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) - The first time enjoying a bowl of meatball noodle soup on Bat Dan street in Hanoi , a Scottish guest finished it all, both the broth and the meatballs, and nodded in approval. In his personal opinion, he rated the bowl of noodles 9 out of 10 points.

After 4pm on a day in late July, after wandering around many streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hugh felt hungry. Passing many shops on the street, the Scottish tourist was suddenly attracted by the aroma coming from a large pot of broth placed in front of the house. Surrounding it were bowls of meatballs, tongues, ham hocks, and ribs, all arranged deliciously.

Large pot of broth placed in front of the shop door (Photo cut from clip).

Seeing the customer still standing around, an elderly woman ran out to greet him. She was holding a menu with detailed descriptions of the dishes and prices. The menu was printed in both Vietnamese and English for customers to easily choose from. After looking through it, Hugh ordered a bowl of vermicelli with meatballs with all the ingredients. It was not rush hour so the restaurant was not crowded. It was a simple shop on the street, simply decorated with a few plastic tables and chairs on the sidewalk. The space inside was not too large, just enough for the seller to sit and prepare the food right in front of the customers. There was almost no waiting, the hot bowl of vermicelli with meatballs gave off a gentle aroma that stimulated Hugh's hungry taste buds. "Look at a delicious bowl of vermicelli with meatballs like this in Hanoi for only 40,000 VND. I sat and ate right on the sidewalk, with traffic passing by below. Let's try it and see how it tastes," the Scottish customer said excitedly. Seemingly familiar with the way of eating noodles and pho in Vietnam, Hugh also squeezed in some kumquats and a few slices of fresh chili. The vendor also brought a bowl of fish sauce so that customers could add more if they found it not to their liking.

The customer commented that the restaurant's homemade mushrooms have a natural flavor and a soft, succulent texture (Photo cut from clip).

"These meatballs are definitely handmade. The texture is very soft, melting in your mouth. When eating pho noodles in Vietnam, remember to add fried dough sticks. Eating this dish reminds me of Pa Tong Ko (a type of bread similar to fried dough sticks) in Thailand. The fried dough sticks have a crispy crust but are soft on the inside. Dipping the fried dough sticks in the broth is very good," commented a foreign guest. Having finished both the broth and the pieces, Hugh said that if rated on a scale of 10, the bowl of noodles would get 9 points and is worth a try if you come to Hanoi. According to research, this is a noodle shop on Bat Dan Street, specializing in serving noodles with doc mung bean sprouts. The restaurant's side dishes include 5 types: nails, meat, ribs, and tongue. Depending on the customer's needs, the price will vary. For example, a bowl of noodles with 2 types of meat, meatballs or ribs, meatballs will cost 40,000 VND. If customers eat 3 types (ribs, meatballs, tongue) it will be 50,000 VND/bowl. Compared to the prices of pho restaurants in the old quarter, this is a restaurant with affordable prices.

Bun moc restaurant costs from 40,000 VND/bowl without drinks (Photo: Ninh Tito).

Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai said that the restaurant has been around since 1998, and has been around for nearly 30 years. Every day, the restaurant is divided into two shifts, morning and afternoon. Shift one is from 6am to 3:30pm and shift two is from 4pm to 11pm. "Maybe because of the advantage of being located in the old town, the restaurant has foreign customers coming to eat every day. On busy days, there are dozens of international customers, on quieter days, there are only a few people. Most of them only eat vermicelli with pork and meatballs and do not order other dishes. Every time a customer finishes eating, I often observe their attitude to see how they react. Almost all of them eat everything and raise their fingers to signal that the food is delicious. Just like that, we are all very excited", the owner happily said. However, due to the limited space of the restaurant, sometimes customers have to endure cramped conditions. If eating on the 2nd floor, customers have to climb a rather steep staircase. The stairs are so steep that customers are afraid to see waiters carrying food up, especially on slippery rainy 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