Chè Khúc Bạch in Adelaide: The Vietnamese Panna Cotta Worth Saving Room For
★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist
Some desserts shout. Chè Khúc Bạch whispers. At Bà Năm on Grote Street, this Vietnamese sweet arrives as a tall, clear glass layered with soft, wobbly panna-cotta-style cubes, bright green jelly, pale lychee-style fruit and a scatter of toasted flaked almonds — all sitting over crushed ice. It's cool, creamy and quietly elegant, and at $10 it's become one of the most-photographed things to land on our tables in Adelaide Chinatown. If you've just worked your way through an 18-hour-broth bowl of Phở Tái, this is the dessert that lets you land softly.
What is chè khúc bạch?
Chè Khúc Bạch translates loosely as "white cube sweet soup" — khúc bạch meaning white pieces — and that name tells you almost everything. At its heart are cubes of milky, gently set cream, made in the spirit of an Italian panna cotta but lighter and softer, built for a hot Vietnamese afternoon rather than a heavy European dinner. The cubes are served cold in a lightly sweet, clear syrup with ice, so every spoonful is half dessert, half drink.
It's a relatively modern entry in the chè family — the vast Vietnamese tradition of sweet soups and dessert drinks — and it took off in Vietnam because it does something the older, bean-heavy chè styles don't: it stays delicate. Fruit, jelly and toasted nuts add texture around the cream cubes without ever making the glass feel rich. That's why on our menu we simply call it "Vietnamese panna cotta" — it's the fastest way to explain a dessert that really needs to be tasted to be understood.
What's in the glass at Bà Năm
Ours arrives in a tall clear glass so you can see every layer before the spoon goes in. Down the bottom sits crushed ice in a clear, lightly sweetened liquid. Through the middle float the stars of the show: soft white cream cubes, blushing pinkish-lilac panna-cotta-style cubes, and vivid green jelly pieces that give a gentle chew against all that silkiness. It's a glass built on contrast — creamy against icy, soft against springy.
Up top we finish it with two pink-tinged longan-style fruits — the same lychee-family sweetness you'll find in our sâm bổ lượng — plus a final cream cube and a generous scatter of toasted flaked almonds. Those almonds matter: their warm, nutty crunch is the classic Chè Khúc Bạch signature, cutting through the cold cream in the best possible way. A white straw for the syrup, a black spoon for the cubes, and you're set. Nothing here is styled beyond what actually reaches your table — not a luxury venue, just very genuine.
Chè khúc bạch vs chè thái vs sâm bổ lượng
All three desserts at Bà Năm are $10, all served cold, and all completely different moods. Here's how to pick:
- Chè Thái — the party glass: a tropical fruit cocktail, colourful, fruity and playful. Choose it when you want brightness and abundance.
- Chè Khúc Bạch — this page's hero: soft, milky, understated. Choose it when you want something creamy and calm, the gentlest of the three.
- Sâm Bổ Lượng — the longan herbal drink: traditional, subtly sweet, the old-school choice. Choose it when you're curious about classic Vietnamese flavours. Full guide → — or see the trio on our Vietnamese desserts in Adelaide page.
If you're new to chè and want the loudest first impression, start with chè thái; come back for khúc bạch when you want the quiet one.
When to order it
After the red coin. Our Phở Tái — paper-thin rare beef cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour broth — is a savoury, warming experience. Chè Khúc Bạch is its natural cool-down: cold, milky and light.
On a warm Adelaide afternoon. From October to March we're open until 9:30 PM, and this glass earns its keep in summer. Pair it with a wander through Adelaide Chinatown and it's a small holiday — see also our Vietnamese spring in Adelaide guide.
As the sweet finish to a dessert crawl. If you're exploring Vietnamese desserts in Adelaide, start here — then work through the other two glasses on the menu on your next visit.
What to drink alongside
Because Chè Khúc Bạch is already creamy, it pairs beautifully with drinks that bring contrast. A strong, bittersweet Vietnamese iced coffee — cà phê đen đá or nâu đá, $8 — is the classic move, the espresso-dark edge playing against the milky cubes. If you want to stay light and fresh, trà tắc or trà đào cam sả, both $10, add citrus and lemongrass lift. And on a truly hot day, young coconut water — nước dừa, $8 — keeps the whole table on a tropical theme.
From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street
Bà Năm began long before Adelaide. In the 1970s, Bà Năm Lời was cooking phở from her home kitchen in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in Vietnam's south. In 2023, her grandson Huynh Nguyen and owner Thi Gai Vo brought that family cooking to 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown. The desserts carry the same Southern Vietnamese sensibility as the phở — honest ingredients, no shortcuts. Huynh still does Sunday farm runs for the local beef that goes into our 18-hour broth, and that same care carries through to the last sweet glass on the menu.
Bà Năm was named a finalist in the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards (Vietnamese Restaurant category) — finalist, not winner, and we're proud of it either way — and has been featured by Glam Adelaide in both a restaurant feature and awards coverage. Not a luxury venue, just very genuine.
The practical bits
You'll find us at 65 Grote Street, in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown. We're open 7 days, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM — extended to 9:30 PM through summer (October to March) — including public holidays. Walk-ins are always welcome; at peak times, expect an honest 15–30 minute wait. Groups of 8 or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106 or book via OpenTable.
Chè Khúc Bạch is $10, same as every dessert on the menu. You can also order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au. If you have dietary questions, please call us — we run a shared kitchen and don't hold vegan or gluten-free certifications, so we'd rather talk it through with you directly.
Frequently asked questions
What does Chè Khúc Bạch taste like?
Delicately sweet and milky, like a lighter, chilled panna cotta. The soft cream cubes are the main event, with green jelly for chew, lychee-style fruit for gentle sweetness, and toasted flaked almonds for crunch — all served cold over crushed ice.
How much is Chè Khúc Bạch at Bà Năm?
It's $10, the same price as all three desserts on our menu — Chè Thái, Chè Khúc Bạch and Sâm Bổ Lượng. You can order in-restaurant or ahead via order.phobanam.com.au.
Is Chè Khúc Bạch the same as panna cotta?
It's inspired by it — our menu even calls it "Vietnamese panna cotta" — but it's lighter and served differently: cut into cubes and floated in a sweet, icy liquid with fruit, jelly and toasted almonds, rather than set in a single serve.
Is Chè Khúc Bạch vegan or gluten-free?
We don't hold vegan or gluten-free certifications, and everything comes from a shared kitchen. If you have dietary requirements, please call us on (08) 8151 0106 before you visit and we'll help where we can.
When can I get Chè Khúc Bạch in Adelaide?
Any day of the week. Bà Năm at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown, is open 7 days from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM — until 9:30 PM in summer (October to March) — including public holidays. Walk-ins are welcome; at peak times expect an honest 15–30 minute wait.