What's so special about the Hanoi Old Quarter Bun Moc restaurant that makes Western guests nod and give it 9/10 points?

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - After trying a bowl of vermicelli soup with meatballs on Bat Dan Street in Hanoi for the first time, a Scottish customer finished both the broth and the meatballs and nodded in approval. He personally rated the bowl of vermicelli soup 9 out of 10.

Around 4 PM on a late July day, after wandering through many streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hugh felt hungry. Passing by several shops, the Scottish visitor was suddenly drawn to the aroma emanating from a large pot of broth placed in front of a shop. Around it were bowls of meatballs, tongue, pork trotters, and ribs, all attractively arranged.

A large pot of broth is placed in front of the restaurant (Image taken from a video clip).

Seeing the customer still standing around looking around, an elderly woman came out to greet him. She held a menu with a detailed list of dishes and prices. The menu was printed in both Vietnamese and English for easy selection. After glancing through it, Hugh ordered a bowl of vermicelli with meatballs, complete with all the ingredients. It wasn't peak hour, so the restaurant wasn't crowded. It was a simple, unpretentious eatery on the street, furnished with a few plastic tables and chairs on the sidewalk. The interior wasn't very large, just enough space for the vendor to sit and prepare the food right in front of the customers. Almost without waiting, the steaming bowl of vermicelli with meatballs emitted a gentle aroma that stimulated Hugh's appetite, who was ravenously hungry. "Look at this delicious bowl of vermicelli with meatballs in Hanoi for only 40,000 dong. I'm eating right here on the sidewalk, with the street below and cars passing by. Try it and see what it tastes like," the Scottish customer enthusiastically said. Seemingly familiar with the Vietnamese way of eating vermicelli and pho, Hugh even added some lime juice and a few slices of fresh chili. The vendor also brought a bowl of fish sauce so customers could add more seasoning if needed.

The customer commented that the restaurant's homemade meatballs have a natural flavor and a soft, juicy texture (Image taken from a video clip).

"These meatballs are definitely handmade. The texture is so soft, they practically melt in your mouth. When eating pho in Vietnam, remember to add fried dough sticks. Eating this reminds me of Pa Tong Ko (a type of fried dough stick) in Thailand. The fried dough sticks have a crispy outer layer but are soft inside. Dipping them into the broth is a perfect combination," a foreign customer commented. After finishing both the broth and the meatballs, Hugh said that if he were to rate it on a scale of 10, the bowl of pho would get a 9 out of 10 and is definitely worth trying if you come to Hanoi. According to our research, this is a pho restaurant located on Bat Dan Street, specializing in pho with taro stems. The restaurant offers five types of toppings: trotters, meatballs, meat, ribs, and tongue. The price varies depending on the customer's choice. For example, a bowl of pho with two types of meat or ribs and meatballs costs 40,000 VND. If customers order three or more types of noodles (ribs, meatballs, and tongue), the price is 50,000 VND per bowl. Compared to the prices at other noodle shops in the Old Quarter, this is a reasonably priced option.

A bowl of vermicelli soup with meatballs costs from 40,000 VND, not including drinks (Photo: Ninh Tito).

Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai said that the restaurant has been around since 1998, nearly 30 years. The restaurant operates in two shifts daily, morning and afternoon. The first shift is from 6:00 AM to 3:30 PM, and the second from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM. "Perhaps because of its location in the Old Quarter, the restaurant always has foreign customers. On busy days, there are dozens of international customers, while on quieter days, there are only a few. They mostly order only the pork noodle soup and don't order other dishes. After each customer finishes their meal, I observe their reaction. Almost all of them finish everything and give a thumbs-up to indicate that the food was delicious. That alone makes us very happy," the owner happily said. However, due to limited space, customers sometimes have to endure cramped conditions. If eating on the second floor, customers have to climb a rather steep staircase. The stairs are so steep that even guests are apprehensive when they see the servers carrying food up, especially on rainy or slippery days.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/quan-bun-moc-pho-co-ha-noi-co-gi-la-khien-khach-tay-gat-gu-cham-910-diem-20240817111909824.htm