Fresh lemon juice with soda water and sugar $3.50
I’ve always thought that you can always tell how much fun you’re having at dinner by the number of times a waiter has to come back for your order. Going out with The Second Wife and Gravy Beard is a good example of this. There are always funny stories to catch up on and our poor waiter comes back several times to get our order but we are busy catching up on things to decide what to order. It doesn’t help that everything sounds delicious on the menu.
We’ve been coming to Bay Tinh for years – my parents love it so there’s always a trip with them and now that it has been bought by Harry Hoang and renovated, it has been spruced up. Gone are the High School essay plastic folders for menus which were not without their charm – there’s now a proper menu.
Young Coconut Juice $3.50
We start off with drinks, young coconut drinks for some and a fresh lemon juice with soda water and sugar for me. The Young Coconut drink is refreshing and sweet (although a long spoon would have helped in the quest to eat the deliciously slippery young coconut). The lemon drink is very tart with more emphasis on lemon than lemonade.
Crab Pate 6 for $7
The Crab Pate is made up of deep fried crab meat on top of a bed of salad with fish sauce and it is similar to a fish cake but more delicate and soft whereas some fish paste cakes can be rubbery. These are delicious and spongey and soft – just don’t expect French pate.
Little Rice Cakes 6 for $8
I can’t resist my favourite items on the menu and of course we have to order a serve of these delicious, coconutty and crisp rice cakes. They collapse in the mouth and are absolutely divine.
Banh Cong Prawn Cakes $6
Famous in South Vietnam, the Banh Cong consists of 2 prawn cakes cut into 3 to give 6 pieces. It’s unusual and delicious with a mung bean and a spongey tapioca flour texture. It’s not what you’d necessarily expect in that it’s not particularly prawney but still tasty nevertheless.
Duck Salad Goi Vit $15
The Duck salad is similar to Chinese lettuce cups (Sang Choy Bow) but with a tangy twist courtesy of the lime juice and pickles.
Salt and pepper beancurd $13.50
The salt and pepper beancurd is served with an intense salt and pepper sauce. Only a couple of drops of this are needed as it’s strong stuff. The tofu, that The Second Wife adores, is deliciously fried and is shaped into small domino tiled shapes.
Prawn and beef bonfire Part a) The beef and prawn mix
Prawn and beef bonfire Part b) The Rice paper
Prawn and beef bonfire Part c) The salad
The DIY rice paper rolls are set slight at the table and we wait while the prawns and beef cook. It is truly a DIY experience as we are to wet the rice paper too which wasn’t very successful in a couple of cases but we eventually get some pieces, fill them with the requisite salad and beef and prawns and they find their way into our waiting mouths. It’s fresh and flavoursome and hits the spot. After all what is a meal without a little effort? 
Large Steamboat $31
The dish to ward off all WInter ills is the large steamboat. A gas cooker is brought to the table and a large pot of soup filled with vegetables, squid, fish cakes and chicken is heated up. The taste is comforting and broth is tasty with the predominant broth flavour being celery. We can easily picture a couple ordering this and some rice and some dessert and coming out very full and warm at the end.
My Steambowl bowl of goodness
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like cooking or assembling your own food at the table e.g. the Rice Paper rolls above or Korean BBQ? Or do you prefer the chef to do all the cooking?
P.S. If you haven’t had a chance to do so, I’d be ever so pleased if you could fill in the Not Quite Nigella survey. There’s a chance to win 1 of 3 Nigella Lawson aprons! Link here. The survey finishes on the 30th of June. Thanks so much to everyone that has participated already 
P.P.S. And if your mum’s or Nanna’s recipes are just so fantastic you want to share them with the world, click here to see our Secret Nanna recipe book project! The deadline for this is the 30th of June too
And last but not least, get cracking with your entry to the Brasserie Bread competition. Entries close on the 4th of July and you could win a fabulous box of Brasserie Bread delivered to your work! Details are here.
Bay Tinh
318 Victoria Rd
Marrickville, NSW 2204
Tel: +61 (02) 9560 8673
Tue-Sun 5.30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-10.30pm
Licensed and BYO
Visa and Mastercard accepted
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19 Comments | Add your own
WHAT. Is that last picture? Looks like some sort of garden fertility goddess.
Those little rice cakes look quite tasty, by the way!
Food looks great. I haven’t been here in ages, even though it’s so close to me. Must go back soon! DIY is fun and there’s a feeling of satisfaction
But, I normally can’t be bothered!
I love assembling my own food – especially Vietnamese food. And after two months in Vietnam at the beginning of the year I’m pretty good at it! Bay Tinh is great – I was there a few months back for a fundraiser, and loved the food. (Unfortunately I don’t remember much about the end of the night…too much free wine was consumed…)
I haven’t actually eaten vietnamese food in ages! Those prawn cakes look absolutely yummy though. I remember there were loads of Vietnamese restaurants in Sydney… they’re a lot harder to come by here though.
We used to live around the corner from Bay Tinh! Our favourites were the bonfires, satay prawns and of course the lemon drink.
I think assembling your own food is great especially if there are kids in tow (although very messy
)
Must try to get there to see the “new” version
Mm looks like a great meal, those little fish cakes look tasty! I have to be honest, I wasn’t huge fan of assembling my own food in a restaurant, unless I’m with a big group. But whenever I do it, I enjoy it so much that I forget why I dislike it!
Haha, that happened to us at the Cheesecake Factory the other night…the poor waiter had to come by 5 times asking for our order!
great company and great food! Those appetizers are to DIE for! Rice cakes? Crab pate? Prawn cakes? *SWOON*
i always seem to be eating pho when i go out for viet so it was great to read your post and see what other viet food there actually is to eat. to be honest, not a big fan of assembling food and prefer the chef to have it prepared ready to eat when it comes to the table…but i suppose that’s me being lazy
I’ve never had Vietnamese food, believe it or not, but this post makes me want to!
I luv vietnamese food! I can eat loads of those rice cakes. I guess theyre not too healthy but I cant say no to them =)
crab pate looks delicious. i might have to try these ones.
This looks so good…especially those coconuty cakes… Mmmm.
So cold as I type this, so the hot pot looked even more comforting for winter weather like now! As for assembling food, I’m ok as long as I have readily nice complimentary hand wipes given. ( Im a bit of an ‘antibacterial hand wipe’ freak..hehe) What I don’t like is tenpanyaki (sorry bad spelling) where food is thrown at you. When I dine out, I prefer the food to be on my plate…rather than on my clothes, hair and shoes… and food thrown catapulted into the air is good food wasted.
I am not familiar with Vietnamese food at all, I really need to try it. All the dishes here look so wonderful!
You didn’t order that char-grilled beef that we loved so much!
The crab pate looks intriguing… I’m getting that next time
CC x
My sincere apologies for not being by recently, I had to move suddenly . fur babies got sick, designing the new site = (
That aside, I LOVE Vietnamese food, all of it… and your photos as always look fabulous.
I lurve Bay Tinh, Viet food, and am a big fan of assembling/cooking at the table.
Your pics, as usual, make me hungry!
Hi Y-It’s a sculpture by a local artist. Quite amazing really! They’re fantabulous-we usually order loads of them!
Hi Betty-OH lucky you! I think it’s good in you’re in the right mood. But if you’re starving probably not
These luckily came mid meal 
Hi KT-Ahh great so you’re you’re skilled with the rice paper! Haha well it sounds like a very good night hehe
Hi Su-yin-I’ve heard that! What a shame as it’s so delicious and healthy
Hi shaz-What a great location!
You know I haven’t tried the satay prawns. Maybe I should again! Yes I suppose
kids love it too!
Hi Steph-It was
Hehe so in theory it’s not so appealing but when it’s in front of you, it is? 
Hi Sophia-Haha it shows what a good time you’re having I think!
Yep soo good!
Hi Panda-Ahh yes I don’t know if they even have Pho on their menu! Hehe my friends feel the same way and that’s fair enough I say! After all that’s why we eat out
Hi maris-Oh it’s so good! Such lovely fresh flavours
Hi Brianna -Fantastic! Me too (unfortunately
). I know, but they’re so small so perhaps they’re not too bad for you? :Lol:
Hi Simon-Oh yes it’s good, but try the little rice cakes. They’re fabulous!
Hi Eve-Thanks, it was!
The hot pot was so perfect for the weather 
Oh yes I have a hand washing obsession too and that’s a definite negative. Oh yes I don’t do food throwing. Definitely not! I mean who wants a dry cleaning bill at the end of it? 
Hi 5 Star Foodie-It’s a delicious cuisine. If you get the chance definitely do!
Hi Christie-No
There were too many good things on the menu! 
Hi Girl Japan-That’s ok! I hope you’re ok!?
Thankyou so much 
Hi Emma-Oh cool! Well this is the cuisine for it isn’t it (with the rolls and the hot pot)
Wonderful and thankyou! 
Hi Lorraine!
I’m making a radio documentary on noodles for my final university assessment, can you point me in the direction of where I could find a noodle-maker in Sydney or someone well-versed in noodles! I’m at a loose end
Thanks, Jenn
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[...] Vietnamese pancake isn’t bad, it’s crispy for sure but misses the finesse of the Bay Tinh one. It’s filled with some prawns but mostly bean [...]
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