Dimsumdolly

Sorry for the silence, I’ve been very lazy with my writing. It’s like exercise, once you stop doing it, your body becomes lazy and it’s so hard to pick up again. Anyway, here’s a bit more on my trip to Vietnam. If you’re looking for some good French food in Hanoi, La Badiane is a place I’d definitely recommend. My friend and I went for lunch and we opted for the USD15.50 three-course menu. If you up for more posh ingredients in your food, you can go for the three-course Gastronomique menu (USD41) that’s available during lunch and dinner. The Degustation menu is only available for dinner.  

There’s outdoor seating for the smokers and those who prefer dining alfresco. There’s a breezy, tropical, resort-like feel with the wicker chairs.

If you, like us, cannot tolerate the cigarette smoke from other diners, head indoors.

Some lime juice to quench our thirst after our 30-minute walk there from our hotel amidst crazy traffic.

I had the Duck French rillettes & Tartar Sauce as a starter. Rillettes is similar to a paté. The baguette was nicely toasted and the rillettes was so smooth and flavourful. Delightfully sinful stuff.

My friend had the Tomato Tartare with Feta Cheese and Basil Perfume. The ingredients were fresh and the dish tasty, but it didn’t excite as much as mine did.

For my main course, I chose the Pork Ribs Caramalised in Ginger and Sesame Sauce and Mashed Potato. If you don’t like sweet stuff, then you probably won’t like this dish. But because I do, I loved this dish. The meat was so tender and it fell off the bone so easily. It had absorbed all the flavours of the seasonings and the mashed potato was so smooth and buttery. I’m not usually into mashed potato and will only eat it when it’s done well – I licked every bit off the plate.

My friend had the Duck Confit in Arabic Spices. This was an interesting take on the traditional duck confit and it was really good. The mashed potato was as good as mine but this dish had more layers in its flavouring because of the mix of spices used in the dish. I can’t quite recall now what were the spices I tasted though, sorry!

For dessert, we both had the Stewed Apple with Cinnamon and Caramalised Hazelnuts. Well, it’s cheap stuff really, but at least the humble ingredients were dressed up to look good. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of apple stew since it feels like I’m eating baby food.

Service was also good and this place is a thumbs-up for me.

10 Nam Ngu Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Tel: +84 (4) 39 42 45 09

We were getting a little tired of eating Vietnamese food day in day out, so we decided to try  Tamarind Cafe based on the Lonely Planet recommendation and that of the hotel.

 
The cafe is located along a stretch of road that’s filled with restaurants but this is probably the only vegetarian place around. Tamarind Cafe serves both vegetarian Vietnamese and Western cuisine.

The cheese and tofu croquettes were deliciously crunchy on the outside and flavoursome on the inside. We then had the spinach quiche that came with a side salad. This we didn’t quite like as the flaky pastry was a bit too soggy for my liking. I prefer quiche with a shortcrust pastry. The cold tofu came with a topping that had tomato, onions and dill in it was a refreshing and light appetiser. I also had a glass of avocado juice to accompany my meal.

For dessert, we had the mango pancake (top) and the mixed fruit crumble with a scoop of ice cream of your choice(bottom). The former was supposed to come with coconut milk poured over it, but I told them to lay it off as I hate coconut milk. The crumble wasn’t exactly what we had in mind as we had expected to have more crumble. So dessert wasn’t great for us, but maybe it’s because we chose the wrong items on the menu.

We glimpsed the other dishes that were going to the other tables like vegetarian Pho, Vietnamese spring rolls, fried mushrooms etc and all the food looked delicious too. If I were living in Hanoi, I think this would be a place I would be frequenting. Service was also good and the staff speak English well, most likely because of their mostly expat clientele and the tourists around the area.

8o Mã Mây 
Hanoi
www.tamarind-cafe.com

I have to admit this – N and I weren’t exactly the most adventurous eaters as far as trying to go really local by sitting down on low plastic stools by the road and savouring the street fare. We just didn’t feel comfortable about the idea of it and honestly, I didn’t feel like breathing in all the exhaust fumes from the cars and motorcycles on the road as I tucked into my food. Bún Chả Hàng Mành was the only place we ate at that was frequented by locals. Even then, this place also had many patrons who were tourists, thanks to mention of it in various guidebooks which is also how we came to know of it.

The speciality of Bún Chả Hàng Mành is its Bún Chả, a nothern Vietnamese specialty. Don’t worry if there are no tables and seats left in the space at street level. The seating capacity extends a few floors up. We had to walk all the way to the fourth floor before we got a table as the second and third floors were packed to the brim.

Spring rolls, known as Nem, being deep fried by the side of the road. As this lady was tending to the spring rolls, she was also conveniently putting some into her own mouth every once in awhile. Eating on the job – I love it.

Set on each table are the bún (vermicelli noodles), the herbs, freshly chopped red chillies and minced garlic, and thin slices of pickled cucumber. Ah, what an attractive picture this makes with its tantalising mix of red, yellow, green and white. I loved the fact that you could take as much as you wanted of all these items!

Bún Chả, the main star of the show soon appears in all its smoky-flavoured, succulent glory. The slices of pork belly have been grilled over charcoal to render it with crunchy black edges (let’s forget about carcinogens for the moment) and the pork patties are enveloped in lá lốt leaves (also known as Lolot) which are often used as a flavouring wrap for grilling meats. An empty bowl was given to each of us for us to put the bún, and other condiments in together with the bún chả and eat from there.
 

Of course, we couldn’t go away without also eating the Nem. Fried to golden perfection and crunchy to the bite, these contain a mix of cellophane noodles, wood fungus and minced pork. And that’s one more guilty pleasure to add to the list.

Bún Chả is a must-try in Hanoi and I hope I can find this dish in Hong Kong to savour it again. Our meal which comprised two bowls of Bún Chả and one portion of Nem cost us VND180,000 (approx USD9).

1 Hang Manh, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
Tel: + 84 4 3828 5022

We had just returned to Hanoi from a long bus ride that started off in Halong Bay, and we were to take an overnight train to Sapa that very night. After a few days of crappy food on the boat in Halong Bay, we decided we wanted to have something good before we boarded our train.

A blend of East and West interiors

Seasons of Hanoi is a fine dining restaurant serving Vietnamese cuisine. Its interiors in creamy earth tones are of a tasteful blend of traditional Vietnamese (almost veering towards Chinese if you ask me if you look at the chairs) and Western influences.

Lime juice to awaken a tired traveller's mind and palate

Nothing like a glass of freshly squeezed lime juice for a pick-me-up!

Anything with a nice smoky flavour is good!

The grilled chicken had a nice smoky flavour and the meat was very tender too. This dish was a winner.

A mixture of lime and spice and all things nice!

These cubes of tofu stir-fried in a lime and chilli sauce were tasty with its nice mix of spiciness and zestiness. Yes, we were trying to be healthy in ordering it!

OK, I'll be a good girl and eat my greens

The sweet potato leaves stir-fried in minced garlic was a no-frills, hearty dish that satisfied our need for some greens.

Grilled shrimp paste wrapped round sugar cane

So many ways to use a coconut!

Seasons of Hanoi’s food was tasty and the service was very good and prompt, and I’d recommend this place if you are not inclined to sitting by the road side on small stools to sample Vietnamese food. This meal came up to about USD22 in total, an amount which is very affordable for most tourists.

95B Quan Thanh, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
Tel: +84 4 38435444