#nomnomnam

At Juni’s Kitchen, you can try a seriously delicious selection of Indonesian food. You can eat what you want separately, or you can do it the Indonesian way and have a bit of nasi campur. Nasi means rice, and campur means mixed, so it’s a mixed rice, not unlike “com rang” here in Vietnam.

You choose your “base” - noodles or rice, fried or plain. Choose your protein from a mixture of meat dishes and vegetarian options. And choose a side - sautéed veggies, delicious tempeh (crispy soybean cake), veggie lumpia (deep-fried spring rolls), etc. Mix it all together or eat it separately, up to you! No matter which way you eat it, it’s going to be full of delicious flavors and interesting textures.

Now that they’ve partnered with Red River Tea Room, you can also be assured that there will be excellent beer and wine pairings.

Juni’s Kitchen: Open for lunch from 11am, and open for dinner from 4pm. [They don’t serve on Mondays]

Red River Tea Room: Open daily from 11am - 11:30 pm.

There are two reasons I love Pow Pow Snow - apart from the name of course.

1. The ice cream 2. The comics

1. I find their variety of ice cream comforting, I know that whatever mood I'm in Pow Pow will always be able to give me exactly what I need. There's soft serve American-style with a choice of flavours, a harder scoop that features especially in their floats, and (my personal favourite) Korean "snow" ice cream. Pow Pow was my first experience of that little piece of melt-in-your-mouth heaven and I have never looked back. They have several toppings so whether you're a chocolate fiend or prefer the healthy option, like granola, they've got it all.

2. The comics, or rather I should say graphic novels. On the second floor you'll find a great selection of graphic novels and coffee table books. Most are in English and if you're going to be communally anti-social on social media, might as well be anti-social with your nose in a comic. I've got my bookmark in Paying For It, so don't lose it!

Pow Pow Snow 166E Doi Can, Ba Dinh

Bo Bia is a dessert sold by women on bicycles who ride around Hanoi in the afternoons looking to tempt your sweet tooth. If you’ve got two minutes and a few thousand dong, all this can be yours. The woman assembles the wrap right in front of you, so you get to see the weird bunch of ingredients in all their glory.

The best place to find this tasty treat is on the road stretching between Truc Bach Lake and West Lake, Thanh Nien Street; but you can sometimes find them in the old quarter as well. Just look for a bicycle with a white box on the back sporting “Bò bía” in red lettering.

A word about language: Bò bía is the dessert we are all talking about.However, in Vietnamese, Bò (with the upward tone) means “beef”, and Bia (with no tone) means “beer”. Although the words are spelled with the same letters, the accent marks give the words different meaning. Therefore, many newcomers, myself included, imagine Bò bía is some combination of beef and beer. While that would probably also be awesome, this is an entirely different thing.

At Hakata Ikkousha, you can truly have it your way. There are over 100 different combinations of ramen that you can experiment with at this casual establishment. You order by filling out a form and ticking what add-ons you want. You specify broth type, noodle density, and broth thickness, and then come all the extras. The add-ons range from seaweed sheets to soft-boiled eggs (highly recommended if you like a creamy ramen). You can up your veggie count by throwing in mushrooms or bean sprouts. You can double down on green onions, or go full carnivore with extra meat. The possibilities are endless. 

If you’re not a ramen lover or are traveling with someone who hasn’t yet crossed over to the dark side, fear not! There are other options. Not many, but some. There are a few rice dishes, dumplings, and fried chicken à la Japan. 

If something draws you out of the old quarter or Westlake area, this should be it. 

Hakata Ikkousha 25 Lang Ha, Dong Da Hours: Open daily from 11:00-22:30 [Last order 22:00] 

Situated on a residential street in Truc Bach, you find a glowing door with an old bicycle hanging overhead. Once you enter, you join a world from the past. The atmosphere is incredible and there is no lack of things to look at, but the food is what lingers in your mind long after you’ve left. Every dish is part of Vietnam’s traditional cuisine and each dish brings something new to the table. 

Whether you’re crunching on some crabs in tamarind sauce or chipping away at the burnt rice (Com Chay) every meal becomes a culinary adventure. No two dishes taste alike. Everything on the menu has a unique flavor. Any choice from the menu would be a good choice. Guys, the food is just that good. Oh, and they serve some of the best fresh springrolls this side of the Red River.

When the waitress comes around to take your order, she writes it out on little ration cards styled after the ones used in war times. As an added bonus, you can bring these home after the meal. Hello, free and awesome souvenier! 

KOTO* does it all! Here we look at Pots n’ Pans, their more fine-dining establishment. The food is exquisite all across the board and never lets you down. And while most fine-dining places will serve you drastically smaller portions, Pots n’ Pans will take up every bit of real estate in your hungry stomach. 

The folks at Pots n’ Pans have done us a solid with their lunch menu. While a dinner meal for two can cost upwards of 1 mil VND, the lunch menu is marginally cheaper - 2 courses for 190k or 3 courses for 210k. It doesn’t seem like the portion sizes change from lunch to dinner either. What a steal!

This is a great opportunity for travelers and expats alike to have a gorgeous meal for half the price. Some of our favorite dishes are the marinated eggplant salad, homemade potato gnocchi, and the crispy skin sea bass. And don’t forget dessert! 

Pots n Pans 57 Bui Thi Xuan, Hai Ba Trung Hours: Daily 11.30am-Late Click here for their menu!

This was definitely one of the odder desserts I've ever had. As soon as I saw it, I knew some experimental tasting was needed.

Toast - as dessert? We got three in the end - nutella, peanut butter and cinnamon & pretzel. All were well-recieved and the speed at which I saw the cleaned enamel of the plate is a testament. The bread isn't sweetened and so brings out the toppings. Although the menu drips with sweet, delectable desserts, there's no sugar overload. And the drinks would keep you satisfied for days. There was an impressive selection of all things matcha flavor, a la Japan! 

I'll be back to sample the other intriguing menu items (strawberry crumble!?) See you there!