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The diverse and cosmopolitan nature of Hanoi reflects in its culinary art also.
It is a delightful creation of local exotic fare and impressively influenced by
the best of the epicurean extravaganza across the world. Cuisine in Hanoi, following
the lines of the Vietnamese food, revels in its generous use of vegetables, herbs
and spices, including lemon grass, lime, and kaffir lime leaves. Fish sauce, soy
sauce and hoisin sauce spice it up. Almost all the regions serve fresh vegetables
and fresh herbs as side dishes along with dipping sauce. Vietnamese cuisine also
includes a number of Buddhist vegetarian dishes. The most common meats used in
Vietnamese cuisine are pork, beef, prawns, various kinds of tropical fish, chicken
and duck. Now, something a-typical other than the everyday fare are the varieties
such as snake, soft-shell turtle, goat and dog which are enjoyed almost exclusively
as ‘cocktail delicacies’ with alcohol.
Hanoi, being the capital of Vietnam, offers the best selection of dining possibilities
of any major global city. Options are plenty ranging from street food corners
and swanky food courts in the shopping malls to elegant and expensive fine dinning
restaurants in world class hotels.
Start with the breakfast. Most city blocks feature pho stands where the vendors
are ready to serve you white noodles in a steaming meaty broth. Chau, mixed
with fish or meat, fried scallions and herbs, is another typical morning meal.
Both are good for early morning empty stomach and the less than one dollar price
will be good for your pocket too. Food stalls line Mai Hoc De and Dinh Liet
dishing out bowls of hot noodles.
If you are looking for the familiar tastes of a Western-style breakfast, the
eggs Benedict dipped in a yummy hollandaise sauce at Moca Cafe will be a divine
experience. The buffet at La Brasserie at the Nikko Hotel offers unlimited choice
of pastries, fruits and coffee. Cafe 129 and Kinh Do 252 Cafe are two more addresses
you can look forward to, since both offer local and foreign tastes.
Come noon and the streets are abuzz with motorbikes as people are rushing for
a quick lunch. The endless list of salads and buttery pastries at Hoa Sua offer
a hearty meal taking care of your sweet tooth and also, of those extra calories.
The vintage French-villa setting of the Verandah Restaurant and Bar is that
kind of a place where you can step in conveniently once you are through your
shopping spree. Au Lac, the Kangaroo Cafe and KOTO Restaurant are casual spots
for a leisurely lunch.
If you are too much into crabs, prawns and clams, visit the casual seafood
eateries on Pho To Hien Thanh. Other places serving sea food delicacies include
San Ho Seafood Restaurant. Cha Ca La Vong serves grilled fish cakes, a must-try
specialty of Hanoi.
Several of the posh private clubs and hotels offer lunch and dinner specials.
Don’t feel out of the place if you find too much professional crowd around
you. La-carte buffets featuring international cuisine change according to the
season and occasion. Check the local guides for what’s served at the Press
Club, Cafe Promenade at the Daewoo Hotel, Turtle's Poem at the Hilton Hanoi
Opera and Le Beaulieu at the Hotel Sofitel Metropole Hanoi.
For backpackers, the Deli prepares sandwiches for lunches or solo dining. Bui
Thi Xuan is home to an assortment of com bias and rice stands where you can
select from a display of prepared foods including grilled meats, fried fish,
shrimp, various pickled and blanched greens and sauteed tofu mixed with rice.
All you people who swear by the mid-afternoon snack, flock to the Ciao Cafe
for pastries and light bites, sit at the lakeside balcony at Co Ngu Bar for
sinh tos or fruit juices or sip coffee topped with frothy egg whites at the
tucked-away Cafe Pho Co. Tea lovers must try out some of the 73 varieties brewed
hot at the See Wan Ton Teahouse. Couples sit under the quiet shadows of the
trees at Dak-Linh Cafe, drinking teas while the have-money-will-splurge type
can frequent the posh Thuy Ta Cafe.
The bars at Emperor Restaurant, La Salsa Tapas Bar and Restaurant and La Brique
are stylish, up-market places to enjoy your favorite drink. The refined menu
has more to it than just the run-of-the-mill fare.
Casual eating out is fast catching on as a fave as locals and foreigners stretch
the early evening hours. The easy-to-book tables, long menus and low prices
of bia hois (beer halls) make these places popular for large groups. A few trendy
places include Quan Bia Minh, Bia Hoi Dai Nam, Cua Hang Bac Nam Bia Hoi and
60 Ly Thuong Kiet Street.
Indo-chine and Nam Phuong are two classy Vietnamese restaurants housed in French
villas where you can step in for a romantic candle-light dinner or a classic
style dining. If you want have it amidst a calm, quiet ambience, try out the
ribs and pub grub at Al Fresco's or the Vietnamese buffet at the classy Brother's
Cafe. Tandoor is the place for The Great Indian Curry and the near-iconic Chicken
Tikka Masala.
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