Many
people are drawn to a destination just because of how well it triggers their
appetite, and for that reason, Hanoi is one of the world’s greatest cities to
visit, The Telegraph recommends.
Tourists eat out late at night in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy
The
U.K. newspaper published a list of “the world’s 17 greatest cities for food” on
Sunday and the Vietnamese capital grabbed second spot, after Tokyo.
“Hanoi’s
compact old center is arguably the better place to sample the balance of salt,
sweet, sour and spice in Vietnamese cuisine,” it said, comparing the city with
the popular southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, which is “more
international”.
Hanoi
is where one can take to the streets and eat like a local, it said.
The
city offers some of the most popular Vietnamese dishes such as "banh
mi", a baguette usually filled with grilled pork, meatballs or cold cuts,
cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots, liver pâté and a swipe of mayonnaise, or
"com tam", which is broken rice with grilled pork, pig skin, egg and
fish sauce.
But
tourists can also jump into more exotic dishes like "pho tiu", a
sweet and sour noodle dish originating in China and arriving in Hanoi via Ho
Chi Minh City. It is an assortment of roasted pork slices, bean shoots, herbs,
crushed nuts and dried shallots on a bed of noodles, topped off with fish sauce,
vinegar, thickened pork bone broth and light brown oil.
"Pho tiu" in Hanoi. Photos by Ngoi Sao/Shironeko
For
dessert, the newspaper recommended egg coffee, an unlikely beverage favored
particularly on cold days. It is a blend of coffee and egg whites, folded with
sugar and drunk hot or cold. Say “café trung” and you will be served.
Egg coffee in Hanoi. Photo by Ngoi Sao/Nguyen Chi
The Telegraph did not mention "pho" or
"bun cha", although both are among tourists’ favorite things to try
in Hanoi.
U.S.
news site Business Insider last
October published a bucket list with 50 attractions, foods and experiences one
must try in Asia, and among them was “a steamy bowl of pho in Hanoi”.
In
May last year, a plastic stool restaurant near Hanoi’s Old Quarter also earned
global fame after serving "bun cha", a combination of grilled pork
patties, cold dipping sauce, fresh vegetables and rice vermicelli, to Barrack
Obama, which made him “so happy,” according to his companion celebrity chef
Anthony Bourdain.
The Telegraph list mostly focuses on Europe and
America. Other Asian cities that made the list are Jaipur in India, Bangkok in
Thailand, Singapore and Chengdu in China.
By VnExpress