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Hanoi Old Quarter Restaurant

David of @pickydiner fame and I were looking for a nice restaurant for dinner, before an event in the area. Reviewing our options, we naturally agreed on Vietnamese, given what was abundant in the vicinity. And Old Hanoi took the lead, given that their more casual sister restaurant, Mr. Red Cafe is so acclaimed. Not to mention word of mouth has it that Old Hanoi has the best egg coffee in town. I have never had the stuff, but if I am going to try it for the first time, it might as well be the best version of it.

I liked the decor of Old Hanoi, a blend of modern meet traditional with Vietnamese artifacts set against a brick wall. A collection that included handcrafted bamboo masks and baskets, porcelain tea pots and cups, jars of dried goods, and most impressive: a thatched roof over the bar/counter.

Our meal began with pandan tea. As a fan of the herb, I immediately took to this flavoured warm beverage.

The Egg coffee delivers. Served hot, kept warm sitting in a bowl of hot water. It is like if you put an egg foamer over Vietnamese coffee. The creamy topping sweetens the drink. It is incredibly rich, you stir up, but it never mixes in. Drinking it is foamy against your lips, like having melted custard, with small sips of coffee. Eventually you do hit a point where there is more coffee than egg cream, so it would be nice if you could incorporate the two. Too much cream too sweet; too little, the coffee doesn’t take the same. A great pick me up. This might very well be my new favourite type of ethnic coffee.

Without photos on their menu, we solicited our server’s recommendations for some more decorative plates.

Majority of their platters come dressed similarly. A main with an assembly of self serve ingredients to construct your own perfect bites with. Beansprouts, cucumber slices, shredded lettuce, fresh herbs, and rice noodle sheets. This is the one that features Grilled pork patties with pork and prawn spring rolls. The spring rolls were nice and crispy, with the typical flavour that I expect from such. Similarly, the meat balls were still crispy even left soaking in the pool of fish sauce. They had a nice tongue tingling spice to them, best taken in conjunction with a glob of rice roll, saturated in garlicky fish sauce.

The Turmeric fish and fresh dills isn’t something I would come to if thinking of from Vietnamese cuisine. It doesn’t read Vietnam with the dill, but regardless is beautifully fragrant because of it. Served sizzling the tender flaky fish continues to have its edges fried to a crisp. Well seasoned, there is no hiding the turmeric and its accompanying chilli spice. And like the platter above, this too comes with noodles, sauces, and toppings for you mix and match with.

My favourite dish that we had was the Steamed pork and prawn tapioca dumplings. Served freshly steamed, in leaves that you have to unravel. The chewy and gummy texture immediately won me over. Mostly rubbery with bits of meat to gnaw.

Worth noting is how fresh and fragrant everything came. And when food looks this good, you want to capture each plate individually. You don’t feel the need to gather them together for a more is more flat lay.

Old Hanoi is definitely a great spot for some refined Vietnamese food. Come for the egg coffee and stay for a meal. Everything is familiar, yet elevated.

Hanoi Old Quarter Restaurant
5207 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5P 3V4
(604) 327-6789
mrredcafe.ca

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