For great, traditional and some unusual Vietnamese food, try Highway 4. The actual Highway 4 crosses the mountains and hill tribes (and ethnic minorities) of northern Vietnam, and this defines the cuisine (and the great fruit, herbal or medicinal flavored rice wine) of Highway 4 in Hanoi as well. All this can be had at reasonable prices, in a pleasant environment that evokes the highlands.

Recommended dishes: Nem Cá, or famous Highway 4 spring rolls with fried catfish and wasabi soy dipping sauce. But tell them to go light on the mayo inside the rolls.

Grilled chicken with lemon leaves (Gà Nương Lá Chanh) and the Bò Xào Dưa Chua (beef sautéed with local pickled mustard greens—translated as sauerkraut but it’s quite different).

A unique and wonderfully textured green that’s only available seasonally is Hoa Thien Lý Xào (sautéed Thien Ly vegetable/flower).

For seafood, try the soft shell crab roasted with Tamarind or Salt (Cua Dong Rang Me/Muoi) and Ca Kho To (fish simmered in clay pot). Also good: Green mango (Xoài Xanh) marinated with salt and chili; and for the pork lover—Thịt Kho Tộ (pork carmelized in clay pot with coconut—tourist places tend to use lean sliced pork, while more traditional places like Hwy 4 will use pork belly). Try the sampler set of their Son Tinh liquor.

5 Hang Tre, just east of the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake. For more restaurant recommendations (and travel itineraries and other great tips) go to www.savourasia.com - they really throw themselves into eating in Asia, and especially Hanoi!

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We joined a tour with Hanoi Street Foods which was a great introduction to the local grub and took us places we wouldn't have dared go ourselves.

When we got more confident we sampled the local 'bia hois' where a glass of beer is available for less than 10p!

Also recommended is Highway4 restaurant where we were either ultra-confident or drunk on their rice wine and tucked into local scorpions, bugs, ostrich and crocodile!

www.hanoistreetfood.com
www.hanoibiahoi.com
www.highway4.com

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I love Vietnamese food but after three months on the road in south east Asia, this place was a dream come true!

The most delicious ice cream, and the biggest variety of flavours I've ever had!

There is one near the lake in Hanoi, and also one in Ho Chi Minh City.

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Need a break from restaurants? Simply stroll around, look for a street vendor selling a noodle dish or two, pull up a child-size plastic chair and enjoy a quick meal with the locals, cheaply.

Find by accident when hungry

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Most towns have their own varieties of noodles, entrees and beer. We spent a marvellous month sampling the local food and some great brews.

One food seller noticed our apprehension of the local dish and after her comments we couldn't refuse trying them: "Don't try, don't know".

All areas (not just Hanoi)

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Pho (rice noodle soup, pronounced “phur”) is a traditional meal in northern Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi, dating back thousands of years.

Pho looks like a simple dish, but it actually takes a lot of skill and experience to prepare properly. A good bowl of pho calls for sweet and pure bouillon, soft rice noodles that are soaked in boiling water for just the right duration, and of course, tender and fragrant meat (chicken or beef).

Pho Bo is noodles with sliced beef while Pho Ga is noodles with shredded chicken.

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Sticky Rice is a blog about the food scene in Hanoi. Everything from street food to fine(ish) dining. Great pics, great writeups and well worth a sniff if you're heading to Hanoi.

stickyrice.typepad.com/

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