As a kid, my mom would often buy me chè when the weather was too hot to keep me from drinking Coca-Cola. Chè made by Hoa people always got my attention, thanks to its distinctive presentation. Though, to get to it, I would usually drive to Chợ Lớn, which is fine, but it often involves traversing through traffic jams. So when I discovered Chè Sâm Bổ Lượng 399 on a random Google search, a long-established chè shop run by a Hoa family just 7 minutes from my office, I had to check it out.
While the eatery is tucked in alley 399 of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Street, it remains noticeable due to its Chinese-style food cart poking out of the front door. But unlike typical food stalls in Chợ Lớn that usually serve hủ tiếu mì, this shop displays all kind of simmered beans, fruits, and tuber slices,
The rustic shopfront of Chè Sâm Bổ Lượng 399.
The store’s menu offers a wide variety of chè options, but for our first taste, I settled with a bowl of chè trứng cút củ năng, one of the shop’s most talked about dishes in Google reviews; and then, a glass of sâm bổ lượng since the shop is named after this sweet treat. Sâm bổ lượng is how we pronounce ching bo leung, a sweet and cold dessert popular in Cantonese and Hainanese cuisine that usually features pearl barley, dried longans, jujubes, lotus roots, and ginkgo nuts (amongst other toppings depending on where you order it) served in a sweet syrup. The owner quickly scooped tons of ingredients to prepare my order, and everything was ready to be served in about two minutes.
Various grains, tubers, and fruits make up sâm bổ lượng.
At first glance, chè trứng cút củ năng looked strikingly similar to the popular Vietnamese snack súp cua, with its viscous broth and quail eggs as toppings. I asked for the dessert to be served hot because I was curious to see how a sweet version of súp cua would turn out. It was a refreshing experience. The sweet soup is not too thick nor watery; a perfect consistency. Tiny slices of water chestnut were sprinkled everywhere, simmering in the soup, giving the dish a warm, pleasant aroma.
Wedding banquet-style súp cua? No, this is a dessert.
This was my first time seeing quail eggs in a sweet dish; they harmonized well with the sweet soup without feeling out of place. Eating the quail eggs with water chestnuts and small pomegranate seeds made the chewing more playful, with the eggs having a slightly creamy texture; the tuber was soft yet crunchy; and the pomegranate seeds were tender. This hot bowl of chè trứng củ năng, with its gentle sweetness, left me feeling purified, as though it was cleansing me from the inside.
For the sâm bổ lượng, I asked for it to be served cold as I typically enjoy it as a thirst-quenching dessert. Sâm bổ lượng is always a sight to look at, thanks to the colorful ingredients. I remember the first time my mom bought me one when I was a child. I was confused as to why there was seaweed in my drink, but she simply told me to close my eyes and start eating. It worked, conjuring up a refreshing feeling that was organic, unlike the fizzy carbonated sodas that most kids love.
A glass of sâm bổ lượng is ready in less than two minutes.
Looking closely at my cup of sâm bổ lượng, I could see grains of pearl barley, lotus seeds and roots, water chestnut, seaweed, longan, and jujube. This combo creates a mixture of flavors and textures in the sâm bổ lượng glass. The pearl barley, lotus seeds and roots were soft and starchy. The water chestnuts, unlike in chè trứng cút củ năng, were cut into large, crunchy chunks rather than small slices. The seaweed and longans were chewy and lightly sweet, while the jujubes offered a sour flavor, giving the dessert a refreshing, cooling quality.
I savored these two dishes in a small, cozy space that resembled a repurposed living room, with tables and chairs arranged for dining. There weren’t many customers who chose to sit and enjoy their sweet soup at the shop, as most simply stopped by to grab takeaways before continuing on their way.
A refreshing treat for sweltering afternoons.
Seeing that the owner wasn’t too busy, I asked her a little bit about the store. According to her, Sâm Bổ Lượng 399 is her family business, and they have been serving chè for more than half a decade since the 1960s. Back then, the eatery was located in other areas around this alley, but now it has moved here.
The toppings of chè.
The shop's signature sâm bổ lượng is made using a traditional recipe that has been passed down since the shop first opened. Due to their long-standing presence, they garnered quite a following of regular customers, each favoring a different combination of toppings. The owner mentioned one customer who loved boiled quail eggs, but wanted a cold dessert, so they asked to add quail eggs to their sâm bổ lượng order. Surprisingly, these mix-and-match choices still worked, and the ingredients always seem to blend together well within a cup of sâm bổ lượng.
All in all, Sâm Bổ Lượng 399 provided me with refreshing desserts made from time-tested traditional recipes. With such a diverse menu, this is a place that I’d love to revisit from time to time, to try new types of chè and grow to love its ingredients. And perhaps one day, I might even request an unconventional sâm bổ lượng combo just to see how it turns out.
Chè Sâm Bổ Lượng 399 is open everyday from 3pm to 9pm.
To sum up:
Taste: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Location: 5/5
Chè Sâm Bổ Lượng 399
399/14 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Ward 5, D3, HCMC
