Hue Cuisine in the 'Burbs

It's on. The beanies, coats, scarves and gloves are out of mothballs. The grey has descended. The temperature has dipped. Depression has set in. Winter in Hanoi is a dog.

I will soldier on with the eating, though.

Down by the To Lich River, an infamous canal-sewer that is occasionally black and always 'on the nose', there is a restaurant serving up the cuisine of Vietnam's previous capital, Hue, a city on the central coast. As millions of Hanoi's motorbikes whizzed around in the biting wind, I pulled up and got out of it, darted up some stairs to contemplate the whacky array of rice-cakey starters that this fare is recognised for.

I've touched on this aspect of Hue cuisine in the past. Rice asserts itself in various guises here. As a batter, it is shaped into discs, steamed and scattered with shrimp dust (tom kho) and dried shallots (hanh kho) and called banh beo. Similarly, as a sheet, it is scattered with the dust and rolled to form logs. This variation is known as banh uot. The dish below, piled high with coriander, contains dumplings of kudzu flour and shrimp, the chewing of which is an aerobic workout. Really sticky little blighters, they are. In fact, if it weren't for the dipping sauces that accompany these Hue snacks, there isn't much to recommend them.

There's lots to take in besides the food at this establishment, though.

The upstairs area, entered via a lane leading to a modern and ostentatious pagoda, is ramshackle kitsch. The bar at one end of the room is all 70s - brown cushioned facade, dark timber and smudged glass. A television with a sticky-taped rim of tinsel blares amateur Vina-pop, of which hours of VTV programming are devoted to. It is torturous but typical of restaurant ambience in Hanoi. Ethereal Chinese landscape paintings of rocky outcrops, pink clouds and gnarly twisted blossom trees are juxtaposed with posters promoting a Huda beer competition. The floor vibrates and creaks upon every approach by our waitress, suggesting that a table on the ground floor may not be far away! An icy draught cuts through a gap in the window frame, through which we observe a procession of Hanoians shooting about on motorcycles with fierce determination in their eyes, winter attire on their bodies, willing their way to their destinations.

Our main fare is ordered from a tome of a menu, with one page a list of 'all-in-one-bowl' hawker style noodle dishes, most having their origins in the central region of Vietnam, near Hue and Danang. Bun Bo Hue is a ballsy noodle soup with lots of pig and cow in it: chunks of gelatinous blood, a trotter, chewy beef tendon amongst some seriously thick noodles, very unlike the ones used for pho. The side plate of vegetation, plucked at and thrown into the soup to taste, includes shredded banana flower, bean sprouts and Asian basil (hung que). I forego this challenge in favour of bun thit nuong, which is grilled sliced beef atop noodles with peanuts, pickled young papaya and carrot, herbs and a generous dollop of a peanut sauce. Mi quang is another popular noodle dish on offer. All are satisfying feeds.

Back outside, bellies full, we brace ourselves for the ride home.

The Bill

three kinds of rice-cakey starter, two noodle mains, two beers - 156,000VND (USD$9.65 , AUD$12.35)

Hue Hgu Binh
175 Lang Ha St
Hanoi

* Happy New Year!!

Comments

[Preya]

You're back! I love banh beo; my brother-in-law makes it once in a blue moon, but it never tastes quite right. My car is buried under a snow drift and you're complaining!? I miss that lovely wet, grey cold:)

[omih]

I agree with Preya. I love the Hanoi winter. I walked all afternoon yesterday - something no one does in the summer.

Everywhere seems sharper and fresher and so much cleaner. Sure it gets a little depressingly damp by the time Tet rolls round but right now it feels perfect to me.

[omih]

I agree with Preya. I love the Hanoi winter. I walked all afternoon yesterday - something no one does in the summer.

Everywhere seems sharper and fresher and so much cleaner. Sure it gets a little depressingly damp by the time Tet rolls round but right now it feels perfect to me.

[eastingfeasting]

oh man, banh hoi cha lua, i don't miss it, but i need to eat it steaming hot like right now.

Hello Sticky Rice,

Go easy on the pho for a while. I heard on the radio today that the preservative that's used to keep corpses last a long time is also used to preserve banh pho in many places.

I know that eating on the sidewalk has its ups and downs but just thought I'd let you know.

Take it easy!

[Rachel]

Amazing!!! I used to dine at Hue Ngu Binh several times before, I heart the place but was never able to write such a brilliant post about it. You rocks!

Your writing and photographing talent are really awesome!