

It's a room-temperature dish built on contrast: warm caramelised meat against cool noodles, crunchy chả giò against soft herbs, sweet-sour-salty dressing tying it all together. If phở is Vietnam's comfort in a bowl, bún salad bowls are its bright, fresh, textural counterpoint — and the đặc biệt is the fullest expression of it.

From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street

Bà Năm Lời started cooking phở from her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, back in the 1970s. In 2023, her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought that family cooking to Adelaide, opening Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street in Chinatown.

The same care that goes into our 18-hour real-bone broth runs through the rest of the menu. Huynh makes Sunday farm runs and we work with locally sourced beef, because the whole point of the place is doing things properly rather than fashionably. That approach earned us a spot as a 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category, with coverage in Glam Adelaide along the way — recognition we're proud of, though the real measure is the bowls going out seven days a week.

What's In the Special Bowl (vs Single-Topping Siblings)

Think of Bún Đặc Biệt ($24) as the bowl that combines the lot. Our single-topping bún bowls each have their own following:

• Bún Thịt Nướng ($20) — caramelised grilled pork, smoky and sweet off the grill
• Bún Gà Nướng ($20) — grilled chicken for a lighter take
• Bún Chả Giò ($20) — all about the crunch of golden fried spring rolls

The đặc biệt is for the day you can't pick a lane. Grilled meat and crisp chả giò land in the same bowl, over the same bed of vermicelli, salad and herbs, with chilli nước chấm and peanuts on the side. Four dollars more than the single-topping bowls, and you stop having to choose.

Vegetarians aren't left out either — Bún Chay Đặc Biệt ($24) is the plant-based special, alongside Bún Chả Giò Chay and Bún Tàu Hủ Chay (both $20). More on those in our guide to vegetarian Vietnamese food in Adelaide.

How to Eat It

There's no wrong way, but here's ours:

1. Pour the nước chấm over the whole bowl. Don't dip — the dressing is meant to reach the noodles at the bottom.
2. Scatter the peanuts for extra crunch.
3. Toss everything together with your chopsticks, like a salad. Meat, spring rolls, herbs, noodles — the mix is the dish.
4. Adjust as you go. Want more heat? Ask for extra chilli. Some people save a piece of chả giò for a crunchy last bite; others eat them first while they're hottest. Both schools are correct.

The bowl arrives with warm toppings over cool noodles by design — that temperature contrast is part of the pleasure, so there's no need to rush.

What to Order Alongside

The special bowl is generous on its own, but if you're sharing or starting with something for the table:

• Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt — fresh rice paper rolls with prawn and pork, 3 for $14
• Hoành Thánh Chiên — crispy fried wontons, 6 for $14
• Bánh Mì Tôm Chiên — prawn toast, 3 for $14
• Extra Chả Giò — 2 for $6, if the spring rolls in the bowl only whet your appetite (Chả Giò Thịt also come 4 for $14 as a starter)
• Vietnamese iced coffee — cà phê đen đá or nâu đá, $8, the classic sweet-strong finish

And if someone at your table is a broth person rather than a salad-bowl person, the phở tái with its "red coin" rare beef — paper-thin rounds cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour broth — is the other side of the Bà Năm menu worth knowing. More on that in our guide to phở in Adelaide.

Bún Đặc Biệt in Adelaide Chinatown

Grote Street is one of the best strips in the city for Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD, and bún bowls are a natural fit for the lunch crowd — fresh, fast to eat, and satisfying without being heavy. The đặc biệt in particular has become the order for first-timers who want to sample the grill and the fryer in one sitting, and for regulars who simply refuse to compromise.

It sits alongside dishes like cơm tấm in that family of Vietnamese plates built around grilled meat, fresh accompaniments and fish-sauce dressing — everyday food done with care, which is exactly the tradition Bà Năm comes from.

Visiting Bà Năm

You'll find us 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, pour the nước chấm, and toss the lot.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bún Đặc Biệt?

Bún Đặc Biệt is a Vietnamese "special" vermicelli salad bowl. Instead of a single topping, it combines the lot — typically grilled meats and crispy fried spring rolls — over rice vermicelli with lettuce, carrot, cucumber, mint and herbs, served with nước chấm dressing to pour over and toss through.

How much is Bún Đặc Biệt at Bà Năm?

Bún Đặc Biệt is $24 at Bà Năm, 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown. Single-topping bún bowls like Bún Thịt Nướng, Bún Gà Nướng and Bún Chả Giò are $20 each, and you can add extra chả giò for 2 for $6.

What's the difference between Bún Đặc Biệt and Bún Thịt Nướng?

Bún Thịt Nướng ($20) is topped with grilled pork only. Bún Đặc Biệt ($24) is the combination bowl — it loads grilled meat and fried spring rolls together in one bowl, so you don't have to choose between them.

Is there a vegetarian version?

Yes. Bà Năm serves Bún Chay Đặc Biệt, a vegetarian special vermicelli bowl, for $24, plus Bún Chả Giò Chay (vegetarian spring rolls) and Bún Tàu Hủ Chay (tofu) at $20 each.

Do I need to book at Bà Năm?

Walk-ins are always welcome, though there's an honest 15–30 minute wait at peak times. You can book via OpenTable, and groups of 8 or more should call (08) 8151 0106. Bà Năm is open seven days, 11am–9pm (9:30pm in summer, October to March), including public holidays. You can also order via the app at order.phobanam.com.au.