Hanoi Restaurant Tips by Tijavi

Vanille: An intro to Vietnamese coffee

Prior to my trip to Vietnam, a colleague who's visited the country tipped that I SHOULD try Vietnamese coffee. At first I was skeptical, thinking that coffee in Venezuela (not that I've been to Venezuela) should be similar to coffee in Vietnam. How wrong I was.

I don't know what they put into it, but what works for me is the condensed milk that that acts both as creamer and sweetener. The result is simply delicious.

I had a my first taste of Vietnamese coffee at Vanille, an unassuming patisserie in the Old Quarter along P Dinh Liet. The cakes were good, too.

The place is so small that their dining area on the second floor is accessed through a very narrow staircase, that one could fall off from if you're not that careful.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Coffeehouse

69 Bar Restaurant: Come here for drinks, not food. 69 Bar Restaurant Review

Somehow the restaurant did not live up the good reviews. True, the building, a beautifully restored Vietnamese house, is very atmospheric. But the food failed to impress me.

I ordered very traditional Vietnamese food: seafood spring roll, this time, fried. It was heavily breaded, you could hardly taste the seafood. My mains, marinated pork barbeque over coals, were more like pork patties and they were tasteless; so was the dipping sauce. And the dessert of flamed banana with orange sauce was very bitter. The only redeeming factor was the Vietnamese coffee. But that could hardly compensate for the below par meal.

And while having all these, diners were serenaded with Silent Night, yes Silent Night the Christmas carol - and it was way past Christmas! Strange place.

Address: 69 ma may street

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 1

Theme: Local

KOTO: Refined Vietnamese cuisine _Koto Review

An acronym for "Know One, Teach One," KOTO is a non-profit venture that employs former street kids. Besides this noble cause, the restaurant offers delicious Vietnamese food prepared and served in a more refined manner. To fully enjoy KOTO, come here for a full meal after touring the nearby Temple of Literature.

I started my lunch with nicoise salad with grilled river fish. The fish was fresh and the lemon dressing had the right tang. It would have been nice if the fish would have been a bit warmer, which would have contrasted beautifully with the cold greens. For mains, I was attracted to the squid filled with pork, water chestnuts, glass noodles and coriander served with fresh tomato sauce and steamed rice. The filling was done very fine, like a sausage, but tasted delicious. I can only complain about how the food was served quickly after serving the starters. By the time I had room for the mains, it was a bit cold.

Interestingly, the French tradition of having wine with food has been passed on quite effectively to the Vietnamese. Almost every restaurant in Vietnam has an extensive wine list and it's obvious they love their cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc here. So for lunch, it was sauvignon blanc, not from France, but Chile, though.

The banana bavarian for dessert was delicious, especially with traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, which is the standard creamer for the local brew.

Address: 61 Pho Van Mieu

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Little Hanoi: A big name in the local dining scene Little Hanoi Review

Don't let the name fool you: Little Hanoi is one of the big names in the local dining scene, attracting a good crowd of locals and tourists. What used to be a "little" eatery is now a full-fledged restaurant, complete with a decent wine list!

So good was the food that I ate here twice. The ubiquitous do-it-yourself spring roll did not disappoint - the crispy catfish was, yes, crispy and delicious, but the magic of the dish in the rice wafers. They were hard and firm, initially, but when it comes into contact with the dipping sauce, it just melts, creating delicate texture in your palate.

I've also tried their grilled pork with citron and sweet and sour dipping sauce. The pork was grilled perfectly, with a very palpable hint of lemon grass, masking the meat's greasy smell. Love it. Perfect with Singapore-brewed Tiger beer.

Address: 21 Hang Gai Street

Comparison: more expensive than average

Phone: 04/828-8333

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Local