<strong>The T-Art:</strong> As traditional food goes head-to-head with fashionable foreign fare, it's never been a more delicious time to visit Hanoi. This restaurant in the Old Quarter has chiseled out a reputation as the go-to place for modern Vietnamese cuisine.
The T-Art: As traditional food goes head-to-head with fashionable foreign fare, it's never been a more delicious time to visit Hanoi. This restaurant in the Old Quarter has chiseled out a reputation as the go-to place for modern Vietnamese cuisine.
From The T-Art
<strong>The T-Art: </strong> "I love the taste of traditional Vietnamese food, but I want to create and present Vietnamese dishes in a more modern way," chef Duong Hai Anh tells CNN Travel. Hai Anh takes aim at several quintessential Hanoian dishes, including cha ca. This turmeric-marinated fish dish is usually served in a sizzling pan with fresh dill and green onions.
The T-Art: "I love the taste of traditional Vietnamese food, but I want to create and present Vietnamese dishes in a more modern way," chef Duong Hai Anh tells CNN Travel. Hai Anh takes aim at several quintessential Hanoian dishes, including cha ca. This turmeric-marinated fish dish is usually served in a sizzling pan with fresh dill and green onions.
From The T-Art
<strong>MAD Society: </strong>Located inside a new mixed-use complex in the ever-expanding Tay Ho (West Lake) District, MAD Society might not stay totally true to tradition but it certainly has fun with its menu. "Vietnamese food is amazing, but wherever you go, it's very similar," founder So Yeon Kim tells CNN Travel. "I thought, let's try to have some fun with Vietnamese food and combine it with other Asian flavors. It works so well!"
MAD Society: Located inside a new mixed-use complex in the ever-expanding Tay Ho (West Lake) District, MAD Society might not stay totally true to tradition but it certainly has fun with its menu. "Vietnamese food is amazing, but wherever you go, it's very similar," founder So Yeon Kim tells CNN Travel. "I thought, let's try to have some fun with Vietnamese food and combine it with other Asian flavors. It works so well!"
From MAD Society
<strong>MAD Society: </strong>The tapas-style sharing menu includes a few reworked street food classics. For example, pho comes in two styles. The first is relatively authentic, served with either beef, chicken or seafood. However, it's not without a theatrical flair, as the broth is poured over the ingredients via a ceramic teapot.
MAD Society: The tapas-style sharing menu includes a few reworked street food classics. For example, pho comes in two styles. The first is relatively authentic, served with either beef, chicken or seafood. However, it's not without a theatrical flair, as the broth is poured over the ingredients via a ceramic teapot.
From MAD Society
<strong>MAD Society:</strong> The second style? Hanoi's first phoritto. Picture beef, herbs, noodles and, yes, even a splash of broth -- all rolled up in a soft tortilla.
MAD Society: The second style? Hanoi's first phoritto. Picture beef, herbs, noodles and, yes, even a splash of broth -- all rolled up in a soft tortilla.
From MAD Society
<strong>Green Tangerine: </strong>In the center of Hanoi's crowded Old Quarter, there's a charming little oasis serving up unique Vietnamese fusion dishes: Green Tangerine, set in a spacious French colonial villa that dates back to 1928. At this artsy address, the food is unmistakably French in technique but a strong local influence pervades the flavors and ingredients.<br />
Green Tangerine: In the center of Hanoi's crowded Old Quarter, there's a charming little oasis serving up unique Vietnamese fusion dishes: Green Tangerine, set in a spacious French colonial villa that dates back to 1928. At this artsy address, the food is unmistakably French in technique but a strong local influence pervades the flavors and ingredients.
From Green Tangerine
<strong>Don's Bistro: </strong>Overlooking Tay Ho (West Lake) -- the largest lake in Hanoi -- Don's Bistro has become something of a local landmark. Since opening in 2009 as the first Western restaurant on the lake, chef-owner Donald Berger and his award-winning team have been at the forefront of Hanoi's international food scene.
Don's Bistro: Overlooking Tay Ho (West Lake) -- the largest lake in Hanoi -- Don's Bistro has become something of a local landmark. Since opening in 2009 as the first Western restaurant on the lake, chef-owner Donald Berger and his award-winning team have been at the forefront of Hanoi's international food scene.
From Don's Bistro
<strong>Don's Bistro:</strong> Traditionally, a banh xeo (savory fried rice paper pancake) would come stuffed with pork, dried shrimp, green onion and beansprouts and rolled up with leaves and vegetables. About three times larger than usual, the banh xeo at Don's overflows with big juicy prawns -- as opposed to the traditional dried shrimp.
Don's Bistro: Traditionally, a banh xeo (savory fried rice paper pancake) would come stuffed with pork, dried shrimp, green onion and beansprouts and rolled up with leaves and vegetables. About three times larger than usual, the banh xeo at Don's overflows with big juicy prawns -- as opposed to the traditional dried shrimp.
From Don's Bistro
<strong>Don's Bistro:</strong> A twist on Vietnamese classics, Montreal-born Berger has imbued fresh spring rolls with a taste of fresh seafood and trendy avocado from his Canadian homeland. Instead of the usual herbs, rice noodles, prawns and pork, Berger's spring rolls come packed with crab, avocado, mayonnaise and colorful Masago, an Icelandic caviar.
Don's Bistro: A twist on Vietnamese classics, Montreal-born Berger has imbued fresh spring rolls with a taste of fresh seafood and trendy avocado from his Canadian homeland. Instead of the usual herbs, rice noodles, prawns and pork, Berger's spring rolls come packed with crab, avocado, mayonnaise and colorful Masago, an Icelandic caviar.
From Don's Bistro
<strong>Nê Cocktail Bar</strong>: While it might sound like something out of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," you can now enjoy several Vietnamese dishes in the form of artisan cocktails, thanks to master mixologist Pham Tien Tiep. Now emulated in bars across the city, Pham's most famous creation is the pho cocktail. "I worked in a pho restaurant for a year, so I knew how to cook the real dish," Pham tells CNN Travel.
Nê Cocktail Bar: While it might sound like something out of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," you can now enjoy several Vietnamese dishes in the form of artisan cocktails, thanks to master mixologist Pham Tien Tiep. Now emulated in bars across the city, Pham's most famous creation is the pho cocktail. "I worked in a pho restaurant for a year, so I knew how to cook the real dish," Pham tells CNN Travel.
From Nê Cocktail Bar
<strong>Nê Cocktail Bar: </strong>Proving he's more than a one-trick pony, Pham has since created a number of cocktails based on Vietnamese cuisine. The Donna Donna cocktail -- inspired by bo luc lac<em> </em>(shaking beef) -- even requires a bit of cooking. Pham first stir-fries beef with capsicum, chilli and lemongrass, before de-glazing the pan with rum and sugar. The resulting syrup is then mixed with lime juice for a sweet-spicy balance.
Nê Cocktail Bar: Proving he's more than a one-trick pony, Pham has since created a number of cocktails based on Vietnamese cuisine. The Donna Donna cocktail -- inspired by bo luc lac (shaking beef) -- even requires a bit of cooking. Pham first stir-fries beef with capsicum, chilli and lemongrass, before de-glazing the pan with rum and sugar. The resulting syrup is then mixed with lime juice for a sweet-spicy balance.
From Nê Cocktail Bar
<strong>Spices Garden:</strong> Set inside the swish Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, Spices Garden has been serving up upscale "street" food for the past two decades.
Spices Garden: Set inside the swish Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, Spices Garden has been serving up upscale "street" food for the past two decades.
From Metropole Legend Hanoi Hotel
<strong>Spices Garden:</strong> Like any fine-dining restaurant worth its salt, Spices Garden offers a tasting menu to enable diners to sample the signatures. But the most exciting aspect of dining at Spices Garden is the professional sommeliers, who can pair wine with anything from pho to spring rolls.
Spices Garden: Like any fine-dining restaurant worth its salt, Spices Garden offers a tasting menu to enable diners to sample the signatures. But the most exciting aspect of dining at Spices Garden is the professional sommeliers, who can pair wine with anything from pho to spring rolls.
From Metropole Legend Hanoi Hotel