Hanoi: Food Guide

Last year, before we set off for a vacation in Hanoi, I went through a lot of travel blogs to find out what are the best Hanoi food to eat and where would be the best places to find them as we wanted to optimize our food-hunting experience given a 2-day period (to be specific, 1 day if we minus all the travelling time).

Luckily, all the nice, delicious food are within walking distance at the Old Quarter.  If you are like us, who don't have a lot of time to spend in Hanoi, but would like to experience the best of the local delicacies, below is the summary of the best of Hanoi. :)

Click on the links below to read more in detail.

1.  Bun Bo
Beef vermicelli noodles with herbs and beef slices, topped with shallots and grounded peanuts, served with beef broth.

Where?  Bun Bo Nam Bo @ Hang Dieu Street

2.  Pho Bo

Thin rice noodles with strips of beef served in hearty beef broth.

Where?  Pho Gia Truyen @ Bat Dan Street

3.  Bun Cha

Charcoal grilled pork patties with vermicelli noodles and herbs.

Where?  Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim @ Duong Thanh Street

(Write-up coming soon.  Only in Hanoi)


4.  Mien Xao Lion
Stir-fried glass noodles cooked with beansprouts and egg, served with crispy fried mini eels and topped with fried shallots, sliced cucumbers and purple perilla.

Where?  Mien Luon Kho @ Hang Dieu Street

5.  Banh Cuon

Thin warm rice noodle rolls filled with seasoned ground pork and minced wood-ear mushrooms topped with crispy fried shallots and served with a sweet dipping sauce.

Where:  Banh Cuon Gia Truyen @ Hang Ga Street

6.  Nem Ca
Deep-fried catfish rolled in rice paper served with wasabi dipping sauce in a classy restaurant, popular for its alcoholic experience.

Where:  Highway 4 Restaurant & Bar @ Hang Tre Street

7.  Ca Phe Trung
Vietnamese coffee with raw egg whipped with milk and sugar.

Where:  Coffee with a view at Cafe Pho Co @ Hang Gai Street

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Others that we did not have the time to try yet.

Xoi Xeo
Sweet sticky glutinous rice with mung bean paste and fried shallots, topped with egg or meat

Where:  Xoi Yen @ 35b, Nguyen Huu Huan Street

Cha Ca

Grilled fish sauteed in dill, turmeric, shrimp paste and fish sauce, topped with peanuts and green onions
Where:  Cha Ca Tranh Long @ 31, Duong Thanh Street

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Now, if you ever feel that you're gonna have a hard time communicating, you don't really have to worry much as most shops only serve one kind of food.  So, all you need is a very good sign language.  Otherwise, just jot down the names of the food and show them (Like what we did).

But if you are visiting Hanoi for a very short time and you want to sample a variety of the Hanoi specialties  then there is a perfect one-stop center.  I haven't been there personally but apparently, it is very popular among both locals and tourists.  It is located south of the Hoen Kiem Lake, so if you are heading back  to the Old Quarters after a visit of the Temple of Literature, it would be a nice place to rest your tired feet.

Where:  Quan An Ngon @ 18 Phon Boi Chau

Banh Cuon @ Banh Cuon Gia Truyen, Hanoi

Generally eaten as breakfast everywhere in the northern part of Vietnam, Banh Cuon or literally rolled savoury pastry is one of the lightest, but amazingly delicious, dish that can be found in the Vietnamese menu.

Banh Cuon is a plate of thin warm rice noodle rolls, made of steamed fermented rice batter, filled with seasoned ground pork and minced wood-ear mushrooms topped with crispy fried shallots and served with a warm, sweet dipping sauce.

On our very last night in Hanoi, we managed to slip in this light snack before we headed to Pho Gia Truyen for our pho.  It was so delicious that we took the effort to come back again for a take-away supper.

The rice rolls were very transparent and thin, with a smooth silky texture.  Dipped in the sweet broth-like dipping sauce, it was very flavourful.  The meat was well-seasoned and plentiful.  In a way, Banh Cuon resembles the Cantonese chee cheung fun, except that Banh Cuon has a lighter ans sweeter taste.

We also realized many locals ordering this side dish with some unidentifiable orange square pieces.  Well, turns out it was the gio lua (Northern)/cha lua (Southern) or Vietnamese ham made from grounded pork paste - apparently a must to go with Banh Cuon.  Maybe next time.

While we were waiting for our take-away supper to be ready, we observed how the ladies skillfully prepare Bahn Cuon by steaming a thin layer of rice batter on a cloth over a pot of boiling water before another lady fills the rice sheets with meat and mushrooms.  All done without breaking a hole on the delicate rice sheet.  Now that is skill.

This shop is open for breakfast and dinner/supper.


Banh Cuon Gia Truyen
14, Hang Ga Street
Old Quarter
Hanoi

Nyonya-style meal @ Ah Tuan Ee's Place, SS2

Ah Tuan Ee's Place is one place where you can find an authentic Nyonya cuisine.  With a homey ambiance  it is a very good place for a family hangout, or to bring our foreigner friends for a good local home-cook Nyonya meal.

There are two Ah Tuan Ee's Place outlets, but we went to the first outlet, which is in SS2, Petaling Jaya.  It is better to make reservations in advance as it can be quite packed in this small restaurant especially during dinner hours.

Ordering is quite a breeze as they have included pictures of each item on the menu, including a full description of the ingredients used.

One of the chicken dishes which caught my attention is the Sweet Ginger Chicken (RM 20.80 - small) - marinated pan-fried chicken pieces that are stir-fried with crunchy pickled ginger in a non-spicy sweet sauce.  While it didn't turned out exactly like the illustration in the menu, this dish is spectacular.  The sweet caramel-like sauce is very tasty and goes very well with the crispy, succulent chicken.  I was practically cleaning off the plate.

We then ordered the Stir-fried Fresh Kangkung (RM 13.80 - small).  Although it was just stir-fried with chillies only, but it is very flavourful with enough seasonings.  And the best part, the kangkung is not very oily unlike most places.

KS ordered the aTe's Mee Goreng (RM 12.80).  The yellow noodles have been wok-fried in a special spicy, yet sweet sauce with prawns, beansprouts, chives and eggs.  It may look like a normal plate of mee goreng, but what makes it stand out is the sauce used.  It strikes a good balance between the sweet tomato paste and chilli sauce.  It is quite spicy, but it is that spiciness that just makes you want to eat more of it.

The same goes to the Pineapple Fried Rice (RM 12.80), rice fried the ah Tuan Ee's style with chicken, carrot and aromatic spices.  It is also spicy, but it is not purely just hot.  The spiciness is very different, and addictive.  They are also very generous with the meat and pineapples, every spoon of it.

For desserts, one should not miss their signature dish - the Sago Pudding (RM 6.80).  The steamed sago pearls were topped with fragrant gula melaka and creamy fresh coconut milk.  The balance between the sweet gula melaka and the salty coconut milk was perfect, without overwhelming each other.

Another must try is the delightful icy-cold Cendol (RM 6.80).  Served also with gula melaka and coconut milk, it is very delicious and not too sweet.  One of the best Nyonya cendol in Klang Valley - definitely a perfect end to a satisfying meal.

Word of advice if you're taking the ala carte.  The "Small" is good enough for two person, so if you're heading there with a big group, do order the larger portion instead.

Ah Tuan Ee's Place

74, Jalan SS2/72

47300 Petaling Jaya

Tel:  03-7957 2915

Brother's Nasi Lemak @ Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur

If you're working around the Jalan Raja Chulan area, you'll most likely know about this famous nasi lemak stall.  Known as the Brothers' Nasi Lemak, you can find this stall right behind the ING buidling @ Jalan Tengah, in between Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Sultan Ismail.

There may be many stalls selling nasi lemak along the road but there is one that stands out - two long queues with each being served simultaneously.  The brothers are very quick, so you don't need to wait long for your turn.

There are a lot of things I find this nasi lemak very nice and worth drooling for:

1. The rice is not only fragrant but cooked perfectly with enough seasonings.  The thing about cooking rice with coconut milk is that sometimes, it will make the rice too wet.  But here at Brothers', the rice is just nice and fluffy.
2. The sambal is not very spicy, with a hint of sweetness and fragrance of onions.
3. The one thing I love the most is their huge, crispy deep-fried ikan bilis.  No nasi lemak will be complete without these darling fishes.

My colleague termed it as the legendary nasi lemak.  In my opinion, I think it is one of the best and cheap nasi lemak breakfast you will find in Kuala Lumpur.  A biasa nasi lemak only costs RM 1.50 and they always let me tambah the ikan bilis at no extra cost.

Jalan Tengah
Between ING Building & MAS Building
GPS:  3.151491,101.708823

Mien Xao Luon @ Mien Luon Kho, Hanoi

A few shops down from Bun Bo Nam Bo is another lovely place for some crispy Hanoi delicacy.  Serving only fried mini eels, Mien Luon Kho @ Old Quarters is definitely the place to sample this unique dish.

Mien Xao Luon is stir-fried glass noodles cooked with beansprouts and egg, served with crispy mini eels and topped with fresh cucumbers, fried shallots and purple perilla.

These crispy deep-fried mini eels, which tasted very much like those spicy ikan bilis snacks, are very nice.  I think I could eat a whole plate of these fried luon  as they are really very additive.  Highly recommended especially if you plan to stop for a Hanoi beer - a perfect snack.

The glass noodles were quite good too.  Stir-frying glass noodles can be quite difficult because of its texture, so they did quite a good job in making the dish work.  The only setback, as with any fried glass noodles, is that it was quite oily.  Towards the end, it became very difficult to continue eating the noodles as all the oil has dripped to the bottom of the plate.  Nevertheless, there was enough wok hei in the noodles and it complement well with the luon.

They have six different ways to enjoy the luon - with or without noodles/porridge or served dry or wet.  Locals (given a quick glance around the shop) seem to prefer the eel porridge and the clear vermicelli soup.

As shown on the menu on the wall, it is actually pretty easy to order - just point to the wall if your Vietnamese pronunciation is bad.  But for me, being a bit more kiasu, I decided to show the girl my scribbling as I can't seem to find the exact phrase on the menu (apparently Mien Xao Luon = Mien Xao).

Mien Luon Kho

87, Hang Dieu Street

Old Quarter

Hanoi

Pho Bo @ Pho Gia Truyen, Hanoi

They say if there is a large crowd, the food there must be very delicious.  For Pho Gia Truyen @ Bat Dan Street, Hanoi, this is definitely the case.  Popular among both locals and tourists, this is one pho place you must not miss if you are in the Old Quarters.

Pho, a popular Vietnamese breakfast, is thin rice noodles served in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef.

Pho in different regions are prepared differently - the taste and presentation is heavily influenced by the richness of the local agricultural and economy.  The southern pho is usually more complex as more ingredients are used while the northern pho, on the other hand, uses less ingredients and is more simple, served without beansprouts and herbs.

Here at Pho Gia Truyen, the northern-style pho is sold.  There are three types of pho to choose from:

1. Tai Nam:  Rare flank steak (45,000 VND)
2. Tai:  Rare steak  (40,000 VND)
3. Chin:  Well-done brisket (35,000 VND)

For the sake of lowering the chances of food poisoning (that means rare is out of the question), we opt for the pho chin.

The soup was "Wow!" - fantastic.  Do not be fool by the clearness of the soup because it is packed with a lot of flavours and spices, making it very fragrant and sweet.  Imagine how many beef bones they have used in making this flavourful broth.  It was so wholesome so much so that you will feel as though the adrenaline is pumping fast into your bloodstream.  No wonder even the Vietnamese are willing to queue up for a bowl of pho here.

One thing I like about their soup is that it does not have the strong beefy smell, that sometimes can be a little unpleasant.  It was so good that I finished every single drop of it.  In a way, it did tasted like keoy teow soup, except that the flavour is more intense and less oily.

The beef brisket, which has been thinly sliced, is very tender.  Plus, they were very generous with it.  Even towards the end, there are still a lot of beef in my bowl.  On top of that, the thin noodles are silky and not oily at all.

I did notice many people adding vinegar and hot chilli sauce.  Not sure what it tasted like, so didn't have the courage to add in any.

They also have another side dish that accompany this delicious street food, which is dau chao quay or fried bread stick that you can dip into the soup, just like how we do in bak kut teh.  We didn't have this unfortunately, as we initially didn't know what it is called in Vietnamese.  Pity.

Now, Pho Gia Truyen is a self-serve style eatery.  You need to queue up, order, pay and then collect your noodles before proceeding to the tables (if you are really lucky enough to find one).  The queue can be a little long, but the wait is definitely worth it.

Majority of the seatings are tiny wooden stools by the side-walk.  If you're very lucky, you may get a normal table inside the shop.  Otherwise, you may have to stand while eating.

  

As for us, KS was in charge of ordering, while I "hunt" around for seats.  Sitting on tiny stools by the side-walk with lots of used tissues strewn on the floor below the tables, was not so bad after all.  Like they say, be like a local and enjoy the experience.

Pho Gia Truyen
49, Bat Dan Street
Old Quarters
Hanoi

Open in morning and night

Bun Bo (Vermicelli with Beef) @ Bun Bo Nam Bo, Hanoi

One of the best Hanoi street food is the Bun Bo @ Bun Bo Nam Bo, Hang Dieu Street.  This is definitely a must-have if you're at the Old Quarters.  For both KS and I, it was love at first bite (not exaggerating).  If we had more time in Hanoi, we would have surely come back again for another round.

So, what is Bun Bo?  It is actually a simple bowl of vermicelli noodles served with thin slices of beef and salad (beansprouts, lettuce, carrots, green papaya and herbs), topped with generous amount of fried shallots and grounded, toasted peanuts.

Straight after we have checked into our hotel, we went searching for this stall/shop.  Holding a map while trying to register the different unfamiliar street names (not to forget, braving through the famous traffic), we quickly make our way for our first lunch stop.  Luckily, the shops are well-numbered and it was pretty easy to find it.

As it was already past 2 pm  there was not much of a crowd.  Lucky us because we did see how crowded it was on a Saturday night when we passed by the area again.  Inside, the shop looked pretty decent and surprisingly cleaner than I expected.  Set-up wise, it did feel like being back to a primary school's canteen - long tables with low benches.

Ordering was a breeze (no communication breakdown) as there was only one main dish.  You only need to tell them how many bowls you want, which hand gesture can easily settle.  Plus, there was a large menu on the wall that lists their selection of drinks, clearly stating what they sell and how much each costs - only problem is that it is in Vietnamese, so we were practically guessing what each might be.

Bun Bo - this bowl of noodle looked pretty simple and less sophisticated, but the taste was exceptionally magnificent.  I had the first bite and almost immediately, a shocking (a positive one, of course) expression was written all over my face, which panicked KS a bit (haha!).  That expression was because I did not expect such tremendous flavour coming from this simple-looking noodle.  Never judge a book by its cover, applies to this bowl of noodle.

The secret ingredient that makes all the difference lies in the light, sweet and sour beef broth (which you wouldn't notice until you start mixing the noodles).  It is the beef broth that gave the noodle a lovely, warm taste.  Even without adding the fish sauce, it already tasted very good.  Of course, after adding it, it was even better.  I strongly advise that you taste the Bun Bo without any additional condiments (picked chilli, chilli sauce or fish sauce) being added first so that you have a chance to sample the real taste.

The beef slices are also perfectly marinated and is very juicy & tender.  Plus, the beef slices are cooked upon order, so freshness is assured.

Although it looked liked some salad (it is, after all, being termed as a noodle salad), it is served warm.  Even the beansprouts have been lightly cooked.  Of course, there is the hot beef broth to warm the dish.

To end, we ordered the 7Up Chai, which turns out to be 7Up in an old-school bottle.

Highly recommended!  You'll regret if you went home without trying this yummy bowl of noodles.



Bun Bo Nam Bo
67, Hang Dieu Street
Old Quarters, Hanoi

Kaya Puffs @ Sin Eng Heong, Ipoh

If you think kaya puffs (加央角) is just something very ordinary and it would have tasted pretty much the same, then you have definitely not tried the kaya puffs at Sin Eng Heong bakery, Ipoh.

You know you are at the right stall when you see a very long queue, that doesn't seem to move very much.  In fact, we have waited more than 30 minutes standing in the queue waiting for this sweet, crispy treat.  My friends have already finished their rounds at buying the taufu-fa and the salted chicken, and yet, it's not even our turn to put down the orders.  But at least, the wait was worth it.

The kaya puffs are very fluffy and crispy, loaded with a generous amount of fragrant kaya paste.  Made based on the family's secret recipe, the kaya paste is very unique - smooth, creamy texture.  Although on the sweeter side, the kaya puffs are very yummy.

 If these kaya puffs tasted so good hours after purchase, imagine how good it would have been if it was eaten freshly straight out from the oven.  Sold in a 5-pieces pack or a 10-pieces box, each kaya puffs costs only RM 0.80.

Just a word of advice, do come early so that you can beat the crowd, otherwise, you'll have to endure a long, boring wait.  Not to forget, an assurance that you'll get hold of this little, tasty treat.

Kedai Biskut Sin Eng Heong

64-66, Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (Jalan Clare),

30300 Ipoh, Perak

Tel: 05-2439659

Ipoh Chicken with Beansprout @ Ong Kee Restaurant, Ipoh

The Hari Raya holidays are here again and it's time for a short road-trip (and not to forget, contributing to the traffic jam).  This time, we're heading up north to Ipoh.

Any trip to Ipoh is never complete if you have not tried the famous chicken with beansprouts (芽菜雞), more commonly known as taugeh ayam.  So, it is definitely a must to visit Ong Kee Restaurant @ Ipoh for this popular dish.

Recommended as one of the best few serving chicken with beansprouts, the restaurant was already fully packed by dinner time.  Given that we had a very large group, we were pretty lucky that we didn't need to wait very long to get two large tables.

The chicken is cooked perfectly well and it is still very juicy & succulent.  It feels like it melts in your mouth.  Okay, I am exaggerating a bit, but it tasted very good that I can't help wanting more after each bite.  The soy sauce that accompanied the chicken is sweet and tasty - a perfect combination, without overwhelming the flavour of the chicken.  It would have tasted perfect if it was eaten with rice (which we didn't order since they ran out of the oil rice, of which after 10 mins, was re-stocked again, ish!).  The only setback is that I find it a bit too oily as they have drizzled a bit too much oil over the chicken.  Nevertheless, still good.

The beansprouts, on the hand hand, is very crunchy and given its chubby, short shape, I could stuff a spoonful of these beansprouts into my mouth with ease.  Very different from the usual beansprouts as this is more juicy and have a better texture.

Interestingly, no matter where you go, it seems like these two are always served - pork balls & fish balls.  Oh, I love the pork balls but what actually did caught my attention was the chicken soup they served in.  The soup is so flavourful.  Words can't really describe how nice & tasty it is.  It is as though they have used hundreds of chicken to boil down to this one bowl of hot-piping soup.  Plus, I can confirm that no MSG has come into the picture.  It is the best.

Not too forget is the Ipoh Sar Hor-fun (怡保沙河粉).  The flat rice noodle is also served in the same chicken soup.  A good soup will bring out the best of any noodle and this is no exception.  I love the noodles as they are not too oily and very translucent.

The whole package was a to-die-for experience.  Such simple dishes, yet so heavenly.

Being the first time visiting Ipoh, I really had no idea initially why there is this big fuss over Ipoh's chicken rice. Come on, a chicken rice is just chicken rice, and you can find it almost everywhere, so what's so special?  But after experiencing it myself, it totally changed my perception.  This chicken rice is really good - so good that you will want more of it.  Too bad I need almost 2 hours drive to get hold of this wonderful meal.  So, looks like I will need to dream about it first until the next trip up to Ipoh.

(You won't miss it, it is just diagonally across Lou Wong Restaurant.  If you want an air-conditioned dining experience, then just head to Lou Wong's neighbour, Onn Kee Restaurant.  Both Ong Kee & Onn Kee are owned by the same owner but the latter is a more-newly opened branch)


Ong Kee Restaurant
Jalan Yau Tet Sin,
30300 Ipoh, Perak

Kuching: Kolo Mee & Sarawak Laksa

As usual, I did a whole lot of research as to where I can find good kolo mee & sarawak laksa.  Given that we do not have a car to go around, we decided to stick to places right in the city.

After long hours of going through blogs, we finally decided to test out 2 coffee-shops:

A)  Choon Choon Cafe @ Abell Road (Same row as AirAsia office)

B)  Choon Hui Cafe @ Ban Hock Road (Beside grand Continental Hotel)

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Kolo Mee

i)  Choon Choon Cafe

I prefer the kolo mee here as it is not too dry.  If you lift the noodles high up, you still can see the sauce remaining on the bowl.  In terms of flavour, Choon Choon offers better kolo mee.  The only thing I didn't enjoy was that the char siew was a bit bland.

ii)  Choon Hui Cafe

Although Choon Hui's kolo mee is not as wet as Choon Choon, but it was still enjoyable.  If you like the noodles springy (feels like instant noodle texture), then you will like the kolo mee here.  The minced meat is very nice & it goes very well with the noodles.

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Sarawak Laksa

i)  Choon Choon Cafe

Somehow, I felt that the soup lack the kick (I could have been biased as I tried the Choon Hui's first).  It is more to prawn soup & less of the curry side.  As shown in the picture, it was missing the egg omelette. Overall, I find it okay.

ii)  Choon Hui Cafe

If you are a big fan of Maggi Curry, you'll bound to love Choon Hui's Sarawak laksa.  The soup is just right - not too salty, not too spicy.  The balance between the curry & the prawn soup is just nice.  I love the pieces of egg omelette - reminded me of how my mum used to prepare my Maggi noodles for breakfast.  I finished every drop of the soup.  My vote goes to Choon Hui!

(You will notice that both the Sarawak laksa I ordered were missing its main ingredients - prawn.  Well, I deliberately omitted them as I don't really eat prawns.  BTW, I found that both stalls serve huge prawns)

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The coffee-shops also serve other food.  Some of the highlights:

Three Layer Tea - black tea served with layers of palm sugar (gula melaka) and milk

The picture on the left is the three layer tea from Choon Hui.  Between the two coffee-shops, both KS and I felt that Choon Hui tasted nicer as there is more palm sugar.  The palm sugar gave a very nice fragrance & sweetness to the tea.

But a selling point of Choon Choon is that you can order really huge drinks - standard, medium & large.

Toasted bread

Choon Choon has really nice toasted bread.  It may be a simple dish but it is super nice.

I think no one mentioned about this in any blogs I read, but we noticed many people ordered it, so we thought, maybe we should order too. 

They have a variety of toppings, but KS ordered the simplest - toasted bread with butter and honey.  Wow!  The bread is toasted to the right crispiness.  This is really a hidden gem!

Popiah

The popiah at Choon Hui is just average.  But the dipping sauce is quite nice and goes quite well with the popiah.  A good snack on top of the noodles.