Food and Restaurants in Vietnam

Top of the list of Vietnam food is the quintessential pho noodle soup: Pho Gia Truyen in Hanoi serves a really authentic version. You can enjoy an atmospheric coffee at Highlands Coffee, set on a large moored ferry. In Hoi An, Mr Kim's Café des Amis serves the best seafood and veggie set menus in town.

As you soak in the bustling atmosphere of Ho Chi Minh City, be sure to start your day like a true southerner with a bowl of steaming pho for breakfast. Pho Le offers some of the best.
Pho is a dish of few ingredients, therefore rich stock is essential. It should be crystal clear, the saltiness balanced by sweeter notes of cinnamon, star anise and cloves. There are a few variations, but glossy rice noodles and waifish slices of beef are hard to beat.
Pho Le is known for its generous servings of beef. Served with a pile of fresh Thai basil, bean shoots and lemon wedges, the pho is spared from becoming too heavy. The restaurant itself is clean and comfortable, recognisable by the large neon sign at the entrance.

Vietnam’s French colonial past has left its mark, notably on the local food scene. One of the most successful examples of this can be tasted at Hanoi’s La Badiane. Despite their differences, two cuisines complement each other well; the traditional French offerings are rich and buttery, freshened by the clean, crisp flavours typical of south-east Asian food.
Expect international gastronomy like seared scallops in a saffron emulsion and foie gras with figs and blackcurrant liqueur. The lofty restaurant has a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere with shutter windows to the outside and lush greenery in the courtyard. The waitstaff are friendly and attentive and will make sure you don’t miss the treats on the dessert menu.
 

Vietnamese street food offers a bounty of treats for the adventurous palate. Hawkers set up shop in any available space, adding tiny red plastic chairs and tables to the footpath so you can sit and eat, while dishing out a smorgasbord of fried, fresh and iced snacks.
The atmosphere is everything you would expect from a marketplace- electric, exciting and busy. With an array of fresh food and vegetables on display as well as a tantalising mix of cooking smells, this marketplace is a sensory experience.
When it comes to eating, look for the little packages of sticky rice, a colourful array of grains stewed in coconut milk served sweet and salty, or the famous banh mi, a crusty baguette filled with slivered vegetables, pate, pork, chilli and herbs. As you wander through Hoi An’s historical districts, a fresh coconut is perfect for sipping on.

Another staple of Vietnamese cooking is banh xeo, resembling an omelette-pancake cross. The batter, which gets its distinctive yellow colour from natural turmeric, is poured into a shallow pan and scattered with slices of pork, prawns and bean shoots.
Banh Xeo Muoi Xien is a well-known spot in Ho Chi Minh, recognisable by its wooden hut façade. Once the crepe is crispy on the outside, it’s served sizzling hot in the shape of a semicircle. The proper way to eat banh xeo is sliced into wedges, parcelled into crisp lettuce leaves and dipped in nuoc cham sauce. Or just sneak a glance at what the people at the next table are doing.

As generic café chains continue to spread across the globe, the importance of authentic, independent venues increases. A firm local favourite, Giang Café is tucked away in a small lane, almost invisible to tourists.
The pièce de résistance at Giang is the ca phe trung, or ‘egg coffee’. The recipe – first developed when milk was scarce – has remained largely unchanged for 70 years. The combination of egg yolk, Vietnamese coffee powder, condensed milk, cheese, and butter is unlike any flat white you’ve ever tasted.
In rural Vietnam, this decadent take on coffee is more or less standard. Whilst the sweetness can come as a shock to the uninitiated, it makes for a delicious holiday indulgence.

Source Escapetravel