We were pleasantly surprised by the amazing food in Vietnam. It was a welcome change from the food in Japan. Very fresh and almost always delicious! Here’s a quick recap.
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Bo – 67 Hang Dieu
It’s like pho’s burly cousin from the country. It uses a heartier broth and thicker noodles compared to pho. Ours had beef, bean sprouts, cilantro and a sprinkling of peanuts.
Cha Ca la Vong – (Cha Ca Thang Long – 31 Duong Thanh)
This is suppose to be THE dish to try in Hanoi. It originated at a Cha Ca La Vong, not far from our hotel. BUT we had read that it was over priced and not that amazing. So we opted to try it at another restaurant. Cha Ca is a more involved food than some of the others we’d had. Someone brings a sizzling pan of oil to your table and then they fry up some fish and add heaps of dill, green onions, and turmeric. It tasted really good! The fish was quite moist, and I was not overwhelmed by the abundance of herbs.
Kem Xoi – (8 Hai Ba Trung, the corner of Hai Ba Trung and Phan Chu Trinh – it’s on the SE end of the lake)
This was one of my favorites! It’s pandan sticky rice (it’s a green rice that’s kinda sweet) with a scoop of coconut ice cream and some toasted coconut flakes. We had it twice while in Hanoi – and it was a decent walk from our hotel.
Remember when I talked about our “classy” restaurant yesterday? Our ice cream restaurant was the child-size-plastic-chair-variety. The tables and chairs are setup all down the sidewalk. I’d say there were at least 20 tables with 2 chairs per table. You sit down and someone brings you a menu. Then you order. See. Just like a restaurant. You even pay when you are all done.
Bun Cha
People in Vietnam seem to like this. But I had it twice and never took to it. The first time I had it, I thought I may have gotten a bad batch. But after the 2nd time, I realized that I just didn’t care for it. It’s basically pork meatballs served with rice noodles, herbs and a salty sweet dipping sauce. I think I’m not a fan of meatballs. At least not in SE Asia. But Nick liked it. So it’s a split verdict.
Ca Phe Sua Da
Nick has this cute habit of only having coffee on the weekends or when we are “on vacation.” This means it’s been fair game for the past month. He had his first cup of ca phe sua da our first morning in Saigon. It’s Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk. And it tastes like candy. And he loved it. And he ordered it everywhere we went. Ask me about my experience ordering it on the street the next time you see me 🙂
Kem Trang Tien
So this isn’t a food as much as it is an “ice cream shop.” I use the term loosely because it’s half ice cream shop, half motorbike parking lot. It’s very lively, with people coming and going, enjoying their ice cream. They have 3 “islands” setup, each one selling something different. Popcicles, soft serve, and traditional scooped cones. Naturally we had to try all 3. Our favorite was the hand scooped. We ordered the first thing on the menu….we think.
