The Food In Vietnam, Hanoi - Dear Luna

Dear Luna, 

As you already know, my time in Hanoi has come to an end and if you have read my recent blog, you will know that Hanoi was rather chaotic and I am kind of happy that I am gone and we are now in Vientiane, Laos. And although I did panic slightly when crossing over the road with the million scooters and cars driving and not following the traffic lights, I did enjoy the food that I ate and I wanted to share with you all what I ate (well, what I remembered I ate) and where it was. 

On our first night there, my cousin and I adventured out of our apartment and down the road where the loudness lived. There we found many restaurants and street food, calling at the people to see if they wanted to eat at theirs. We sat outside of La Place (I believe that is what it's called), here we were able to see the view of the Archdiocese of Ha Noi, a church that had the 19th -century Gothic Revival style. There were many people taking pictures outside of this church as there was a big old white Christmas tree decorated with white lights that looked like crystals. Sitting here was in some ways calming as I was able to take everything in and understand what this city was about. Here, Erin ate spaghetti with vegetables whereas I had steamed eggplant soup with rice on the side. 

Seeing this dish I had no idea how to eat it, but with the help of Erin, I took a spoon of rice and dipped it with the aubergine, and I must say, this dish was the perfect choice for the start of my time in Hanoi. 

Giving it 4.5/5 stars.

The next day I had a traditional Vietnamese meal, Vegan Pho. It had mushrooms, carrots, tofu, and more and it was perfectly filling. Not only did I choose this dish because I wanted to try it as it's from this country, but on that day Erin and I bumped into a teacher and her four students who told us we should try the Pho here as it is delicious (and no, they did not steal anything from us). Of course, they were correct. My dish was served with a side plate of chillis and lime, I placed two chillis in my dish and it gave the perfect balance of spice and soothing warmth of the soup. The tofu was tender and filled with veggie flavour. And to my surprise, eating with chopsticks was easy and I do believe this week my skill with chopsticks has grown. 

Therefore, I will give this 5/5 stars, I think this was my favourite. 

On our second full day, Erin and I visit Ha Long Bay, which meant lunch was prepared for us. Although I no longer eat meat, I still eat seafood as it is very big in Italian culture, especially where my family is from. However, I do wish I followed Erin's path and chosen the veggie option, because not only did we have to sit at separate tables, her dish sounded a lot better. Perhaps it was because I was around strangers that I did take a lot to eat, but what I did have was good, there was a mixture of shrimp, calamari, a big fish which I had no idea what it was, rice, and more. 

Even though there was a good variety, I do think I would give this 3/5 stars just because I do believe I would have liked the spring rolls and the dishes Erin had more than my own. 

Our next day was an adventure as we explored the train street in Hanoi, unfortunately, you are no longer allowed to take pictures on the train tracks as police have shut it down, I guess it made it all too busy. Yet, if you manage to sneak a picture, then do it quickly. Here we had a little snack for lunch, spring rolls, and I had a juice mixed with pineapple and something else. It was nice eating along the train tracks, taking in the view of the people working throughout the day. If you do want to see the train come through it happens once a day at seven in the evening. 

Overall, I would give the food 3.5/5 stars.

During our penultimate day, for dinner, we went to Hong Hoi's Restaurant, a place I originally saw when doing my research on Hanoi before we left for this adventure. This time Erin tried Pho but with chicken, whereas I had veggie egg fried rice as well as a strawberry smoothie. This meal was one not to forget about. The smoothie was refreshing and sweet, but the fried rice had the perfect texture which went rather well with the crispy pickles that I was able to sprinkle over. 

This is why I would give this dish 4.5/5 stars. 

Now on our last day, I actually managed to take pictures of the two places we went to. For an early lunch, we went to a Vegan Banh Mi. I saw this place before we travelled and really wanted to try it, but it was also recommended by the teacher and students from our first day to try Banh Mi as it is from this area. To our surprise, this place was rather hidden, but luckily a woman who sat in front of the ally way (I know, it sounds scary) said this is where the cafe is. We sat outside of the ally way, next to the little tables; we truly had the experience of the street food vibe. The only one who could speak any English (don't worry I did learn some Vietnamese words, such as hello, my name is, and thank you) was a little girl who was no older than seven. We had a selection of food as we were training to spend as much money as possible as after the day, we wouldn't need this currency anymore. 

I ordered shredded mushroom banh mi with spring rolls, whilst Erin ordered dumplings as well as two steam buns (she was meant to order one but accidentally ordered two). As much as I was looking forward to trying the Banh Mi, I did prefer the bun. Do not get me wrong, the banh mi had the perfect crunch that was complemented by the slight coolness of the shredded mushroom. However, the bun and this surprising sweetness made me wish that I ordered another one.

Overall, this place does deserve 4/5 stars.

I was still full when it was time we went out to eat in the evening, which is why I ordered an eggplant and tofu stirfry, whereas Erin ordered a truly Vietnamese dish. A Vietnamese pancake with chicken, she had the enjoyment of folding her own rolls using rice paper and stuffing it with some greens, bean sprouts, the pancake, and pineapple, which she said gave it a nice sweet taste. 

I was able to order extra rice with my dish, but as I said I wasn't too hungry, and to be honest, I am happy that I didn't as the tofu filled me up. However, saying all of that, I am ninety-five percent saw that the eggplant wasn't that but actually zucchini or courgettes (depending where you live will affect how you pronounce this). 

Nevertheless, this dish was creamy and the tofu was filled with juices even though they might have used a different vegetable, I would still give this dish 4/5 stars. 

Before beginning my travels, one of the areas which I was looking forward to was being able to try the food which I wouldn't really have back at home. Now, here I am. I can't wait for the food in Laos, but I do know one thing is for sure, it will be amazing, especially according to Gordon Ramsay.

Until next time, Luna ❤️❤️❤️