CULTURE-SPORTS-TOURISM
Pho bo, or beef noodle soup, is one of the unmissable dishes for any traveler to Vietnam's capital.
The gourmet website Taste Atlas has recently updated its list of the top 100 Vietnamese dishes. These are helpful recommendations for visitors from other countries who want to sample the distinctive cuisine of this Southeast Asian nation.
Known as "a world atlas of traditional dishes, local ingredients, and authentic restaurants," Taste Atlas reviews are generally considered reliable by travelers.
The newly updated list of best traditional Vietnamese dishes by Taste Atlas features typical dishes representing all three regions of North, South, and Central Vietnam.
Notably, Hanoi beef noodle soup came in at number six with a score of 4.4 out of 5.
According to the Taste Atlas, the beef-based version of pho is made with various cuts and parts of beef - the broth is made from beef bones, shank, ox tail, and neck, while the toppings include thinly sliced fatty brisket (gau), flank, eyeball steak, tripe, cooked and raw beef (tai nam), tendon (gan), or beef balls (bo vien), but the latter version is not as popular in Vietnam's capital.
“Pho bo is usually flavored with dried spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, and coriander,” the website described.
The Pho Bat Dan or Bat Dan noodle soup with beef is usually served with quay or Vietnamese-style crunchy pancake. Photo: Mia
“The dish is served piping hot in a bowl along with rice noodles, and it's typically topped with cilantro, sliced onions, and chopped green onions,” it wrote.
Pho bo Gia truyen Bat Dan (so-called Pho Bat Dan) or the traditional beef noodle soup served at the Bat Dan Street eatery, and Pho Thin, or the beef noodle soup prepared by Mr. Thin, are among Taste Atlas' recommendations.
Marybeth Bond, a Taste Atlas food expert and traveler, commented that Pho Bat Dan is the "best beef pho" in Hanoi, where customers have to line up, wait for their hot bowls of soup, and enjoy them sitting on a squat, child-sized plastic stool right on the street. "This is the kind of pho it takes a Vietnamese grandmother all day to make," she said.
Meanwhile, Joe Ray, another gastronomic expert suggests travelers wake up early for Pho Bat Dan because this Pho eatery is usually sold out by 10 a.m. “The big draw at this multi-generational establishment is the deep-colored broth, cooked in a fire pit in the alley adjacent to the kitchen. No plate of sprouts and leaves, just a tiny bucket of hot sauce and another of garlic-laced vinegar to emphasize the soup's clean flavors,” he commented.
A bowl of Pho Thin. Photo: Tran Hanh
CNN Travel once wrote about the Pho Thin: “It's cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours. Just look out for a mass of people on plastic stools - or try a tried and tested favorite: Pho Thin.”
Located at N.13 Lo Duc Street of Hai Ba Trung District, Pho Thin was opened in 1979 by Nguyen Trong Thin. The chef introduced his signature style called “pho tai lan”, which involves stir-frying the beef with ginger, garlic, and green onions before adding it to the broth. Over the past 40 years, Pho Thin has maintained its original location on Lo Duc Street, attracting pho lovers throughout the day.
Another popular yet delicious dish introduced by the Taste Atlas is Banh mi or or meat and cold cuts Banh mi. This delicious dish can be found in almost every corner of Hanoi. With a score of 4.5/5, Banh mi thit ranked second on the Taste Atlas list.
As described by the food website, banh mi thit is a traditional Vietnamese variation of banh mi sandwich, where thit means meat.
Banh mi thit is a very popular cheap-eat specialty in Hanoi. Photo: Tran Hanh
“As the name suggests, the sandwich is made with various Vietnamese cold cuts such as sliced roasted pork, sliced pork belly, cha (sliced ham), or cha lu a pork sausage, along with cucumber, mayonnaise, pickled carrots and daikon, and liver pâté stuffed into a ba nh mi roll,” according to Taste Atlas.
The sandwich is often garnished with ingredients such as coriander, black pepper, and sliced chili peppers. These meat-filled sandwiches are common throughout Hanoi and other large cities in Vietnam and are a staple for school children and factory workers.
“ Banh mi thit is usually enjoyed for breakfast and lunch, but the sandwiches can be eaten for any meal of the day if bought from street stall vendors,” the expert suggested.
In fact, like pho, this simple yet delicious delicacy comes in a variety of versions. The French-style baguette can be stuffed with various fillings that gave it its name, including roast pork, grilled chicken, or beef meatballs, along with homemade pâté, cured ham, shredded pork, cheese, thin layers of radish and carrot, sliced cucumber, a generous sprinkling of cilantro leaves, and pepper and chili sauce mixed with a little mayonnaise.
Another version of banh mi with roast beef, omelet, and pate. Photo: Banh Mi Vua Chao
Vivian Bancroft, an Australian expat in Hanoi is a fan of banh mi. “Once you bite into a well-stacked banh mi, you are sure to have a moment of heaven,” she told The Hanoi Times, “It is so crunchy, soft, aromatic, spicy, salty, sour, sweet, and savory.” The dish quickly became one of her breakfast favorites.
According to Luong Thanh Nghi, Vietnamese Ambassador to Denmark, banh mi is a street food that has gradually become more popular abroad. "Today, it is even considered an 'ambassador of Vietnamese cuisine and culture'. When it comes to banh mi, it means Vietnam," Nghi once commented on the bread.
Other Vietnamese delicacies on the Taste Atlas list include mi Quang or Quang-style noodles, bun bo Nam Bo or South Vietnamese beef noodle salad, bo luc lac or Vietnamese shaking beef, chao tom or sugarcane shrimp, and more.
(Source: hanoitimes.vn)