in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Xóm Hạ Hồi's 30-Year-Old Bún Thang Stands the Test of Time

If you peel through the peaceful residential areas around the Quang Trung and Trần Hưng Đạo crossroads, you might just chance upon Bún Thang 11 Hạ Hồi, a humble, household noodle spot.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Căng Tin Cafe, a Gateway to the Past for the City's New Youth

Hanoi’s café scene is saturated with cafés selling a vision of the past.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Blue Crab and Beer for a Bodacious Snack on the Hanoi Sidewalk

Of all seafood in Vietnam, ghẹ (blue crab) is among the most expensive. Even at wholesale markets, these crustaceans can fetch from VND300,000 to 400,000 a kilogram and any buffet deal that boasts their presence naturally comes with an exorbitant price tag. It was a personal surprise for me to find this highly sought-after delicacy right on the pavement at Quán Ghẹ Cô Tươi.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Blissful Fish Feast at Bún Cá Sâm Cây Si

As hot as it gets, Hanoi’s scorching summer is no match for delightful fish rolls and refreshing sour soup.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Cozy up at Ẩn Cà Phê With Morning Coffees and Night Cocktails

In the Mood for Love , Wong Kar-wai’s elegantly restrained movie about married lovers resisting adultery, offers up a del...

Paul Christiansen

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Cà Phê Sữa and Cơm Tấm With a Side of Espionage History

Kimchi is not a common cơm tấm accouterment. The extra helping of chili pepper heat, palate-cleansing bitterness and cabbage leaf crunch doesn't taste out of place beside a fully loaded plate of broken rice, it’s just not a common feature of the southern staple. This is not so at Cà Phê Đỗ Phủ-Cơm Tấm Đại Hàn, where the story behind kimchi’s existence on the plate is more interesting than the meal itself.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Tân Định's Tried-and-True Bánh Canh Cua for a Late Breakfast

Bánh canh, at times described as Vietnamese udon or even “mouse-tail noodles,” is a great mystery on its own. Etymologically speaking, bánh canh translates to “soup-cake,” and these thick, cylindrical noodles made with tapioca and rice flour of varying ratios do invoke a sense of cognitive dissonance.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: The Midnight Hủ Tiếu Only for Saigon's Most Patient Night Owls

As a Saigonese who has lived abroad for half of her life, I have a huge craving for hủ tiếu khô (dry noodles), my go-to breakfast meal and a dish my family always made sure to get on our way to my mother’s hometown in the Mekong Delta. Something special about the combination of the rich rice noodle, bone broth, and pork slices made us return for more. Though I later moved to the US and was exposed to other versions of dry noodle dishes and flavorful cuisines from different parts of the world, the memory of savoring a rich and topping-full hủ tiếu khô bowl from the motherland still remains in my mind. 

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in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Kosmos Serves Carefully Made Drinks With a Side of Human Connection

“Do you know the difference between ‘Universe’ and ‘Cosmos’?” Linh, Kosmos' owner and barista, asks me.

Paul Christiansen

in Snack Attack

What's the Deal With Cơm Tấm-Flavored Potato Chips?

A quirky legend surrounds the invention of the potato chip, and its identity has only gotten odder over the years.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: At Đống Đa's Gác Miên Cafe, a Midsummer's Dream

“Gác" means attic, but “Miên,” on the other hand, is something almost untranslatable, simply because there is no word in English that can fully encapsulate its essence.

in Food Culture

Hanoi Allows Restaurants, Cafes to Reopen at 50% Capacity

Starting today, patrons can visit their favorite restaurants and cafes again.

in Food Culture

5 Hanoi Eateries to Try Today, the Saigoneer List

During the recent stretch of social distancing restrictions, we at Urbanist Hanoi felt like real adults because most of our money went to kitchen appliances, instead of eating out like before. Still, ...

Michael Tatarski

in Food Culture

'Đùm Bọc' Uses Vietnamese Food to Raise Funds for Covid-19 Relief in Vietnam

Residents of New York City are in for a treat.

in Ănthology

A New Generation of Vietnamese Chefs Is Shaking Things up in Prague

“Our parents met here in the Czech Republic after being invited by the government to work in [their] factories around 1983. They were one of the first Vietnamese here,” says Giang Ta, the front-of-house and fraternal half of Taro Group, a fine-dining restaurant group that currently consists of three concepts: Gao Den, Taro and Dian.

in Food Culture

A Shelf-Stable History of Why Vietnam Loves Mì Gói

Instant noodles are more or less a religion. They have widely spread to many lands, where they are adapted to suit the culture and people there. Most importantly, they offer us salvation in some of th...

in Food Culture

Europe Recalls Batches of Hảo Hảo Noodles Found to Contain Banned Substance

Vietnam's supply is said to be free of the pesticide that warranted the ban. 

in Food Culture

Triệu Thị Chơi, Cookbook Author Extraordinaire, Passes Away Due to Covid-19

Growing up in the 1990s, many Saigoneers must have gotten used to the sight of Triệu Thị Chơi’s name embossed in the author position of many cookbooks.

in Food Culture

Covid-19 Outbreak Dampens Saigon's Trung Thu Spirits as Bakeries Forgo Moon Cakes

It will be a Trung Thu like no other this year in Saigon, as the city undergoes the strictest movement curbs yet.

in Ănthology

From Saigon to Texas: The BBQ Pop-ups That Embrace Asian Flavors

If Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo took the form of a Vietnamese guy in his early thirties, he’d sound just like Andrew Ho, the co-founder and co-owner of Pinch Boil House andCurry Boys BBQ

in Food Culture

For Her Graduation Project, a Local Designer Turns Street Food Into Mobile Game

The game project, with its lusciously illustrated noodles and spring rolls, is tormenting us as we’re secluded at home not knowing when we’ll be able to feast on cơm tấm again.

in Ănthology

Christine Ha Writes New Food Stories From Her Parents' Culinary Heritage

“I was in a creative writing program for grad school at the time, and I thought, as an artist, going on MasterChef would give me something to write about.”

in Food Culture

Phuc Long Coffee and Tea to Open First US Store in California in July

A Saigon youth staple is venturing beyond Vietnam with an ambitious expansion to the United States.

in Food Culture

5 Eateries Doing Takeaway to Try Today, as Recommended by Saigoneer Staff

Starting from this week, Saigon officially enters another two weeks of social distancing orders. While staying at home, what do you miss?

in Food Culture

Scientists Discover Special Compounds in Nem Chua That Can Kill Bacteria

The popular raw pork snack contains a natural bacteria that kills other bacteria which could help reduce global food waste and protect lives.

in Food Culture

Vietnamese-Style Coffee Company Raises Millions in US

A Vietnamese-style coffee company run by a Vietnamese-American woman is making waves in the United States.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In a Converted Classroom Lives the Unique Open Space of Nhà Phạm

Having ventured into Saigon's food scene for a while, I have one guiding principle: the best spots are always the ones circulating via word of mouth. Quiet corners, culinary rarities and communities t...

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Sample Creative Coffee and Hide From Life at Chốn Hạ Hồi

Definitely not an easy-to-stumble-upon coffee shop, Chốn is located in a small, deep alley.