Hanoi: The Food

Street Food Tour

We have been wanting to try more street food and get exposure to more Vietnamese dishes. However, after my experience with food poisoning in Tanzania, we were feeling a bit reticent. We decided to book a food tour to kick-start our curiosity. We tried:

1. Sticky Rice

At Xôi Yến we got a classic sticky rice called Xôi Xéo that is traditionally eaten for breakfast. The sticky rice is topped with mung bean and fried shallots

2. Snails!

At Ốc nóng Ngao hấp we tried Ốc Luộc. Steamed freshwater snails that were harvested from rice patties. These snails are often eaten as a snack with friends. Serving a similar social purpose of grabbing a cup of coffee. They were our favorite dish on the tour.

To eat we first had to pry off a hardcover to then be able to stab the snail meat. From there we had to twist the shell off of the meat with the correct pressure so as not to tear the meat and lose the tasty snack. They had a meaty texture reminiscent of some seafood with a much fresher and earthy taste. Some even had a slight crunch and tongue-numbing effect.

We also got to try Ngao hấp steamed white clams with lemongrass, ginger, and pineapple. Which were delicious. But not nearly as exciting as the snails.

Our tour guide mentioned how Hanoi made it very easy for people to start businesses. So many folks will pay a landlord or shop owner to use the sidewalk space in front of their building as a restaurant.

3. Dumplings

At Long Vi Dung - Nom Thit Bo Kho we got one of the only tables left. The street was positively packed! We were so excited at this point that we forgot to take pictures but thankfully were able to pull a photo of the menu from their website

We tried three dishes:

1. Nộm Thịt Bò Khô - A salad topped with slices of dried beef
2. Bánh Bột Lọc - Rice dumplings filled with pork and shrimp
3. Nem Chua Rán - Fried fermented pork rolls

4. Fired Fritters and dumplings

The next stop was at [Quan Cay Da - Fig Tree Restaurant where we got some delicious fried seafood. We managed to get a photo just before eating but only got a single one from this stop. On the right is a Bánh Tôm a Shrimp and sweet potato fritter and on the left is Bánh gối a fried dumpling or pillow pancake filled with pork and egg.

5. Deep-fried eel

At this point, we were feeling full and not sure that we could eat anything else. We headed down an ally to Miến Lươn Chân Cầm. Where we sat upstairs in a perfectly Tim-sized room. While traveling I have struggled with my head. Nothing serious but flights are cramped, beds are a bit too small and every so often I’ll bang my head on the ceiling. It was nice to have some fun with my height here!

We ordered Miến xào Lươn - glass noodles with deep-fried eel. It was really good the glass noodles were familiar to both of us and similar to what we had eaten in the States. However, the eel was entirely new. It had a nice crunch to it almost like a jerky but much lighter.

6. Dessert Round 1 - Fruit

At this point were overstuffed and couldn’t eat any more savory food so we switched to dessert and went to Sinh Tố Hoa Béo. One of the many things Katie and I align on is fruit for dessert. We both enjoy the light and freshness of the fruit. Being so full it was the perfect next dish.

We ate Hoa quả dầm - a fruit salad covered in heavy cream and served with a side of crushed ice. The fruit was incredibly fresh. The ice helped both to keep the dish cold (much appreciated in the heat) but it also cut through the cream. Allowing us to dilute it to our preference

7. Dessert Round 2 - Ice Cream

At Che Dung - 95 Hang Bac we got our second sticky rice dish. Kem Xôi - a sticky rice flavored with pandan topped with coconut ice cream. This sticky rice was more familiar to us before today we both associated it the Thai-style mango sticky rice. I loved the pandan flavor and this dish came in as a close second to the snails.

Hanoi Food Culture

One of the things we enjoy is if we find a place that we both like we will go there multiple times. For one it takes some of the decision-making out of the equation and adds a sense of familiarity missing when everything is changing all the time. In Hanoi, that place was Hanoi Food culture.

Our first visit was to get takeout. We wanted a date night “at home”. So Katie went there to pick up dinner and I ran to a convenience store down the street to get a bottle of wine. We convened on our balcony to share lemongrass chicken and a beef salad. While watching the sunset.

The next time was before our food tour. We had originally planned to have an early lunch and save as much room as possible for the food tour. But our day had different plans. We had taken the morning off to chill in our hotel room, watch some TV and relax. Which lead to both of us waiting for way too long to eat lunch. Very hungry we headed to Hanoi Food Culture knowing that they were close and tasty.

Being there at an odd time the restaurant was empty. We ended up talking to our waiter about his life and our travels. As we chatted another employee who was learning English started listening in. So we spent a while chatting with him at his english level. We both really enjoyed the conversation and it felt nice to connect on a different level.

We then went a third time on our last night in Hanoi as a send-off to the city. We again met with Thai. And although it was very busy he managed to write a letter in English thanking us for the practice. So Katie wrote him one in exchange. She mentioned that we were headed towards Hue and were excited to visit there on Thai’s recommendation.

Bún chả Hương Liên

On our way to get Bún chả we stopped at the woman’s museum. We wish we had more time here. Looking online we thought it would be a quick visit to see everything. The museum was much bigger than expected. Everything was beautifully curated and the audio guides were great. We were hoping to go back but the availability of the Halong bay tours and the timing of the mid-autumn festival didn’t allow for it. Guess we will have to go back next time we are in Vietnam. ;)

I enjoyed the exhibits on marriage traditions and the textiles.

Bún chả Hương Liên was an Experience! For one it was Katie and I’s first time eating Bún chả - caramelized pork meatballs. We got them in soup making it our first time having a Vietnamese soup other than Pho.

Looking around the restaurant everything was branded with the fact that Obama and Anthony Bourdain had eaten there. They even encased the table where they sat in plexiglass. It felt like it had all the hallmarks of a tourist trap but had somehow managed to hold on to its local customer base. The food was amazing 10/10