VietNamNet Bridge – Cha Ca La Vong (fried fish), Bun Cha Hang Manh (rice noodle with grilled pork), Banh Duc Le Ngoc Han (cake made from ground rice and peanuts) and Banh Cuon Hang Ga (steamed rice pancakes rolled with pork and mushroom) are just a few of the well-known dishes in Hanoi’s Old Quarter district.

Each kind of food is closely associated with a street in Hanoi, making each an unforgettable experience.

Cha Ca La Vong

You’ll find fried fish in La Vong restaurant on Cha Ca Street. The restaurant is decorated with wood; it looks like an ancient house.

This dish consists of white fish sautéed in butter with dill and spring onions, then served with rice noodles and peanuts.

Bun Cha Hang Manh

Dac Kim restaurant on Hang Manh Street is well-known for Bun Cha (rice noodle with grilled pork).

The space there is rather small so many customers are relegated to seats along the sidewalk pavement.

Each bowl costs VND50,000. The pork patties are barbecued on an open charcoal brazier and served on a bed of cold rice noodles with assorted garden greens finished with a mildly sweet sauce.

Banh Duc Le Ngoc Han  

A two-storey building on lane No.8 along Le Ngoc Han Street is bustling every evening when visitors come there to grab a taste of Banh Duc (cake made from ground rice and peanuts). The cake is rather cheapand one bowl costs VND15,000.

Rice flour is cooked with peanuts and little borax, cut into small pieces and enojyed with soy sauce.

Banh Cuon Hang Ga

Banh Cuon (steamed rice pancakes rolled with pork and mushroom) is easily found on Hang Ga Street.

The pale white rice batter is silky smooth and soft but otherwise fairly bland.

Flavor and texture come from a filling of seasoned ground pork, mushrooms, and shallots. The rice noodle roll is served in a separate bowl of clear, amber dipping sauce, (nước chấm), which is essentially fish sauce.

VOV