one is never enough!

Dung (Emma)
Jan 16
3 min read

Updated: Apr 28

Hanoi, October, 24th, 2024

Yesterday’s food tour was one for the books! We had the pleasure of taking Kathrin (for the second time) and her lovely mother-in-law (her name is Helen), who's seeing Hanoi for the first time, on a tasty adventure through the Old Quarter.

We had a walk slowly through the lively market alleys, pausing at our favorite hidden spots to share local dishes that are lesser-known but oh-so-delicious. And Helen, who we affectionately called “Grandma” during the outing, surprised us all! Despite Kathrin’s heads-up that she could be a tough critic, she was fully onboard, enjoying every dish and happily repeating “rất ngon, cảm ơn” (we taught her to say “delicious, thank you!”).

One highlight? Kathrin got brave and tried betel and areca—a traditional Vietnamese combo that’s chewy, a bit spicy, and definitely an acquired taste! This is something that most of us from the younger generation can’t even handle nowadays.

Now, after seeing our photos from the day, her husband’s ready to join the fun too! So we’ll see Kathrin and Timothy soon for another delicious adventure. We can’t wait! 😍

We're all young at heart and ready to fill our hungry bellies! 😌😋

1 2 3 Cheers to you! 🥂✨

We had very nice herbal tea in a cozy 80s-style café.

Here we are in a bustling market alley, where food stalls line up side by side, with every street food dish Hanoi has to offer. We couldn’t resist grabbing some crispy fried pillow dumplings.

And guess what Kathrin said? Compared to the ones we tried last time (which she liked), this one was a solid "very good!🍴

Both of them loved bánh giò (a soft, pyramid-shaped rice dumpling) from the first bite. And when we added a splash of soy sauce and a hint of chili, it went to double delicious!

Helen couldn’t resist asking Mai, the shop owner, "How do you get the meat inside this crazy soft dumpling?" 🤔 Well, that's our little secret! 😉

After a long walk, we took a break in a beautiful, ancient-style house to enjoy some classic Hanoi desserts. Not chè this time—can you guess what it is from the picture?

P.S. These are our favorite treats for autumn and winter! 😉

Kathrin was so excited to try the betel and areca! 😆 Look at her right hand—that’s the combo, carefully folded into a phoenix wing shape, just waiting to be tasted.

Here’s the areca, just before it’s sliced into pieces! 😆

Kathrin's reaction after the "combo" 😆

Old lady: "We chew this for clean teeth, fresh breath, and red lips."

Kathrin: "Really? You see what my teeth look like now?"

Old lady: "Chew a bit more!"

Kathrin: "Oh no!" 😟

Linh showed Helen how the lady made Vietnamese donuts (glutinous rice balls, fried). It quickly became Helen's favorite snack of the day! 😋

The old house from the view of Kathrin

A Bánh cuốn stall (steamed rice rolls) – captured by Kathrin 📸✨ After 2 times, it's still one of her most favorite dishes!

A zoom to fried pillow dumplings 😍

This is the full version! Crispy, piping-hot dumplings paired with fresh herbs and a flavorful dipping sauce - just perfect! 😙

Guess what we tried here? Bún ốc (snail noodle soup)! 🤪

We had two different versions: a snail stew with turmeric and a classic tomato snail broth. We enjoyed both, but the clear winner was bún ốc chuối đậu (the turmeric snail stew version)! Helen absolutely loved the combination of banana and fried tofu in it!