I should have lobbied to find our lady on the corner.Īfter the bun cha lunch Karen was full but I wanted a sweet snack or palate refresher. The pork was so precooked that it was cold and lifeless. Later on our trip we went to a bun cha spot in the Old Quarter that is beloved by tourists. That’s why it was such a darn good lunch. The ladies cooked in smallish batches to turn things over at a decent pace and keep it fresh. The meat absorbs the sauce and the sauce absorbs the meat juices. I had to try to keep up with her, despite not knowing where we’d find a good meal.įor a good bun cha to come together well, the warm pork needs to be submerged in a bowl of nuoc cham dipping sauce. Karen walked at a fast clip with resolve she crossed the streets of Vietnam without fear. It was close to 2pm and who the heck would be eating or serving lunch? We wandered around the corner and I began to worry. I was looking for a pho joint but the one I wanted to try was closed. So Karen and I headed out into the Old Quarter in search of a late lunch. It’s often rustic and pure, not overly fussed up with ingredients.
Saigon is more familiar to me but somehow, perhaps because my parents are both northerners and raised us on their northern Viet palate, I relish the Hanoi food. She hadn’t been back since 2005 and was eager to go with me. Karen had been to Hanoi before, right before she styled my first cookbook, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. I had visions of us getting lost and being hangry. The streets are crowded, laid out like a maze, and their names change every few blocks. I was somewhat skeptical about finding a good lunch because people take early lunches in Vietnam and it’s easy to get lost in the Old Quarter. By the time we got into our room it was around 1:30pm. After the hour or so ride to our hotel in the Old Quarter, we were famished for lunch. When Karen Shinto and I arrived in Hanoi, it was close to noon.
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