As a foodie guide taking Hanoi visitors on walking food tour twice a day, I’ve been eating bún chả on almost everyday basis. To get myself updated with all bún chả eateries in Hanoi, I visit and revisit them more often than my friends often think I would.
Last week, I went back to Bún Chả Chan at 14 Mai Hac De Street. Comparing with the time before it was listed on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand, the eatery has become busier with more customers. Thank goodness, the quality and its price is unchanged.
I was driving my scooter. I planned to be there to finish ordering before noon – so it won’t be busy with office workers coming for lunch break. Since bún chả is known to be a favorite lunch in Hanoi – like a saying “wherever there is a smoke, there is bún chả for lunch” – all bún chả in the city are busy between 12:00 and 1:00 PM.
From a distance, on my scooter, I was looking for a burning charcoal grill stand on the sidewalk – where the owner will be sitting next to the fire with grill grates filled with pork bellies and patties. The scene constantly creates a piquant smoke all over the surrounding areas, which was dotted with blue plastic stools and small tables.
It was an unusual hot day for early April in Hanoi, the summer came earlier than the norm – because of the El Niño. I felt sorry for myself for not able to grab a cold beer, as drinking and driving causes hefty fine now.
When sit down next to the prestigious Michelin Guide Plaque, in a sudden, I noticed, the owner -who was grilling the pork on the sidewalk in front of her house – stood up, and in a hurry, quickly grab everything to throw them inside. I immediately realized what was going on and started searching for a local police truck.
Coming closer to us was a local Hanoi police truck, driving around the ward with an out-of-date loudspeaker installed inside, the police asked everyone to stay off the sidewalk – which is supposed to reserve for walkers, not for business purposes.
Perching on a tiny plastic stool amidst the ambient noise of motorbikes and sizzling grills, eating it at a sidewalk eatery, turns the meal into more than just food—it’s an immersion into the pulse of Hanoi. But the city’s changing, the only constant in life is change!
“Em một bún chả thường nhé!”, I ordered, one usual bún chả. Their unusal would be the bún chả chan, which would be grilled pork with noodle and vegetable broth instead of dipping sauce. Though the family is famous for that broth version of bún chả, I prefer their usual one – which is tastier. Seriously, the broth is bland!
About three minutes later after ordering, I got my bún chả. There were two types of charcoal-grilled pork: tender caramelized pork belly slices and juicy minced pork patties. A medium size plate of soft and cold rice vermicelli noodle. A medium size basket of fresh herbs: bean sprout, lettuce, cilantro, perilla, and lemon balm.
I took a spoon and checked the briny tang of the dipping sauce, oh yeah it was what I had been waiting for. A delicate flavor with a clear both-like cause, it wasn’t greasy like many others, only golden color of the beautifully grilled meat staring at me.
Then I customized the taste. I added minced garlic, fresh chilly, and tore my favorite herbs off. I cut the noodle off with the spoon, picked a small portion of it and dipped them into the dipping sauce. I grabbed a piece of the smoky pork and a bit of the pickled vegetables, then ate everything together in one go.
What was the flavor like? There was a combination of the balance of smoky, savory, and fresh flavors. The golden dipping sauce was a warm, sweet, sour, salty, and spicy (from fish sauce, sugar, garlic vinegar, kumquat, and chilly). To balance out fat pork, slices of pickled green papaya and carrot are accompanying the meat, and that also gave a pleasant crunchy taste.
The magic comes from the interplay of hot and cold of the warm cooked dipping sauce and cold noodles, the mixed textures of the crunchy pickles and the soft yielding noodle. The taste is a masterclass in balance.
Highly recommend this eatery for a good bún chả lunch:
- Address: 114 Mai Hac De Street
- 11:00 to 16:00
