seriously food: Eating Hanoi

The other day, Allison introduced me to this blog, flooded with pictures that make you want to sell your children to move to Asia to eat. The images reminded me of my recent travels to Beijing and through parts of Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos). Although my trip was a brief (and first) experience in Southeast Asia, no where near EatingAsia's scope of the local food, I will attempt to recount some of the eating highlights of my visit. This might be a three part post, but I'll save you the pain and start with the country I had the most food pictures/amateur knowledge of: Hanoi. Hanoi's food supposedly pales in comparison to the food in Saigon (which I didn't visit), but...I likee.

A friend who grew up in Hanoi emailed me a list of Vietnamese dishes she insisted I HAD to try while I was there. I printed the email, held it close to my heart and prayed to it at night. Rarely did I find a foreigner eating at any of the street food shops, maybe because of the little stools? Don't be fooled! Normal sized people can sit on them too and not fall.

The streets in Hanoi are small and are specialized in such a way that an entire street of stores sell more or less the same item, which made finding the places listed fairly easy. I only wish I had googled some of the items to figure out what they were beforehand so I wouldn't regret having not tried them!

THE HANOI BIBLE:
- Pho (Pho Suong, ngo Trung Yen, Dinh Liet st; or Pho Cuong, Hang Muoi st, or Bat Dan st, or Pho Hang Giay st). Dont go to fancy restaurants for Pho!!!
- Nem chua ran (Fried fermented pork) ngo Tam Thuong, Hang Bong st. or Hang Chai, near Thanh Quan junior high school. They also have delicious corn and fish
- Cha ca La Vong (Grilled fish), Cha ca st
- Pho cuon, Pho xao - Fried Pho and Pho spring rolls (West lake, Nguyen Khac Hieu st)
- Bun cha - noodles with grilled pork (Hang Manh st)
- Bun oc - noodles with snails (Ngo Cho Dong Xuan)
- Lau ga - Chicken hot pot (18 ngo Hang Chi, Hang Hom st)
- Lau bo - Beef hot pot (Phung Hung st)
- Lau de - Goat hot pot and grilled goat - Dung Rau restaurant, Lang Ha st
- Xoi xeo (sticky rice) - Xoi Yen - Nguyen Huu Huan st
- Doner Kebap - Hang Bac st
- Fried birds - I think its right next to the street Dinh Liet - just ask people around, i cant remember the name of the street
- Banh cuon - this is the perfect breakfast for me - Bao Khanh st
- Bun thang - Hang Hanh st
- Hoa qua dam (mixed fruits) - To Tich st
- Kem Trang Tien (special ice cream of Hanoi) - Trang Tien st
- O Mai (check this out Hang Duong st - Hong Lam shop, u'll love it)
- Banh com ( Hang Than st)
- Snake meat - Le Mat village, Gia Lam

Onto some pictures...