Indulge in Vietnamese delight
By Helmi Yusof, The Business Times | Tue, Jul 31 2012
Here are three restaurants in Hanoi to try.
Vietnamese food is glorious - a fact unknown to most Singaporeans who are hard-pressed to find truly good Vietnamese restaurants in this country. Here are three in Hanoi to check out:
Cha Ca La Vong
Cha Ca La Vong
14 Cha Cá, Hoan Kiem District
This is the nondescript sidewalk restaurant that makes one dish so well, it inspires chefs the world over to create their own versions. The Cha Ca La Vong restaurant - if you could call it a restaurant - has no menu.
It serves only the cha ca la vong, a grilled river fish dish that combines turmeric, dill, shrimp paste, nuts and fish sauce to deliver a tangy taste like no other.
You have to cook the dish yourself, then scoop up a few pieces of fish and, more importantly, the oil to mix with your pho (rice vermicelli) and fresh herbs. It is really the oil that give your dish its kick, so don't be surprised if the fish looks awfully little for the steep standard price of US$17 for two persons. A Singaporean tourist at the next table was loudly complaining about being overcharged.
But you're likely to have a culinary encounter you won't forget.
Tip: Go online to see how you have to cook it because the rude waitresses do not speak English.
This is the nondescript sidewalk restaurant that makes one dish so well, it inspires chefs the world over to create their own versions. The Cha Ca La Vong restaurant - if you could call it a restaurant - has no menu.
It serves only the cha ca la vong, a grilled river fish dish that combines turmeric, dill, shrimp paste, nuts and fish sauce to deliver a tangy taste like no other.
You have to cook the dish yourself, then scoop up a few pieces of fish and, more importantly, the oil to mix with your pho (rice vermicelli) and fresh herbs. It is really the oil that give your dish its kick, so don't be surprised if the fish looks awfully little for the steep standard price of US$17 for two persons. A Singaporean tourist at the next table was loudly complaining about being overcharged.
But you're likely to have a culinary encounter you won't forget.
Tip: Go online to see how you have to cook it because the rude waitresses do not speak English.
Ngon Restaurant (Nha Hang Ngon)
26 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District
26 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District
If you'd like to try Vietnamese street food but wonder if it's safe or fresh, go to the Ngon Restaurant instead for a feast of the best street food Vietnam has to offer. The prices are low and the choices are endless. Among the must-trys are the Vietnamese pancakes or banh xeo (48,000 dong or S$3) which pack herbs and vegetable in a soft fluffy pancake, that comes with a deliciously zesty sauce. It's typically packed with minced pork, but ask for the vegetarian option if you're not a pork eater.
Other seemingly ordinary yet surprisingly tasty dishes are the eel cassava noodle soup or mien luon (50,000 dong) and fried tofu or dao ran (45,000 dong) - yes, it's only tofu but the tangy sauce makes all the difference.
Other seemingly ordinary yet surprisingly tasty dishes are the eel cassava noodle soup or mien luon (50,000 dong) and fried tofu or dao ran (45,000 dong) - yes, it's only tofu but the tangy sauce makes all the difference.
Spices Garden
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, 15 Ngo Quyen Street
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, 15 Ngo Quyen Street
For Vietnamese fine dining with a French flair, go no further than the Metropole Hotel's own Spices Garden. Try the refreshing sweet-and-sour prawns soup with Hué lemongrass (305,000 dong) for starters. For mains, the sauteed vermicelli with crab meat and black mushrooms (390,000 dong) is hearty and flavourful.
