The great pho challenge
One day, four bowls of pho, how much slurping can one person do? Quite a lot, as it turns out this bright Wednesday in the Vietnamese capital.
A pho restaurant in Hanoi. Photo by Tuoi Tre
My guide, Tu, with his back-to-front baseball cap and American television accent, has been handed a challenge. I want to find Hanoi's best pho, across a range of budgets, and I am relying on his insider knowledge.
It is clear Tu thinks I am barking mad and would rather show me a range of conventional tourist sites, including Uncle Ho's mausoleum and the lovely Temple of Literature. But I have been to Hanoi before and I want a different story. Pho is the signature dish of north Vietnam, made from a dense, almost earthy, stock and brimming with thinly sliced beef, silken vermicelli-style rice noodles, snap-fresh bean sprouts and lots and lots of mint and assorted herbage.
The Vietnamese love leafy herbs: all so healthy and fragrant and presented in springy piles, ready to be dunked into soup, popped into woks, eaten with chopsticks as dainty side dishes. Pho is the equivalent of grandma's homemade soup; at its best, it tastes cosy and familiar, as nourishing as a nursery supper.
Pho is also made with chicken but, as I don't eat poultry, I opt for a tasting test of beef. Tu says it's customary to order beef pho with the meat pink (tai) or well-done (chin) and there should be a slice or two of lime or lemon provided on the side to season the soup. Pho for morning tea? Why ever not. Tu lives at home and says he eats his mum's pho for breakfast.
Restaurants - Hanoi
- 69 Ma May Restaurant
Address: 69 Ma May Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi, Vietnam.
Email: info@vietnamtourism.com.vn
-Rock Billy Restaurant ( Bar- Cafe- Restaurant )
54 Luong Van Can street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 66575654 or 0904 102 141
- Gloria Jean’s Coffee
57 Cau go street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
-Kangaroo Cafe Restaurant
16 Hang be street, Hanoi
Tel: +84 4 32104748
- Aroma Hanoi ( Bar- Cafe- Restaurant )
22 Luong Ngoc Quyen street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39262382
- Green Gecko Restaurant
37 Bis Ma may street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 38261522
-Blue Butterfly Restaurant ( Traditional Vietnamese Food )
61 Hang Buom street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39263845
- Quan Bia Minh ( Vietnamese and European Food )
7A Dinh Liet street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39345323
- Vinlands coffee
15 Luong ngoc quyen street , Hoàn Kiếm Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 043.9264688
- Quan an ngon ( Restaurant )
18 Phan Boi Chau street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39428162
-Veg Food ( Nha hang chay ) Thien Y ( Vegetarian Restaurant )
61 Nguyen Du street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39939134
- Adzida Veg Food ( Vegetarian Restaurant )
270 Nghi Tàm, Tay Ho street, Hanoi
Tel: 04.37190361 - 37193135
Webside: http://www.comchayadzida.com
- An Lac Veg Food ( Vegetarian Restaurant )
15 Hàng Cot street, Hoàn Kiếm Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 043.8245541
-Bien Nho restaurant ( Sea food )
15B, Trang Thi street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel:04.3.9368.462
-Hai San 3 Mien ( Sea food )
2 Cầu Đất street, Hoàn Kiếm Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04.3932.8973/ 098.494.7967
- BBQ Hanoi ( Ga ran )
35 Trang Tien street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39366534/ 3 936653
-KFC Hanoi
3C LeThai Tổ street, Hoàn Kiếm Dist, Hà Nội
Tel : (84-4) 38 489 999 - 39 380 421
-KFC Hanoi ( ga ran)
292 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi
Tel: 04. 38489999
- GREEN TANGERINE Restaurant
48 Hang be street, Hanoi
Web: www.greentangerinehanoi.com
- BRED Restaurant
38 Dinh Liet street, Hanoi
- Vietnamese Restaurant
40 Dinh Liet street, Hanoi
-Massages:
Hanoi spa selected as one of 28 best spas in Asia by CNN
CNN has recently announced a selection of 28 most relaxing spas in Asia. Among them is the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Vietnam. Below is what CNN wrote about this spa:
"Take a bow as the grand dame of Hanoi learns new tricks with the opening of its theatrical Le Spa du Metropole. Drape yourself in textiles and colors, the reds of the Hoa Dao (cherry blossom) room, the sleek greys of Exquis, the turquoise-beige combo in the Tonkin Suite. Mosaics, ceramics and artifacts, you’re in old, rich Vietnam. Traditional Dieu Cham facials and herbal poultices are the extra lime in the pho."
Along with Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, other spas in the list included Sutherland Chan Centre, Hong Kong; Shilla Seoul, South Korea; Oazia Spa Villas Bali; and Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok.
Salon and Spa shops
-Salon and Spa
30 Cua Dong street, Hoan kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 39262032 or 04 37475301
-Tuc Chi Lam ( Food- Body- Face Massages )
5 Luong Ngoc Quyen street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 38280201
-An Viet Food Massage
85 Nguyen Truong To street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 37151255
-Hanoi Queen Massage-Spa
75 Hang Ga street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 043 9230248
Tailor Shop
- Tien Thanh shop ( Complet - Veston )
16 Duong Thanh street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 043 9231856
Ms Hien : 0903248285
Ms Hoa : 0983 002263
- Ngoc Anh Fashion ( Long dress )
92A Hang Gai street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel : 04 39381702
Cloth Surper Markets
- VinaTex ( The Vietnam national textile and garment group )
25 Ba Trieu street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Website: http://vinatex.com.vn/Intro.aspx
- Vincom Towers
191 Ba trieu street, Hanoi ( 2nd Floor )
Webside: http://www.vincom.com.vn/en-US/Home/default.aspx
- Thang Long cloth shop ( Thang Long Garment And Textile Export Co.)
17 Hai Ba Trung street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 35739055
- Dry laundry service
59 Hang Be street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 38246596
International telephone with voice 777
3 Ta Hien street- Hoan Kiem Dist - Hanoi
- Camera shop
3b Le Thai To street, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi
Tel: 04 38258517
-Photolab ( photo, burn CD, VCD...)
29 Luong ngoc quyen street, Hoan Kiem distr, Hanoi