Hanoi Street Food Tour

Hanoi Street Food Tour, voted #1 of 130 Food and Drink in Hanoi lets you see and eat like a true Hanoian. 

Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour is founded and run by lovely people who were born and grew up in Hanoi - which makes for a very authentic tour.

We went along with them one afternoon and this is what we thought:

Introductions

Our tour started off by meeting our tour guide (Miss Moon), she was very enthusiastic and made sure we were excited too. 

Our tour group was a great size (10) and a great mix of nationalities (two Americans, two Australians, three Swiss, one Mexican and the German and English lady - aka us). 

Miss Moon immediately made sure we avoided that awkward bit when you're first in a group and you don't know each other, by asking us all to say who we were and where we were from. 

Then we were off!!

Sticky Rice

Anyone whose been to Hanoi will know that crossing the road can be a nightmare; cars, scooters and pedestrians weave in and out of each other, and though it somehow works smoothly (mostly), it can be extremely daunting for newbies, and if you don't just take a risk and go for it, you might find yourself waiting at the side of the road all day. 

We weren't sure how Miss Moon was going to make sure all her newbies managed it AND kept together all at once, but she had the perfect solution: Sticky Rice!

Miss Moon explained to us that we would have to be sticky rice; i.e. stick together and be strong. Then she proceeded to lead us across the street safely, calling at us to be sticky rice. Everyone in the group agreed that we liked being referred to as sticky rice.

As walking was a big part of our day, it was great that Miss Moon found a way to keep it entertaining, and it wasn't long before we were at our first food stop

1. Banh Tieu, Deep Fried Vietnamese Doughnuts

First up were deep fried Vietnamese doughnuts. In the few short hours we'd been in Hanoi, we'd already been offered these many times, and quite often for free. We'd never taken any though, and Miss Moon revealed that we were right not to because whilst they're advertised as free, they actually aren't.. Once you try, you have to buy.

Anyway, it was one of the many advantages of having a native guide: she could tell us all the common scams and we were pleased that our first taste of Banh Tieu wasn't tainted with being ripped off, because they were DELICIOUS! 

We also got to see these sweet little doughnuts being deep fried. 

2. Bun Cha, Pork Meatball and Noodle Salad

Next was Bun Cha, a mouthwatering pork meatball and noodle salad. This was extremely more-ish and one of our favourite meals of the day. You must try Bun Cha when you come to Vietnam! The one we had on our Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour came from Bun Cha Ta one of the top restaurants in Hanoi.

3. Nom Thit Bo Kho, Dried Beef Papaya Salad

Then came an excellent Dried Beef Papaya Salad. There was beef jerky which I'm normally not a fan of, but clearly I've never had Vietnamese beef jerky, because this was delicious! The Papaya was a great twist too. 

4. Banh Cuon, Vietnamese Pancakes

Next up were Banh Cuon: Vietnamese Pancakes. The pancake sheet was extremely thin and light and it was packed with pork and vegetables.

They were unlike any pancakes we've ever had and very nice. 

We also got to see them being made, which was really cool:

5. Banh Goi, Pillow Cake 

Next up was Banh Goi, or Pillow cake. These are deep fried crispy pork dumplings. They are known as moon cakes or pillow cakes, and are often served at weddings. 

6. Goi Cuon, Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Our pillow cake were served with Goi Cuon: deep fried spring rolls. These spring rolls contained prawn, pork and vegetables and were very yummy.



After we'd finished our Pillow Cakes and spring rolls, Miss Moon went round the table and asked which we preferred, the results were 50-50, and even the Travelling Weasels were divided (I said spring rolls, Tanbay said Pillow Cakes). Both were delicious though. 

7. Hoc Giao Dam, fruit salad

Next was something we could all enjoy: fruit salad in coconut milk. We were all amused to see avocado alongside our watermelon, dragon fruit, lychee, mango, pineapple and papaya, but as Miss Moon pointed out, it is indeed a fruit. 

Although I still didn't agree that it belonged there, the avocado itself was undeniably delicious, and the coconut milk was great! 

This fruit salad was another of my favourites of the day, the fruit was all so fresh and perfect and the coconut milk worked really well with it.

8. Bia Hoi, Draft Beer.

Next up was a refreshing beer. Despite one of us being German, we're no beer experts. However, this one tasted as good as any other lager we've had and it was very welcome on such a hot afternoon.  

9.Banh Mi, Vietnamese Sandwich

Banh Mi is yet another must for you to try when you come to Vietnam. The bread and the fillings (generally some kind of meat) are excellent. 

10. Ca Phe Trung, Egg Coffee

As the second biggest coffee exporter in the world (after Brazil) Vietnam has a lot of coffee. They also know what to do with it.

One of their specialities (and another thing you must try) is Ca Phe Trung or Egg Coffee. It's absolutely delicious and another one of my highlights of the whole day. It's sort of similar to tiramisu, but has to be tried to be believed. You won't regret it! 

11. Rice Wine 

Last, and definitely least, was the Vietnamese Rice wine. It was pretty vile!! And a lot like vodka. However, finishing our tour by toasting our new friends and Miss Moon in Vietnamese was the perfect end to a lovely tour. 

More information
To find out more, check out our daily vlog (number 62):

More of Vietnam
There are so many things to do in Vietnam! Sadly our trip there was too short to do too much, but luckily our good friend Janet from Journalist on the Run has a list of 50 Unique Things To Do in Vietnam. Check it out! 

Conclusion

As I'm sure you can guess, we absolutely loved our tour with Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour. The food was delicious and it was a truly fun and authentic experience. 

Vietnamese food is delicious and one of our favourite things about one of our new favourite countries. If you love food, you would be wise to make it a priority on your Vietnamese trip too! 

We highly recommend the Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour. To book yours head over to their website: www.hanoistreetfoodtour.com or head straight to their offices (74 & 76 Hang Bac Street at Kim Tour's Building, Old Quarter, Hanoi). And be sure to follow them on Facebook and Google+. 

And to keep up with our own adventures make sure to follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (travelweasels)! 

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Hanoi Street Food Tour, however all opinions are our own as always. 

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