Xeo Yum

Hidden in the middle of Midtown’s Conservatory food hall is Xeo Yum, a Vietnamese food stall specializing in bánh xèo. Even better than the delicious little savory rice crepes and puffy pancakes happening here is sitting at the small bar and watching those little works of art materialize right in front of you. Frying pans get doused with golden batter, layered with pork belly and shrimp, and the crepes fry up until the edges get slick and crispy, transforming into a hot bánh xèo. Ah, the magic of food chemistry.

photo credit: Quit Nguyen

photo credit: Quit Nguyen

photo credit: Quit Nguyen

Food Rundown

photo credit: Quit Nguyen

Bánh Xèo

Golden yellow, this fluffy rice flour and turmeric crepe is sauteed until soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. Make sure to grab all the textures possible and wrap up pieces of crepe in lettuce before plunging into fish sauce.

photo credit: Quit Nguyen

Bánh Khọt

These thick and savory little bites are also made with a rice flour and turmeric batter and have the texture of a pudgy pancake meets savory muffin. We could inhale 40 of these things.