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Local taste
Hanoi’s Old Quarter is easily explored
on foot. With all the walking this entails,
of course, one’s appetite is practically
assured. Thankfully, Vietnam is home
to a rich culinary heritage borne from
Chinese, French and native Viet
influences. It’s refreshing to know that
Western-style, glass-walled diners aren’t
common yet in these parts. In fact, the
Vietnamese eating experience won’t
be complete without the unpretentious
confines of a family-run eatery.
In true Hanoi style (read: on a
shared table in a room filled with busily
chomping folks), we dine on a favorite
local delicacy:
bun cha,
grilled pork bits
served with springy rice noodles, tangy
nuoc mam
sauce and a heap of fresh
vegetables. Dac Kim Bun Cha
(1 Hang
Manh St.)
is one of the renowned joints,
but there are
bun cha
stalls on just
about every street. Later in the evening
we feast on another signature northern
dish made from fried, turmeric-infused
cha ca
fish at the famous Cha Ca La
Vong Restaurant
(14 Cha Ca St.)
.
The following days see our journey
turn into a full-blown food trip, the
Smile
team hopping from one tasting
table to the other. We gorge on soft,
silky
banh cuon
rice rolls along Trung
Yen lane, and slurp on savory
pho
noodles at the aptly-named Pho 10
(10 Ly Quoc Su St.)
. In the evenings
we’d sit at roadside stalls nursing
mugs of backyard-brewed
bia hoi
beer,
watching the two-wheeled traffic zip by
at its usual manic pace.
Clockwise from top left:
A friendly neighborhood
noodle soup vendor
delivers lunch; cheap,
backyard brewed
bia hoi
beer awaits drinkers on the
sidewalk; Dac Kim’s
bun
cha
is a favorite Hanoi dish.
09LKH Smile
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