It is mentioned as one of the 5 street foods not to be missed when coming to Hanoi, even if you are the US President. You will feel regret if you do not try Bun Cha - one of the most iconic street foods in Hanoi.
Vietnam has many types of dishes made with rice vermicelli noodles. One of the most famous noodles is Bun Cha - fatty grilled pork served with noodles. This dish is so special that Anthony Bourdain - a gastronomic critic and food writer known for seeking out the best in local eats, had chosen to eat with Obama - the previous president of the United States. It happened when Obama made a three-day visit to Vietnam as he seeks to bolster America's relationship with Pacific allies in the face of Chinese territorial claims.
One Monday night, Barack Obama was found being joined with Bourdain for dinner in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. They ate cheap bowl of noodles, perched on a blue plastic stool in a modest street-side restaurant.
Around them, other guests did their best not to notice the most powerful man in the world sipping a bottle of beer and eating Bun Cha. Their chopstick skills are so good. The dinner cost them total $6.00. This cheap price with the delicious food made them so impressive that Anthony Bourdain had twitted in his page to praise this street food.
What is Bun Cha? Why Obama and Anthony Bourdain chose Bun cha instead of other street foods? The reason is simple, it’s exactly one of the most iconic street foods in Hanoi.
There’s a saying that Vietnamese eat with all their senses. Trust me, you will understand this if you sit down at a Bun Cha street stall during busy lunch hours. Firstly, you could smell the mouth-watering grilled pork patties. Secondly, you can hear the sizzling meat, the occasional ‘pop’ when the melting fat hits the coals.
The sound of people coming and going on motorbikes, shouting orders and chattering and slurping creates a unique atmosphere of Hanoi’s street food stalls. The waiter would put in front of you a plate of pearly white rice vermicelli, a basket with all sorts of fresh vegetables, a bowl of dipping sauce with some sliced pickled carrots and green papaya, a bowl of vinegar with garlic and fresh chili, and of course, a bowl with full of beautifully charred pork pieces and sauce. Grab a pair of chopsticks and take some rice vermicelli noodles to dip into the sauce. A perfect bite consists of a bit of noodle, a piece of pork and a slice of pickles and greens. As soon as the bite hits your tongue, you will taste how perfectly balanced in sweetness and sourness that dipping sauce is, how the noodles wonderfully complement it, how crunchy and tangy the pickles cut through the fatty pork and how the marinated pork just melts in your mouth. You can have a choice of eating Bun Cha with Sea Crab Spring Rolls - another famous food in Vietnam. This is a great combination, bringing you one of the best dishes in the world.
Image 1: Sea Crab Spring Rolls, source: Dansanhan.com
Image 2: grilles pork, source: thieunien.vn
Here are some local-favored places for Bun Cha in Hanoi that you should pay visit at least once during your time here.
Bun cha Huong Lien (Obama Bun Cha)
After the memorable evening on May 23, 2016, the name Huong Lien suddenly famous to the world’s famous restaurants. Thanks to the drop-in of U.S President Obama, in his 3-days business trip in Vietnam, he chose this restaurant for his dinner on May 23 to enjoy its famous dishes: Bun Cha.
In fact, this restaurant has been long famous to the gourmet in Hanoi since its foundation in 1993. Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant has a moderate sauce taste that is sweet enough with the elegant sour of vinegar. The grilled pork is soft, smooth-tongued with strong taste of grilled onion. Besides a set of Bun Cha including grilled pork and grilled slice meat, you should order one or two more Nem cua be (sea-crab spring roll) to serve together with bun cha. This sea-scab spring roll has a very crispy cover while the inner meat is so delicious and sweet-smelling. That’s why many gourmets patiently wait up to 30 minutes just to have a full set of Bun Cha here at lunch time.
The space in the restaurant is cool and the waiters are very friendly and enthusiastic. To meet the increasing demand of tourists after the Obama’s effect, the restaurant has just opened a new branch in lane 57, Lang Ha Street, Hanoi.
Price: 2-3 EUR/set; extra sea-crab spring roll at 0.3 EUR/piece
Address: 24 Le Van Huu street, Hai Ba Trung district .
Bun cha Dac Kim
Located right on the beginning of Hang Manh street, bun cha Dac Kim has been a familiar destination for many foreign tourists visiting Hanoi. With the area of quite small, at peak time, eaters have to move to the second floor of the restaurant or sit right on chairs on the street pavement. The name Dac Kim was originated from its first owner in 1965. Till now, the next generations continue to keep its special formula and choose the materials more carefully. Especially, the meat must be a mixture of lean and fat type while the onion, garlic and fish sauce must be at high quality. Then, the mixture will be grilled on the charcoal, create a delicious fragrant.
Each set of Bun cha in Dac Kim is served quite full, with lots of meat. Despite complaints of cramped space or the price quite higher than others, this restaurant is always crowed by eaters and becomes one of icon of Hanoi food.
Price: 50,000~90,000 VND/ person, equal to 2~4 EUR)
Address: No. 1 Hang Manh Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.
Other places you may want to try:
1. Bun cha Hanoi at 34 Hang Than street, Ba Dinh district (35,000~40,000 VND/ person, equal to 1,5 - 2 EUR), opened from 10 a.m to 14 p.m.
2. Bun cha Tuyet at lane 74, Hang Quat street, Hoan Kiem district ,(35,000 VND/ person),
3. Bun Cha at 41 Cua Dong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi (50,000 VND/ person)
4. Bun Cha Ngoc Khanh at No 9, 105 Alley, Nguyen Cong Hoan Street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi (30,000 VND/ person)
5. Bun Cha Sinh Tu at 57 Nguyen Khuyen Street, Ba Dinh District, Ha noi (30,000 - 50,000 VND/ person)
6. Bun Cha Hang Khoai at Alley 2, Hang Khoai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi (30,000 VND/ person)
Just share with us your experience or feelings about Bun Cha by commenting under this post. Tell us what you want to eat next in Hanoi and we will give you a hint ;)
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