Vietnamese cuisine has won me over completely. It was the main reason why I did this month-long trip, to really delve into the cuisine and come up with the best and most insightful food guides, starting with Hanoi.
I went on a few organized tours in Vietnam, including a motorbike tour in Saigon which I thought was pretty different from anything I had done to that point, until this shiny red Citroen 2CV pulled up in front of our hotel.
You can have great coffee anywhere in the country, but for me, the most enjoyable was in Hanoi, largely because of its plethora of interesting and quirky cafes. If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam’s capital, then here are thirteen coffeehouses to perk up your palate and your Instagram feed.
Tumpeng is kind of a sacred meal for Indonesians. Its cone shape (usually, but not exclusively, made from rice and urab) is golden yellow and represents the island.
Most of the time, we visit wet markets during the day but thanks to A Chef’s Tour, I got to experience one of Hanoi’s biggest markets at the crack of dawn, when it’s at its liveliest. The difference in market activity between 5AM and 11AM is literally like night and day.
Chicken tikka masala is a heavenly dish made with boneless chunks of roasted marinated chicken swimming in a delicious creamy curry. Though it’s clearly an Indian-influenced dish, its exact origins are unknown.
Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine. It can be found in different forms throughout the country, though it’s most closely associated with Hong Kong and Guangdong Province – ie Cantonese cuisine.
Fried rice is believed to have started as a means to deal with leftovers, specifically meat and vegetables from yesterday that have passed their prime but are still good to consume. The standard ingredients are generally shrimp, pork, and egg, which are stir-fried in chopped garlic and vegetables, and seasoned with soy sauce.
Char siu refers to barbecued pork and is the most popular type of siu mei in Cantonese cuisine. The term char siu literally means “fork roasted” and refers to the traditional method of skewering seasoned boneless pork with long forks and cooking it over an open fire.
Hong Kong is a gastronomic city in every way, offering a range of experiences from fine dining to street food, a lot of it at a very high level.