Anyway everywhere could be the same - something tasty, something not! This time I spent almost two weeks in the North, so I got a chance to visit Yên Tử, Hạ Long Bay, Sapa, Tràng An...I even went to Hội Lim for the first time, and came back to Bát Tràng, where I visited almost 15 years ago.
During these two weeks I experienced a lot of good foods but at the same time - some far from good!
Let's start with our glorious beef noodles - Phở!
1. Beef noodles at Bát Đàn
Two years ago when I was in Hà Nội, I couldn't try this noodles as the shop was closed for Tết, so this time, finally I got a chance to experience the noodles that has been considered the best in Hà Nội. I knew in advance that we need to queue, do self-service which is quite unusual in this kind of eatery. But it was true if you come here early in the morning. The queue was long and all tables mostly occupied. You have to wait, then to share the table with others, but if you come later, like before lunch, plenty of space! Noodles were very good to me, the best so far, and much better than noodles shop at Lý Quốc Sư, the one right at the corner.
I was curiously wondering if they could serve this fabulous beef noodles with those herbs or veggies like in Saigon, it could be better but it also could sound very ridiculuos to Hà Nội people. Like when I bought a bread with cold cuts at Nguyên Sinh, a famous store in Lý Quốc Sư, I asked why no veggies, the girl looked at me and coldly said "Veggies made bread sour"!
2. Sticky rice
Last time I had a review about Sticky rice Yến in Hà Nội - an unbelievable million dollars business, but to be honest I found Xôi Yến over tasty! It means they add so many things, all mixed together, so I couldn't feel the fragrance of the sticky rice which is quite important and the glutinous quality of the rice. Actually in Hà Nội you surely have a chance to taste different sticky rice dishes.
This sticky rice served with cooked chicken and lemon leaf in a small street not far from the Lake Hoàn Kiếm. I first tried it here, quite long time ago, with my friends and one of famous singers, a friend of my friend, took us here, her favourite place!
I quite like this "not colourful" sticky rice - probably because of the flavour of the lemon leaf and the fragrance of the rice mixed with the soya sauce and the chicken! Purely Northern taste! We don't have anything similar in South!
A street vendor of sticky rice in Hà Nội
Corn sticky rice is my favourite, but I realised what I favour in Sài Gòn - quite different from "authentic" corn sticky rice in Hà Nội. In sài Gòn they add sugar or even a bit of oil, more corn than rice. Here in Hả Nội, no sugar, no oil, more rice than corn!
I don't know why I was quite obsessed with this cake. I think because of the experience in my childhood when I,being a little boy, saw how people skilfully rolled this cake on a white surface with the steam raising around. Looked amazing to me!
I went to a famous place for this rolled cake (Thanh Vân, 14 Hàng Gà). It was a big house, selling not only this speciality but also some other dishes like bún thang. I was a bit disappointed. It was good but not that good as people say and recommend, but partly of the environment. It was a really big newly-built house, if we compare with the house size in the old quarter of Hà Nội. No any "authentic taste", it looked exactly a typical tasteless Southern eatery!
4. Egg Coffee at Cafe Giảng in Hà Nội
I heard about this egg coffee long ago, but only now got a chance to go this famous place, cafe Giảng, for my first cup of egg coffee! We went there early in the morning, we were surely the early birds. I was excited to order and to taste it. It was very nice!
But when I came back here for the second time, it was late morning, the place was full of customers, I did order again the egg coffee, but by some how my second time was not that good, impressive like the first time. I didn't feel the thick creme with eggy taste on the top. It was more coffee! But anyway it was a good experience!
5. Porridge
I love the porridge or congee. I don't know what is the difference between these two words. Anyway the porridge in Hà Nội is very "special". I did try long long ago, late at night, on way back to one of my friend's place. I was greatly surprised at that time, but then I never tasted it again so forgot it, but I knew the porridge in Hà Nội was totally different from the South.
The porridge in Hà Nội made of freshly-powdered rice and that "shocked" me. I feel like I was eating a baby food that I could buy from the store in the can! And I still found the "youtiao" (giò cháo quẩy) in Hà Nội - not good! It was hard and not very tasty. The youtiao here quite similar to the ones in Thailand (I saw exactly same size, taste better in Chiang Mai, or maybe similar to the ones in Beijing - I didn't taste it yet!) and the youtiao in Sài Gòn, similar to the ones in Hong Kong. Anyway it was not that bad, the porridge, it was healthy food and could be a good choice for breakfast in Hà Nội in the cold days.
Will come back with my next preview about the false "bún chả" in Hà Nội. It was a big shame!
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