Hanoi’s Old Quarter is a tangled, thrilling mess of scooters, French colonial buildings, crumbling pre-colonial structures and delicious smells wafting from every corner. The city is a labyrinth that is full of surprises. Walk through damp, dark alleyways and end up in a gorgeous courtyard cafe overflowing with potted plants; or take a shortcut through a store (and the owner’s living room) and suddenly, you’re in the heart of Train Street. Hanoi is full of surprises, and it rewards the adventurous.
The city is a feast for the senses, and there’s one dish whose aroma floats through the entire city – bún châ. Fatty, smoky, grilled pieces of pork are in a tangy fish sauce broth with carrots and raw papaya. It’s served alongside a plate of fresh rice noodles and a mountain of herbs. The dish is bright and fresh and goes perfectly with an icy crisp Bia Hà Nôi (Hanoi Beer).
I first heard about bún châ through one of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown episodes. It was in 2016 during President Obama’s historic visit to Vietnam. The episode features Bourdain and the former president, with rolled-up sleeves, sitting on low, plastic stools across a stainless table. Between the two men were bowls of this fragrant broth and a plate piled high with noodles and fresh herbs. After that, I knew I had to visit the restaurant as soon as I got to Hanoi.
On a Presidential Quest
Bún châ is a Hanoi speciality, and because of this, every other restaurant claims to be home to “the world’s best bún châ,” and honestly, they’re not wrong. You can never go wrong with this dish in the city, but I was adamant that we find the restaurant which had the presidential stamp of approval. After many failed attempts and many bowls of “common” bún châ (oh, the horror), we struck gold.
Down a quiet lane in the leafy Ba Ðình district, there’s a modest hole in the wall called Bún Châ Hu'o'ng Liên. A steady stream of people flows in and out of the restaurant. At the entrance, there’s a boy who doesn’t look a day older than 14, directing customers where to sit, how long they have to wait, and helping his mother with the receipts. “Wait 10 minutes”, he tells us, and we oblige – after all, we didn’t come all this way just for our impatience to get the better of us.
As we wait, we take a look around the neighbourhood, which is blanketed by a thick smoky haze. Vietnamese women wearing a pyjama-like floral outfit crouch low, waving a bamboo fan over the hot white coals, and they fill the air with smoke and the aroma of sizzling meat. It’s as if the whole neighbourhood is made up of bún châ restaurants, and quickly my stomach begins to grumble… Thankfully, we’re shown to our seats not too long after.
The Discovery of a Delicious Tourist Trap
Inside, it was just as I expected it to be. Shared tables, low stools, and fluorescent lighting buzzing overhead. There were some condiments on the table: minced garlic, finely sliced chillies and vinegar. After a quick look at the menu, we opted for their most popular item, the “Obama Combo”, the exact meal the president had. In fact, the table and bowls used by the two men have forever been immortalised in the restaurant.
The president described the dish as “killer” and had two bowls. After one bite, we understood why. The dish is a mishmash of flavours and textures. The smoky grilled pork belly is beautifully balanced by the slightly sweet, and the handfuls of herbs make it feel like you’re eating a salad, so you don’t feel guilty for ordering an extra portion of noodles. You mix everything together and enjoy a messy, magnificent mouthful.
A Lesson in Noodle Diplomacy
So, is this Hanoi’s best bún châ? That’s a tricky question. Some locals will quietly suggest other spots tucked deeper into the Old Quarter, or tiny roadside grills, claiming that Bún Châ Hu'o'ng Liên is an overrated tourist trap. However, I learnt that this restaurant isn’t just about the food. It’s about what food can do, about sharing a meal across cultures, about simplicity and warmth, about the fact that a humble dish can be a greater ambassador than a thousand speeches.
Just like Obama and Bourdain, while at the restaurant; we made friends, swapped travel stories, learnt the proper way of eating the dish from a helpful local, and somehow got closer to parts unknown. So, in a world that seems more divided than ever, we should all take a page out of Anthony Bourdain’s book and come together to share a bowl of noodles now and again.
