by Andreas Pohl and Tracey Lister
We live in Hanoi, but when we really want to eat fabulously, we go to Hué, Vietnam's old imperial capital. It is located in the center of the country along the Perfume River, which serves as backdrop and source of the city's many fish markets, one of the bedrocks of its captivating cuisine. The Nguyen emperors, Vietnam's last dynastic rulers, were obsessed over a unified national identity, and codified a way of eating based on wet rice and fish sauce. They also held royal banquets 50 dishes strong. The city's cuisine remains a source of pride; dishes are bold, yet refined. At Tinh Gia Viên Restaurant, we revel in the elevated flavors of the old royal cuisine, snacking on morsels like banh bot loc, banana-leaf parcels of prawns and pork in a translucent tapioca dough. But the food of the street is equally compelling. At stalls in Dông Ba market, we devour the city's signature beef noodle soup, bun bo hué, shot through with lemongrass, fermented-shrimp paste, and chile oil. Wherever we eat in Hué we're guaranteed extravagant flavors.
Tinh Gia Viên Restaurant
7K/28 Le Tanh Ton Street
84/54/522-243
Dông Ba market
13 Tran Hung Dao
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