Though social distancing restrictions have been eased in Hà Nội and HCM City, many restaurants are still delivering food home to treat gourmands safely at home. Minh Thu lists some of her favourites.
Luk Lak Vietnamese Restaurant
Address: 4A, Lê Thánh Tông Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội
Hotline: 0943 143 686
Website: luklak.vn
YUM: A tray of bánh cuốn Phủ Lý (rice paper Phủ Lý-style served with grilled pork). Photo courtesy of Luk Lak
This restaurant brings a unique culinary experience of popular Vietnamese dishes such as bánh cuốn Phủ Lý (rice paper Phủ Lý-style served with grilled pork), bún ốc (snail rice noodle soup) and pigeon sticky rice in lotus leaves. My picks during quarantine include egg coffee. Due to the pandemic, we can’t enjoy the world-famous drink at coffee shops downtown, but Luk Lak delivers the iconic egg coffee, which is still creamy and fragrant when it gets to your home. Currently, the restaurant is giving one free cup for every three cups purchased.
iSushi Restaurant
Address: 16-18 Nguyễn Chí Thanh Stree, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội
Hotline: 0947988088
Website: isushi.com.vn
SWISH SUSHI: The restaurant offers an authentic Japanese cuisine with a staggering menu of Japanese traditional sushi. Photo courtesy of the restaurant
The restaurant offers authentic Japanese cuisine with a staggering selection of sushi. While maki consists of raw or grilled fish, veggies and rice rolled up in seaweed, nigiri contains thin slices of raw fish, octopus, steamed shrimp and grilled eel served atop rice. California rolls have similar materials to maki but are rolled inside-out. All the ingredients are very fresh. After a tray of assorted sushi, I always save a place for saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel with salt) which is served with rice and miso soup. The fish skin is burnt a little, bringing an ocean scent and impressively sweet taste.
Lobster Restaurant
Address: 168 Nguyễn Khánh Toàn Street, Cầu Giấy District, Hà Nội
Hotline: 0246 686 6168 or 0918 078 168
Website: nhahangtomhum.com
GIVE IT UP FOR LOBSTER: Baked lobster in cheese and mashed potato is the signature dish at Lobster Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant
It’s nice to treat yourself to some fine dining, and you can still enjoy that at home. This restaurant serves lobster, Canadian mussels, Norwegian salmon, king crab and more top-notch seafood. I recommend ordering a lobster and asking the chef to make it to three or four dishes with it, like sashimi lobster, grilled lobster with butter and garlic, baked lobster with cheese and mashed potatoes and lobster head congee. It’s an ideal way to enjoy the speciality to the fullest.
Bún Chả Sinh Từ chain
Hotline: 19002866 or 0914461525
Website: bunchasinhtu.vn
CLASSIC: Bún Chả Sinh Từ chain treats gourmets with authentic bún chả (rice noodle with grilled pork). Photo courtesy of the restaurant
With many restaurants in Hà Nội and HCM City, this chain offers authentic bún chả (rice noodles with grilled pork) in Hà Nội style. A set includes rice noodles, two kinds of chả: grilled meatballs and sliced pork, a sauce mixed from fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, chilli, black pepper and water and various kinds of herbs. Crispy spring rolls are available as an add-on.
Hải Sản Phố Restaurant
Address: 48 Liễu Giai Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội
Hotline: 0941888148
Website: haisanpho.vn
OCEAN OF FLAVOURS: As many as 50 different species of seafood are available at Hải Sản Phố Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant
Inspired by Hawaii, the restaurant is impressive with palm trees, seafood tanks and spacious dining rooms on the area of 3,000sq.m. You can enjoy a 30 per cent discount for ordering food home and free delivery for orders within 10km of the restaurant. As many as 50 different species of seafood are available, so you should be able to find something you like. You can order live fish or ready-to-eat dishes. The chefs can make the delicacies in European, Asian and Vietnamese style.
Kampong Chicken House
Hotline: 0835935555
Website: kampongchickenhouse.com.vn
FEEL LIKE CHICKEN TONIGHT: Apart from Hainan style chicken rice, Kampong Chicken House serves various delicacies.Photo courtesy of the chain
This is paradise for chicken lovers. Apart from the signature chicken rice in Hainan style, you can order various delicacies such as slow-cooked chicken soup with mushroom, chicken soup with aloe vera, boneless chicken feet salad, deep-fried chicken wings in fish sauce and fried tofu with salted eggs. The chicken is very fresh and well marinated making the dish delicious and unforgettable. The chilli and ginger are ground daily to make the special sauce for the chicken rice. To encourage people to stay at home, the chain offers free side dishes for orders starting from VNĐ300,000. VNS
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