Bún Đặc Biệt in Adelaide Chinatown — Special Combination Vermicelli

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

Bún Đặc Biệt is the "a bit of everything" bowl — room-temperature vermicelli over fresh salad and herbs, topped with char-grilled meat, crisp chả giò and a scatter of peanuts. You pour the nước chấm over the top and toss the whole thing yourself; it's a dry noodle salad, not a soup, and that first mix is half the fun. At Bà Năm on Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, it's the bowl we point people to when they can't decide between the grilled pork, the grilled chicken and the spring rolls — because this one brings the grilled and the fried together.

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 meat 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 was founded in Adelaide in 2023 by Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo, with recipes shaped by Bà Năm Lời's cooking in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh since the 1970s. The grilled meats and nước chấm in the Bún Đặc Biệt come from that same home kitchen tradition, just as the 18-hour real-bone broth behind our red coin phở tái anchors the other side of the menu. It's not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

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.

Where to find bún đặc biệt in Adelaide Chinatown and the CBD

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street, right in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown and an easy walk from most of the Adelaide CBD. The Bún Đặc Biệt is $24 and brings the grilled meat and chả giò together in one bowl; if you'd rather keep it simple, the single-topping bowls — Bún Thịt Nướng, Bún Gà Nướng and Bún Chả Giò — are each $20, and the vegetarian twin, Bún Chay Đặc Biệt, is also $24. And if someone at the table wants soup instead, there's always the 18-hour broth and red coin phở tái.

We're open seven days, 11am–9pm (9:30pm from October to March), public holidays included. Walk-ins are welcome, though at peak times there's an honest 15–30 minute wait — Chinatown lunch rushes are real. You can book through OpenTable, and groups of eight or more should call (08) 8151 0106 so we can seat you together. Takeaway is at order.phobanam.com.au if you'd rather grab your bowl and go.

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 meat 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. It's a dry bowl, not a soup.

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.

Where can I get bún đặc biệt (special combination vermicelli) in Adelaide CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves Bún Đặc Biệt at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, open 11am–9pm daily (until 9:30pm October to March), including public holidays. It's $24, and it's a dry vermicelli salad bowl rather than a soup — room-temperature noodles over salad and herbs, topped with char-grilled meat, crisp chả giò and peanuts, with nước chấm on the side to pour over and toss through. Walk-ins are fine most of the day, though at peak times you may wait 15–30 minutes; you can book via OpenTable, or call (08) 8151 0106 for groups of 8 or more. For takeaway, order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au.