In Saigon, phá lấu is a dish that "you remember in the evening". Walking around the alleys of District 4, you will smell the fragrant aroma of coconut water cooked with star anise, that is when you get close to Dì Nủi's beef phá lấu shop in alley 200 Xóm Chiếu – a place that has been present on the culinary map of the port district for nearly 40 years.

There is no grand sign, just a large pot of phá lấu placed at the entrance of the alley, with the broth a brown color simmering gently throughout the afternoon. The stomach, intestines, liver, tongue, and honeycomb tripe are carefully cleaned by Dì Nủi, soaked in coconut water, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, black cardamom, cardamom, and satay until tender but not mushy. The specialty of the shop is the broth thick like "beef stew with reduced water", rich, aromatic, not pungent – something that experienced phá lấu eaters highly appreciate.

If you choose the traditional style, you will get a bowl of broth phá lấu with hot bread for dipping; if you choose the fried style, the intestine is pan-seared to a crispy golden brown, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, drizzled with sour and spicy tamarind sauce. Accompanied by Vietnamese coriander, sawtooth herb, sweet and sour pickled cucumber, and a bowl of green chili salt. Taking a bite of the intestine, chewing slowly, the richness of the coconut water and the aroma of star anise and cinnamon gradually spreads in your mouth – very "Saigon in the evening".

The shop opens from 1 PM to about 10:30 PM, busiest around 6 PM when office workers stop by to sit on plastic chairs. Prices range from 30,000 to 45,000 VND per bowl, as cheap as a glass of iced milk coffee, so customers from District 1 and District 7 often cross Calmette Bridge to eat. Suitable for students, groups of friends wanting to "snack heartily", or Western customers wanting to try street food with "depth".

Advice from locals: sit early, because after 7 PM, dishes may run out.