As the capital, Hanoi is arguably the most famous city when it comes to Northern Vietnam, and with its large population second only to Ho Chi Minh. Due to the topography of the country, Hanoi’s climate and environment is distinctly different to its Central and Southern counterparts, which unsurprisingly influences its agriculture and its cuisine accordingly.

Its culinary history is also influenced by both the Chinese, with whom Northern Vietnam shares its border, and the French, who conquered and colonised the land for over half a century. Though at first glance these foreign roots may not be obvious, a closer look at several famous dishes could prove otherwise.

Of course, for us it wouldn’t be a holiday abroad without sampling all the local dishes we could get our hands on. So with a few short days in the city and a map with enough pins to put an acupuncturist to shame, we got stuck right into it. In this half, we’ll take a look at phở, a dish possibly originating in Hanoi; bún ốc, Hanoi’s answer to Vietnam’s snail delicacies; and xôi, the pervasive sticky rice dish that Hanoi does a little differently.

Phở

Phở is, without a doubt, the most famous of Vietnamese dishes, consistently listed as one of the best street foods in Asia and featuring frequently on CNN’s top 50 most delicious foods in the world. Commonly made with beef, the clear, rich broth, slurpy noodles, and strips of flavourful beef are enough to drive many mouths to salivate, and its origin is speculated to be none other than Hanoi.

Though nobody can say for sure, history traces phở back to during the French colonisation of the country. Supposedly, their quintessential beef stew, pot-au-feu, used many of the tasty cuts of beef, though discarded the rest. So the local Vietnamese swooped in and took advantage of the leftovers to use in their own rendition of pot-au-feu, resulting in the flavoursome broth that we know and love, named after the dish it imitates.

The dish was clearly loved by many, and eventually made it all the way south as the locals spread throughout the country. Many migrants who left Vietnam were from the southern cities, which saw the southern version of phở shared throughout the world. Commonly topped with beansprouts and lime juice, and doused with Sriracha, it’s no surprise that not many are familiar with the Northern style of eating it.

Our kind local friend in Hanoi outlined: vinegar is used more as an acid than citrus due to the local climate being unable to support its growth as well as in the South. As such, alongside the chilli sauce and freshly sliced raw chilli available at most phở restaurants, have a go with a small splash of the vinegar that should be on the table too.

Phở Gia Truyền

This restaurant is by far one of the most famous places in Hanoi to get this iconic dish. It opens for breakfast and dinner services until their stock runs out, so it’s recommended that you don’t wait until just before closing time if you want to snap up a good bowl of soup noodles.

However, don’t get caught in long queues by going too early! We met people who lined up 15 minutes before its 6am opening time only to be waiting for the crowds ahead in line, whereas we rocked up at a more obscure meal time at 10.30am and got ourselves seats within 10 minutes. As long as you’re prepared to share tables with other hungry diners, this minimal restaurant is most suited for a quick eat-and-go experience. Don’t linger too long, and let others eat their phở once you’re done.

We got ourselves a bowl of phở tái nạm, which includes both the rare (tái) and cooked (nạm) beef slices. Compared to serving the rare beef truly raw on the steaming hot soup, this restaurant quickly blanches the beef in their stock to order, resulting in a beef that is slightly more hygienic. A bit of peace of mind for those prone to bouts of gurgles following meals out in foreign countries.

This cost us ₫50,000 (US$2.20) – not the cheapest bowl of phở around, but it is a very famous restaurant. As for the taste? Excellent. Though the soup is cloudier than what we’re accustomed to, its flavour is rich, almost sweet from the beef, very savoury and with a light mouthfeel.

The beef is sliced so thinly it’s easy to eat, with the rare beef contributing a little more flavour than the cooked, likely due to the quick blanching.

With the addition of just a splash of vinegar, it tastes a little more like the Southern Vietnamese style of phở, less sweet though still beefy. With the lightness from the fresh herbs, the chewy, slurpy noodles felt like it was simply a carrier for broth and an edible means to fill up on the dish. An excellent feed, if you have the time and patience for a bowl.

Bún Ốc (Snail)

Snail is a common ingredient in Vietnam, which boasts many restaurants that specialise in cooking it in styles similar to how you might find shellfish. In Saigon, where there are numerous styles of cooking snails, we ate at a restaurant for that experience exactly. If you travel around the rest of Vietnam, however, this ingredient is often prepared much more humbly, usually steamed.

However, in Hanoi, there originates one unique method of preparation for snail: a noodle soup. Bún ốc, translating to “vermicelli noodle snail”, comes with a soup seasoned with aromatics and tomatoes. Usually served with fresh herbs, it’s light and not at all greasy, making it popular as a breakfast item or even as a snack.

Giang – Bún Ốc Phố Cổ

Without a clue where to start, we would certainly have been lost if not for our local friend to take us around. We also certainly wouldn’t have been able to find this street stand, consisting of a table, a pot, and a shelf of toppings, let alone believe that it was a must-try dish of Hanoi.

But for us, at the mention of “local specialty”, we need little more convincing. Within a couple of minutes we were served up a steaming bowl of colourful bún ốc, so brimming that we were worried we wouldn’t be able to stir it to find the mountains of snails underneath.

The broth was really something. Sweet and sour from the tomatoes, the broth also had a strong flavour of the snails – a salty fresh flavour like the smell of an ocean, or the taste of an oyster freshly shucked. The snails, being quite small, are chewy like octopus and with the layers of a mussel. Despite its size, it was a hearty, warming soup that we’d be more than happy to try again.

Xôi (Sticky rice)

Sticky glutinous rice is common in many countries all throughout Asia, famous for its stretchy, sticky texture as a result of a different quantity of starches in its grain. In Vietnam, this dish is eaten often as a snack or a light meal (often breakfast), with savoury and sweet varieties depending on its toppings.

In Hanoi, a huge variety of xôi dishes arise from the sheer combinations of toppings its creative vendors dare to provide, from the humble xôi gà (chicken sticky rice) to the French-influenced xôi pâté (sticky rice with Vietnamese-style pâté). However, by far the most common version is xôi xéo: sticky rice dish coloured yellow with turmeric, topped with shaved mung bean paste and crispy fried shallots.

Despite its simplicity, it is allegedly very difficult to cook well, as each of the three main components should have a distinct texture that balances each other well. Regardless, this dish is served virtually everywhere as long as you know what to look out for.

Xôi Cát Lâm

There are xôi restaurants all throughout Hanoi, many of them bustling with workers compiling servings with toppings of all variation. Xôi Cát Lâm was a recommendation, yet again by our local friend, who at this point we were placing our wholehearted trust in for food. Her advice was simple: buy a bowl of xôi xéo, and if nothing else, the braised boiled egg.

We visited this restaurant without her, and not fully comprehending her instructions until we got there. We knew when we arrived that this restaurant must be reputable, due to the flashy computerised systems for tallying orders, and a flight of stairs going up however many floors, each with a fair number of seats.

While there’s a large menu on the wall in Vietnamese, you can also request an English menu with pictures. Besides the standard xôi xéo, you can also order xôi ngô (sticky rice with corn), and for the not-too-adventurous, xôi trắng (plain, unseasoned white sticky rice). Alongside this is a number of meat and egg sides often served in a braising sauce, which can help to season the rice.

As recommended, we got one order of xôi xéo at ₫15,000 (US$0.70) and a braised hard-boiled egg (trứng kho) at ₫8,000 (US$0.40). The sticky rice was different to others we’d tried, with more distinct grains, less of a sticky texture and more chewy. The mung bean paste on top has the consistency of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, a grainy but homogenous firm paste that holds its shape and requires a little chewing. Of course, the fried shallots with its crispy texture and sweet, roasty flavours makes for an excellent topping.

It may be a bit of a new, strange experience for some people who aren’t too accustomed to the dish. As to be expected, the flavours are very mild and may require extra seasoning, such as a quick shot of the salty seasoning sauce that is a staple anywhere food is present in Vietnam. Or, like us, you can eat it with the side dishes. The hard-boiled egg was fried to develop a skin from its second cooking which results in a chewy texture. The sweet soy sauce was savoury and moreish, making for the best sauce to dress the xôi. It contributed to some richness, making for a very satisfying meal despite its small portion.

Noms liked it; Jos, despite her initial scepticism, deemed it as one of her favourite meals in Vietnam, for reasons she can’t explain. A must-try when visiting Hanoi, for a very cheap, filling, and delicious breakfast or light meal at any time of day.

If you love Hanoi food and want to find out more on where we ate more of their local specialties, you can check out information on the other half of the video here! We cover bún thang, Hanoi’s humble but delicious chicken noodle soup; bún bò Nam Bộ, the Hanoi version of beef vermicelli salad; chả cá, Hanoi’s most iconic grilled turmeric fish with dill; and phở chiên phồng and phở cuốn, two unique preparations of phở popular with the Hanoi locals.