iseeyousee » vietnam

KOTO, hanoi

me — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:36:17 +0000

KOTO is a non-profit restaurant dedicated to help street and disadvantaged children in Vietnam. The organization run a training center in addition to the restaurant.

KOTO, Tel (84 4) 747 0337 or (84 4) 747 0338, 59 Van Mieu St., Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam (opposite the Temple of Literature)

http://www.streetvoices.com.au/

Cha Ca La Vong, Hanoi

me — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:26:34 +0000

Cha Ca La Vong is featured in Lonely planet’s Hanoi city guide. Knowing only that it’s a local eatery (read hole-in-the-wall), i had no expectations. When i visited there were a few foreigners sparsely seated among five tables on the first floor. Also sharing the space is an altar with pictures of deceased family members. On the second floor, strangely enough, is crowded with local Vietnamese patrons. Supposedly the menu is different (cheaper perhaps?), but i didn’t dare to venture up there.

There is only one dish, the grilled fish, and it’s 90,000 VND ($6 USD). One only needs to specify how many people and choice of drink. Just add all the ingredients into the pan on charcoal fire pot, which comes with grilled catfish and liberal amount of oil. the end result is a concoction of yummy grilled fish wtih rice noodle seasoned with scallion and dill. The dish is slightly on the oily side, but the seasoning is light enough to allow the natural flavor of the fish and dill to come out. I’ve certainly had better grilled fish else where, but the novelty of the experience is not to be missed.

Cha Ca La Vong, 825 3929, 14 Cha Ca, Old quarters, Hanoi

night market, hanoi

me — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:21:17 +0000

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

me — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:18:51 +0000

Hua Lu and Tam Coc, Vietnam

me — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:59:22 +0000

that was not chicken

me — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:42:29 +0000

highway 4 is a restaurant in hanoi, it is most famous for its alligator spring roll. It is lightly fried, dipped in a slightly sour creamy sauce and wrapped with thyme. I’ve had bbq’ed alligator meat before, but this is a Vietnamese spin.

highway 4, (+84 4) 926 0639, 5 HANG TRE, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

cooking class at metropole hotel

me — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:33:02 +0000

pineapple

me — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:56:28 +0000

This is sold everywhere on the streets and in parks. It’s peeled pineapple sprinkled with flavored salt. That is right, salt. The sodium neutralizes the acid and bitter taste of the pineapple.

phở 24, hanoi

me — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:50:34 +0000

When visiting Vietnam and not trying the phở is like not eating the baguette when in France. Phở 24 is, unfortunately, a chain of noodle shops. In a way, it’s like the McDonald of Vietnam. But that does not detract it from serving good phở. a bowl of pho runs about 30,000 VND ($2 USD). It’s best to describe the portion as European; it definitely did not fill me up. There are no surprises; rice noodle and broth topped with various parts of beef, bean sprouts, lemon, and mint leaves on the side. But the fact that slurping it in Hanoi makes it that much tastier, especially with Hoan Kiem lake in view.

hanoi metropole

me — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:08:34 +0000

Day 1: checked into hotel, tried authentic pho, participated in cooking class (mostly just eating).

Day 2: had really bad lunch at a tourist trap. No menu, small portion, lacking flavor, questionable cleanliness. Visited Hoa Lu & Tam Coc. Really bad dinner at wild lotus, great place for drinks, but terrible food, non-fresh ingredients, conflicting flavor pairing, and looks a bit like microwaved affairs.

Day 3: Halong bay, water puppet show, night market

Day 4: Lunch at Cha ca la vong, visited a renovated traditional vietnamese house, coffee shop by the lake, ate again at KOTO, rode scooter around town