Our gastronomic journey through Hanoi

Our gastronomic journey in Hanoi continues! With the huge selection of street food at every corner of Hanoi, one never goes hungry!

The Old Quarter is a haven for street food. Walk along its streets and you’re bound to find something to soothe your hungry tummies! On our many walks around the Old Quarter, we found street stalls selling Vietnamese noodles, grilled cuttlefish, fried calamari and fresh-cut fries, snails, salads, banh mi pate, fried rice and local dishes, grilled chicken/pork on sticks and lots more! It is a never-ending discovery … our only complain being not enough time to savour them all.

On weekends where a section of the Old Quarter houses the weekly night market, even more food stalls are set up. A walk through the night market reveals two stalls selling freshly made bread and pastries which looks and smells delicious. Then there’s steamed sweetcorn, ice-cream, lollipops of every size and color, grilled chicken (much like satay), cuttlefish, desserts and of course, the Banh Mi Pate! In the day, virtually every corner of Hanoi has at least one food stall. We had delicious pho for breakfast at the cost of USD1. I’m sure it could have been cheaper and that we’re actually paying tourist prices, but USD1 is a small price to pay for such delicious comfort food.

At a street corner at Van Mieu we found a nifty little shop selling Bun Cha and Nem Cua Be (fried spring rolls). The smells emanating from the little charcoal grill is enough to make me swoon!

Who can resist the thick Vietnamese drip coffee? I like mine black with sugar. The coffee is robust and oh-so-good! It’s the perfect wake-me-up drink. As a matter of fact, we loved the coffee so much we packed some home along with the stainless steel drip.

For desserts there are little shops along the Old Quarter that sells cut fruits drizzled with condensed milk and of course, countless sweet soups. It’s enough to give one a sugar high! One thing about the Vietnamese is they all love their sugar.

If you're looking for something healthier, fresh fruits are a great option. We found some big custard apples for VND50,000 for 3 fruits. It's a little pricey, but still much cheaper than what we'll have to pay for in Malaysia. The fruits were so sweet! Their apples are crisper than the ones back home too.

We had a great time scouring the streets of Hanoi for good food. Our daughter had such a great time there that she's asked us when we'll be back in Hanoi.

KOTO (Know One, Teach One) Restaurant, Hanoi

I've read about KOTO in some websites whilst searching for information on Hanoi and thought that it is quite like Jamie Oliver's 15 where street kids are taught hospitality skills to enable them to have a better chance in life. KOTO Hanoi is supported by KOTO International which is an Australian-based non-profit organization. KOTO graduates are highly sought after by the hospitality industry and many now work in top hotels and restaurants in Hanoi.

So, that brings me to our lunch at KOTO on the first day of our holiday. KOTO is located right across the Van Mieu pagoda on Van Mieu Street. The facade of the restaurant is simple but once you enter it, you'll find that the restaurant is spread over four floors. We were brought to our table on the 3rd floor where photos of past graduates now working in top hotels and restaurants are hung on the walls.On the way up the winding stairs, bricks with names of sponsors and friends of KOTO line the walls.

Our menus were brought to us immediately by a pleasant young lady. After ordering our drinks - sweet fragrant passionfruit juice and mango juice, we ordered an eggplant dip which came on crispy rice crackers.

My hubby ordered Bun Bo (beef vermicelli noodle) because he loves beef. The Bun Bo came in two separate bowls. One bowl with the beef and another with the thin rice vermicelli. We were asked to pour the beef into the rice vermicelli and add the fresh herbs and the fish sauce. After a quick stir, the Bun Bo is ready. The verdict, as expected, was very good! It is unbelievable that such a simple dish can be so immensely satisfying!

I ordered a Bun Cha (grilled pork vermicelli) and Chao Tom (minced prawn with sugar cane) to share. The Bun Cha is quite similar to the Bun Bo with the exception of the grilled pork replacing the beef. The grilled pork is heavenly! It's so delicious and fragrant and the minced pork balls accompanying it is wonderful! I could barely stop popping the grilled pork and pork balls into my mouth.

The Chao Tom is decidedly different from the Thai version. The Vietnamese version came in a bamboo tray filled with condiments such as fresh herbs, sugar cane, rice paper, vermicelli and of course, the minced prawn. We're supposed to wrap all these into the rice paper, roll it up and dip it into the fish sauce. Surprisingly our little girl loves it. The novelty of playing with her food certainly appealed to her and having it taste delicious afterwards was obviously a bonus.

Admittedly, dining at KOTO costs a little more than usual but it's all for a good cause so I'd certainly recommend it. KOTO's address is 59 Van Mieu Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel : (84-4) 747 0337 or email customerservice_koto@netnam.vn.

Food Adventures in Hanoi - Quan An Ngon

If there’s one thing that I enjoyed most about our holiday in Hanoi, it’s eating all that delicious food! There’s so much to try it’s almost like an adventure in itself!

As I’ve written about in my previous posts on Hanoi, the Quan An Ngon restaurant is my absolute favourite so of course it’s high on my list of places to eat. My family which includes one very picky little girl, were absolutely delighted at the diverse choices available at Quan An Ngon.

We ordered chicken pho (chicken noodle soup), bun bo (beef vermicelli soup), bun cha (grilled pork and vermicelli), nem cua be (fried spring rolls), prawn fritters, young papaya salad, squid salad, mango salad with prawn crackers, fried tofu with fermented shrimp dip, fresh spring rolls, bbq squid, and che (sweet dessert) to share. The food were absolutely sumptious and although they cost more than what I would expect to pay at the street stalls, it’s great to have so many choices at one place. The salad stalls serve some pretty interesting salads. I caught sight of a tray filled with something that looked like bugs, but was told it’s actually baby sparrows. Although I’m keen on trying a lot of different food, I’m drawing a line at this because I’m pregnant and the last thing I want to do is eat babies (although they’re baby birds)! We loved the ambience … it was packed both days we were there. Although I would expect a more touristy-clientele, I was pleasantly surprised to see many locals eating there as well. One downside is the Vietnamese-speaking staff, they are not very well-versed in English. The menus are written in Vietnamese and English but I would really recommend walking around the many stalls to choose your food. If you find something that you like, just ask the staff to write it down on a piece of paper so that you can pass it to the waiter when you return to your table. This way you’ll be able to see what you are ordering. Quan An Ngon is really THE place to go if you want to have a wide variety of Vietnamese street food in one place.

Revisiting Hanoi - The Sheraton Hanoi @ Westlake

My family and I were in Hanoi last weekend for our last holiday before I deliver our newest family member. I must say that this is a highly anticipated holiday because I love the hustle and bustle of Hanoi and besides, I’ve long wanted to show my family what surprises Hanoi has to offer.

Our flight arrived at Hanoi at 8:50am, long after the denizens of Hanoi has woken up and had their first bowl of hot steaming pho. After about 40 minutes by car, we arrived at our hotel, the Sheraton Hanoi. Amidst the hustle and bustle and the endless honking of cars, Sheraton Hanoi stood out like a welcomed oasis by the West Lake. Being in this location has its advantages and I think it is a perfect getaway after being in the city with its endless honking.

I had earlier emailed Ms. Kim Lien from Customer Service that my husband and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary and had gotten a confirmation right away that they will surprise us. What a surprise it turned out to be! We had a room with a view of the beautiful West Lake and our bed is decorated with rose petals and a lovely cake as well as a congratulatory letter from the hotel. There were candles on the night stand as well as rose petals in the bath. Truly romantic! Like all Starwood properties, The Sheraton has the requisite amenities to keep guests comfortable. It has a very welcoming pool with a pagoda and a very unique dragon shower. Take a little walk to the other side and you’ll be greeted with a moongate and a tranquil courtyard and lush gardens. I would have been perfectly happy here just sipping a cup of strong Vietnamese coffee. There’s also a gym and tennis court in the hotel grounds. What makes the Sheraton Hanoi truly stand out is its staff. They were all genuinely warm and friendly and were more than happy to accommodate us (me especially with my endless enquiries and requests). We’ve stayed at many hotels in many countries and I must say, the staff at Sheraton Hanoi is top-notch. This is exactly what 5-star service should be.

Markets in Hanoi, Vietnam

Morning markets are a bustle of activity in Hanoi. They are colourful, noisy and packed with people.

I managed to squeeze in two visits to the morning markets, one of which was located just right next to our hotel on Ly Thong Kiet.

My exploration started innocently enough. There were pottery stalls outside but the real deal is in the interior of the market. The first thing I saw upon stepping in was a row of stalls selling roasted dog meat (thit cho). Dog meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and I’ve been told they are delicious. However, one man’s meat is another’s poison. I could not muster up enough courage to stomach these just yet, so it’s best I gave it a pass. Anyway, I'm still thinking whether I should post the photos. Should I or not?

Further down are stalls selling vegetables and noodles. The interior of the market is dark and dank with the occasional motorbike coming in or out.

At the further end of the market there are sundry shops selling instant pho and all sorts of sauces for a Vietnamese meal. I love my pho so I bought some to bring home too!
The last stalls at the market are flower and fruit stalls with huge strawberries, blueberries, custard apples and dragonfruits. The burst of colour at the fruit stalls are such a huge contrast to the stalls inside the market.

The other market I went to was one that I stumbled on in the Old Quarter. It’s an open-air market which is bright and airy. There were lots of stalls selling all types of food crowded with people eating their breakfast.

The stalls are similar to the market at Ly Thong Kiet although I don’t see any dog meat stalls here.