We took a incredibly scenic train ride from the town of Hoi An to Hue. Hue is the cultural and spiritual center of Vietnam. It was also the capital of the country until 1945. The city of Hue was very vulnerable during the war, as it's central location meant it was very close to the dividing line between north and south. The city was bombed heavily and many of the ancient sites were destroyed. Despite it's painful history, Hue is a vibrant city filled with friendly, welcoming people, who are proud of their unique home. Along with the religious and cultural importance that this city holds, Hue is also famous for it's food. Indeed, many of the residence in Hue that we have chatted with, proudly and confidently state that Hue produces the food with the best quality and taste in all of Vietnam.
Well, with these claims, we had to find out for ourselves. Colin and I had met an Australian couple, Georgia and Simon, a few days earlier on our way to Hoi An. We rode a unexpectedly long ride on a bus together and bonded over stories of Australia, New Zealand, Canada (where they live now), and the emptiness of our stomachs. We had all just gotten off a night train and had had no chance to eat breakfast before we were rather intensely waved onto a bus headed for Hoi An. We exhanged information so we could perhaps grab a meal out later. It worked out great - we ended up arriving in this culinary capital the same day. Simon and Georgia were planning on going to a restaraunt called "The Hanh." Colin and I gladly accepted their kind invitation to join them.
The Hanh is a very popular restarunt in Hue. It has very high ratings on travel sites like tripadvisor, but it is charmingly humble in it's appearance. Located on a quiet street filled with other food stands and hole-in-the-wall diners, the main room is filled with tables and chairs - some plastic, some metal, some wood - and a host of friendly waiters. We all ordered their famous meal - a 5 course dinner. Each item was a Vietnamese, if not specifically Hue, classic.
Foodies would have loved this place. It was delicious food that made us feel like we were getting a truly local experience.
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| Streamed rice cakes with shrimp served with sweet chilli fish sauce. |
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| Nem Lui - the chef's specialty. Pork grilled on lemon grass sticks served with vegatables and peanut sauce and wrapped in rice paper. |
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| Soft rice paper filled with beef and vegetables served with a spicy fish sauce. |
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| Fried spring rolls filled with meat, mushrooms, carrots, and a host of delicious seasonings! |
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| A rice pancake with pork and shrimp. Like eating a rice hard shell taco. :) |
Our most memerable moment of the night was perhaps concerning the bowl of "soup" pictured above. Our waiter brought this to us, along with 3 other small bowls. He spooned a bit into my bowl and said, "Soup." Soup wasn't on the menu, so we were delighted at this extra treat. We all enjoyed our soups and commented on the unique and strong flavours. It really was quite good! It was only at the end of the night that we realized that this "soup" was actually a sauce that was meant to accompany some of the dishes we were served. Yes, we had happily served ourselves bowls of sauce and slurped them down with the tiny sauce spoons we had been given. It may have looked pretty funny to any of the locals who happened to glance at our table, but, hey, we ended up having 6 courses instead of 5!
We bid farewell to our new friends and made it back to our hotel to see the firework show that the city put on that evening in rememberance of the war. Between the flavours of the meal we had enjoyed and the beauty of the night, Hue is shaping up to be a favorite.
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