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| Hanoi Food |
It
would be impossible to get starved in Hanoi - the centre of sensational
cuisine. No matter where you come from, an array of restaurants providing
foreign fares and Vietnamese cuisines are always ready to serve all your needs.
Even vegans also find Vietnam an ideal destination for an appetizing vegan
meal. It is not hard to find a high end Vietnamese and foreign restaurants that
could offer you either local specialties or cuisines of your home country
either. But perhaps, as part of the adventure, why don’t you enjoy authentic
Vietnamese fares as the way the local does, trying squat stool places at street
side and humble restaurants in narrow alleys? This is the best way to belly up
to real local cuisine and enjoy your trip the most. Plus, nowhere in Vietnam
could you easily savor delicious cuisine from three main regions of Vietnam as
Hanoi and nowhere in Hanoi could you easily find a decent restaurant as the Old
quarter.
Get
lost and find your own local favourite, and do not forget to share with me too.
1. Bún Chả from Bún Chả 34 Hàng
Than
Luckily,
the address is right there in the name (fairly common in Hanoi,
thankfully). The place is full of
scooters at lunchtime, and they even valet-park your two-wheeler if
needed! The tree in front studded with
nails and hung with keys is a good way to check that you're in the right place.
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| Bun Cha |
Bún
chả is perhaps the greatest of Hanoi's dishes.
You'll get a bowl of beautifully grilled pork, some in patty form
wrapped in a leaf and some as sliced grilled meat. This will be floating in a rich fish sauce
that also contains some slices of either green mango or green papaya. You'll also get a large hank of rice noodles
that will likely be at least partially stuck together, and an assortment of
fresh herbs. (This dish wouldn't be very
Vietnamese without the pile of herbs!)
An
order of fried crab spring rolls (nem cua bể) are a traditional accompaniment
that you can take or leave. We take.
To
eat, grab some noodles and herbs and mix them into your fish sauce pork. Add pickled garlic or chiles, if you'd like.
Eat. Add more herbs and noodles. Eat. Et cetera. Fun and interactive, with each
bite being a different combination of crunchy, funky, herby, spicy, meaty, and
crisp.
Bún
Chả 34 Hàng Than, 34 Hàng Than, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi.
2. Phở Tái Nạm from Phở Gia Truyền
Hanoi
Phở is very different from that of Saigon.
It's lower on the veggies, and the broth isn't generally as heavy on the
sweet spices. Basically, I didn't think
I was going to like it very much. Phở
Gia Truyền (which seems to mean "old-style Phở") proved me wrong.
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| Pho |
Small
menu, usually a great sign in places like this. Your choices: Beef soup. Rare
flank steak (tai nam). Rare steak (tai). Or well-done steak (think brisket -
chin). Add a chicken egg, trung ga, if you want. Yes, again, we want. Also, they had the pot of broth going over
these coals when we walked in.
And
the Phở? Delicious. Perfect ratio of
broth to noodles to meat. I love a good stocky soup in the morning. Kick it up
with some chilies to get a good healthy sweat going, perfect if you may have
overimbibed the night before.
Phở
Gia Truyền is on 49 Bat Dan St, Hoàn Kiếm,
Hanoi. Careful, as this is an early in the day dish; they can sell out by noon.
3. Bánh cuốn from Bánh cuốn gia
truyền
Bánh
cuốn are one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes.
They're free-form dumplings, or tiny rolls, made with fresh rice paper
stuffed with a ground pork and mushroom mix.
Each tapas-size sharing plate comes topped with dried shallots and fresh
sprigs of cilantro, and you can (and should) order some meats on the side to
add texture. We chose a small plate of
Chinese sausage and shrimp cake.
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| Banh cuon |
Bánh
cuốn gia truyền does these beautifully. The rice paper is perfectly formed and
perfectly fresh, just strong enough to hold the fillings together while being
soft enough to offer your teeth very little resistance. Their nước chấm, or
fish sauce dip, is one of the best we tasted in our three weeks in Vietnam;
perfumed with ca cuongextract (I'll go into that more later) and with just the
right amount of citrus.
We
went for dinner, but I'm pretty sure they're open for lunch as well.
Bánh
cuốn gia truyền is at 14 Hàng Gà, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
4. Miến Lươn from Nhà Hàng Miến Lươn
Lươn
means eel in Vietnamese, and that's what you'll get here - teeny fried eels
served in a variety of ways, from soups to porridges to atop glass noodles. The
menu is short and sweet, like many of the places we enjoyed in Hanoi.
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| Mien luon |
Logan
and I both ordered the Miến xào lươn, on Gastronomer's brilliant recommendation.
This is glass noodles, topped with fried tiny eels, bean sprouts, and egg,
garnished with those savory fried/dried shallots, fresh cucumber, and purple
shiso. It also came with a side bowl of
rich, thick broth.
Nice
and eel-crunchy and fresh and herby and soft with noodles - and of course with
lots of side sauces and fruits to customize your dish!
Nhà
Hàng Miến Lươn is at 87 Hàng Điếu, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi.
5. Bun Rieu and Bun Oc
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| Bun rieu |
These
slightly sour/sweet/spicy, crab or snail soups are very popular on the streets
of Hanoi. They make a good breakfast, full of revitalizing liquid and just
enough protein to start your day off right.
I
just didn't care too much for the version we had. Too much fishy crab pastey,
not enough sour spicy - the balance seemed a bit off to me. But it's worth a try at one of the many
places that line the streets. Please let us know if you find a version you
really like!
We had our bun oc and bun rieu at
34 Cầu Gỗ, Hoàn Kiếm District.
6. Xôi from Xôi Yến
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| Xoi Yen |
Xôi
is a super simple dish - it's meats of your choice on a bed of sticky
rice. I liked the Xoi Xeo, which is
topped with mung bean paste and dried shallots as well as meat.
Simple,
cheap, and filling, and while we were there a mobile karaoke dude set up in
front, adding just that little extra touch of special.
Xôi
Yến is at 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi.
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