Day 3: A (Phở)k Load of Food

Jonathan: Thank goodness we decided to ride to Hanoi today. The bike needed a lot of work and is currently ready for the trek to the South. Let’s not list all the work that was done to it as I’ll have little to no knowledge of what I’m talking about. Also, it makes me woefully self conscious of my ignorance. It’s causing a bit of anxiety about what we have gotten ourselves into, but sometimes to risk it is to add some chilli to the broth of life. Speaking of which, let’s talk about some interesting chow!

Denise: Ignorance is sometimes bliss, love!

Denise: The Chow… Wow, Vietnamese food is amazing! The national dish of Vietnam is called Phở, it’s a type of noodle in a very delicious broth. Do you get the pun in the title now??

Jonathan: Also, it’s pronounced (f….uhhh) like when you look in the mirror, face numb, taking a glorious pee and talk to yourself about how drunk you just got at a family affair. (Without the /k/).

Jonathan: So, I took a stroll around the block today at lunch time while Ness was napping, looking for some lunch. I ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant which had an extensive range of meals from all over. I started off with some craft beer and…. goat meatloaf.

Denise: I was then woken up from my nap to come and enjoy the exotic food with Jono. I am not complaining, this place was a hidden gem. The Menu… Wow!

Denise: The goat meatloaf was very rich and had quite a wild taste to it. We then ordered the catfish spring rolls, those were AMAZING! It was deep fried catfish, lettuce, some spicy mayo and wrapped in rice paper, it was an explosion of fantastic flavor with each bite.

Denise: We ordered some steamed vegetables but without the shrimp sauce, because Jono is allergic to prawns. They replaced the sauce with peanuts and sesame seeds.. very interesting.

Jonathan: I tried to push Ness’ adventurous side for some crickets and/or locusts, but to no avail.

Denise: I have no excuse…

Jonathan: Anyhow, after lunch we booked a street food tour at 5pm.

Denise: We started with some Veitnamese “Bun xeo” (pronounced bun zeow). It’s an egg pancakes with beef or shrimp with rice flower inside of it, they then cut it into 3 slices and give it to you with greenary and rice paper. There is also a fish sauce dip (It sounds gross but it’s not fishy at all) and you can create your own spring roll. One of my favourite dishes.

Denise: We then made our way to another Vietnamese type of pancake made with rice flour and stuffed with mushrooms and nuts or even shrimp. That was also served with fish sauce, chilli and garlic.

Denise: A funny story.. our guide was sitting next to a gentleman from India and she asked him if he likes spicy food. His response came with a very serious and confused face, his response was “I’m from India.” A short and sweet response that had everyone in stitches.

Denise: Our tour was coming to an end, So for desert we had fruit salad drizzled with coconut milk and condensed milk, I personally prefer the fruit salad on its own but each time their own, right? We had our last stop for coffee, not just any coffee…. Egg coffee.

Jonathan: The egg coffee shop’s history is quite interesting. It has been run by the same family for the last 65 years. Also, it was the very first shop in Hanoi to start selling it. So there we all were sitting on low wooden chairs, in a danky old coffee shop unspoilt by commercial advertising and vinyl finish, sipping egg coffee.

Denise: If someone didn’t take you, you would never have found it.

Jonathan: I can only imagine the hundreds and thousands of people who have passed through here during the secluded days of Vietnam. The oldness of the establishment looks down at us from black and white photos on the walls. And the grimy, dirty floors and walls hint at… authenticity. This shop is unashamedly proud of where it’s come from and I hope it never converts to the modern religion franchise and generic products. I loved it! I love Vietnam.