Thick, sweet, egg custard froth with chocolatey Vietnamese coffee, ca phe trung is a dessert. Really, it’s just a strong coffee flavoured, wine-less sabayon, made by whisking egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and other ingredients until fluffy and adding to coffee. Yeah, pretty much tastes as great as it sounds.

The best place I’ve found to drink this concoction is Giang Cafe on Nguyễn Hữu Huân. It’s hidden down a small alley, but is well sign posted from the street. Head down the passageway and then up the stairs to a hidden oasis away from the bustle of the Old Quarter. On a recent visit we ordered our egg coffees iced, with a shot a rum. Highly recommended. Here, the ca phe trung doesn’t taste at all like egg, but the egg is evident in the richness, texture and body of the drink. They also have ca cao trung (egg chocolate) and dau xanh trung (egg mung bean), and bia trung – something I will definitely try on my next visit.

Cafe Giang is old and famous and there are loads of articles on the internet about history of the place, including on Vice and The Telegraph, so I won’t regurgitate facts. Just go there and drink ca phe trung.

If you’re in Hanoi, and can’t get to, or find, Giang Cafe, the next best option is to try one of the other small cafes, of which you’ll find multitudes, around Hanoi. I haven’t drunk extensively in this department, but what I have tasted is not bad, but not as great as can be had at Cafe Giang.

But don’t go to the guide-book famous Cafe Pho Co, a place I will no longer visit or recommend. This is a hidden place at the top of Hoan Kiem lake which is fun to find and used to have an incredible view, but no longer. Sometime recently there was a renovation that removed some of the charm of the place and most of the view. On a recent visit, it was full of tourists, not a local in sight, not a surprise as they’re generously represented, and favourably reviewed in guide books and online. Coupled with exceptionally poor service and high prices, double that of Cafe Giang, the quality and taste of the drink would have to be superlative to even compare. And with mediocre ca phe trung, it just doesn’t. Give this place a miss. 

Giang Cafe

39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân
Also at, though I think this may be owned/run by a different family member 106 Yên Phụ
ca phe trung 25,000 vnd

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Here’s a dish that I often overlook. It seems so insubstantial, more of a snack than a meal, yet every time I eat these crisp, thin rice flour crepes filled with prawns, pork, mung beans and bean sprouts, I walk away sated. They are Bánh xèo (bang say-oh), often called ‘Vietnamese Pancakes’, and are commonly served alongside nem lui, smoky and fragrant grilled minced pork skewers.

A huge platter of mixed greens including coriander, mint, perilla, culantro, fish mint, rice paddy herb lettuce and mustard greens to name a few, pickles, rice paper and nuoc cham for dipping arrives, often before the ordering is done. Shortly after, the main event lands. In this case, three small shrimp-heavy pancakes make one portion, the nem lui are shaped on disposable chopsticks and the dipping sauce has peanuts. Further south you might get just one large pancake, or the nem lui might be wrapped around lemongrass skewers, or may not even be offered at all. There may be no rice paper, but it’s a feature here in Hanoi.

The lacy crepes are made from a rice flour with turmeric powder lending it’s yellow tinge. The ‘xèo’ is said to be from the sizzling sound of the batter hitting the hot oil.

Check out how banh xeo is made and eaten(and see the ‘xèo’ sizzle) in this video made by my talented husband:

The rolls can be filled with any combination of the herbs, a hunk of banh xeo or a nem lui (or both). Each different combination of herbs lends a different accent. Some are peppery, others bright, rice paddy herb is succulent and lemony, culantro is tough and strong. In this way the meal is varied and interesting, and before you realise it, half over. If the initial spread wasn’t enough, an extra handful of greens, bowl of pickles, or sheaf of rice paper are always on offer.

Banh xeo is all flavour. There’s no carb-heavy filler, but instead a balance between greasy and fresh, crunch and mellow, spicy and sour that’s fulfilling without weighing you down. It’s a meal that’s generous and inexpensive and best enjoyed on the street.

Where to eat Banh Xeo:

• From the pictures and video, this streetside place at 165 Yen Phu is open from lunchtime into the evening. It’s the best place local to us, but it’s not worth travelling for.
• Doi Can, Hanoi – At night several banh xeo stalls appear along this street.
• Banh Xeo 46A – 46 Đinh Công Tráng, Tân Định, 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam. Apparently quality has fallen at this famous restaurant in recent years.

Or just look for a sign and a cluster of tables, often in the evening. But don’t be fooled by ‘Bánh xèo Nhật Bản’ (Banh xeo Japan), because it’s actually going to be okonomiyaki.

Streetside banh xeo is cheap. A serve of pancakes is between 10,000 – 20,000vnd, nem lui go for about 5,000 a stick, so a good meal for two can cost less than 100,000vnd (~$6AU)

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I’m writing this at my dining table, fans blasting against another 30°+ Hanoi night. I probably should be doing work, but I just can’t get my head into it.

There’s loads of other things that I probably should be doing, like throwing away half of the clothes in my closet, or watching this, or organising whatever it is that’s festering in the junk corner behind the door. Because after living in this apartment for 2.5 years, we’re moving in a fortnight. Luckily, we’re just going one floor up – this building is a gem in Hanoi, lovely apartments (with ovens!), quiet, insulated, with a landlord who offers rice wine, but understands when you don’t want to drink it.

I also probably should be researching what to eat in Myanmar, and planning an itinerary. On a whim we bought some cheap flights before knowing anything about the realities of travelling there. What could possibly go wrong!

But really I’m just counting down the minutes until my husband gets home from work, when we will assemble big bowls of this delicious soup and start watching the second season of Bloodline. Actually, instead of writing this, I probably should be reading a synopsis of season one in preparation.

Having never been to Mexico, I hesitate to call this soup ‘Mexican’. It’s not pretending to be authentic, but it’s got the bold flavours and ingredients typical of the cuisine. It’s quick to make, unfussy, endlessly adaptable, simple and very tasty. The tortillas give the soup a nice body and heft, something that tomato soups require. Here I added roasted cherry tomatoes, fried tortilla chips, grilled corn, black beans, lime and coriander to the soup to make it more of a meal, which I’ve just realised is vegan.

You probably should make this.

Tortilla tomato soup

As with most soups, this is a very flexible recipe, more of an outline really.
For a more refined finish you can peel the tomatoes (core, slice a cross in the bottom then drop in a large pot of rapidly boiling water for ~20 seconds, refresh in iced water then drain and peel), but it’s not necessary.
You can also use stock instead of water, vegetable or chicken would work well.

Serves 4 (entree)

1 onion, chopped
olive oil
8 large tomatoes, chopped, roughly
3 tortillas (we can really only get flour tortillas here, so I’ve never tried this with corn ones, but I’m sure it’d work, these are about dinner plate sized), chopped roughly
4 cloves garlic, peeled
chilli (fresh, dried, or both – as much as you can tolerate)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
stalks of a bunch of coriander (reserve leaves for serving)
vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

to serve:
lime
coriander leaves

Heat a large pot over a medium-high flame, add a glug of olive oil then the onion and sweat. When the onion has softened and is a little browned, add the whole cloves of garlic, chilli and tortillas and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tortillas are a little browned and toasted.
Deglaze with a splash of vinegar, then add the coriander stems, spices and salt and pepper.
When fragrant, add the tomatoes and some water – enough to loosen the mixture and ensure it doesn’t stick, but don’t cover the tomatoes or the finished soup will be too thin.
Cover and simmer until the tomatoes have fallen apart, about 15 minutes. Blend, taste for seasoning, you may need to add more salt and pepper, a touch of sugar or some more vinegar, depending on the quality of the tomatoes. If it’s too thick, add more water to achieve a nice consistency (I don’t like it too thick, but it should be sturdy enough to hold up all the toppings).

Serve hot or warm with some coriander leaves, a squeeze of lime and bread or tortillas for a simple meal, or add any or all of the following toppings for a feast:
– tortilla chips – cut some extra tortillas up and either bake (spread on a baking tray, season with salt, pepper and any of the spices from the soup, drizzle with oil and bake in a 180 oven for a few minutes) or fry in a little oil in a hot pan.
– beans – black or red kidney beans
– corn – grilled then sliced off the cob
– roasted tomatoes – wash cherry tomatoes, put in an oven proof dish, season with salt, pepper, vinegar and a splash of olive oil. Roast in a hot oven until they’re blistered and have lost their shape.
– cheese – grated tasty, soft fresh, really anything that is not too strong in flavour.
– avocado
– red onion
– shredded roasted chicken or pork
– crunchy pork or chicken rinds
– sour cream

You get the idea.

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I used to make pizza for a living. While I was at university I worked in a popular local pizza and gelato joint and, as is often the case with such things, I rarely had any desire to eat pizza. And when I did, I had a pizza oven at my disposal. So there was no need to figure out how to make it at home.

Then there were those years spent in Korea where I lost my taste for pizza, after enduring one too many sweet potato, mustard and seafood monstrosities (Korean pizza is a weird thing). Back in Hanoi, there’s good pizza available for a price.

Sausage, cherry tomatoes, fresh cheese and basil

But now, with a husband who loves homemade pizza, I’ve spent the last little while trying to find an easy homemade pizza recipe that doesn’t require any special equipment. My kitchen situation is pretty basic, but we do have that most coveted (in Asia) of items – an oven.

Potato pizza, cooked too much.

So this isn’t an experiment in stove/grill top pizza, and not in toppings either, but is more focussed on an easy to replicate, low-effort pizza dough that can be successfully cooked in a domestic oven. And I found it.

Jim Lahey’s no knead pizza dough takes 5 minutes to prepare and the most difficult part of making it is subtracting 18 hours from dinner time, so you know when to start the process. I’ve made a bunch of large rectangular ‘lunch-time’ pizzas with anything from white sauce with cauliflower to simple tomato and cheese toppings. But even better is cooking it in a cast iron pan for an even quicker cooking time and a crisp bottom.

Easy homemade pizza

The recipe for the dough comes from Jim Lahey (no knead pizza dough) by way of Serious Eats, and it’s seriously good. I’ve included two variations here – large baking tray sized ones, and small round cooked in a cast iron pan version. The cast iron version is the winner with a crisp bottom and great texture.
I also testing using whey leftover from making fresh cheese, in place of water. This created a sour dough, with more flavour depth.

For the Dough:
3 ¾ cup flour (I used plain flour as this is all I have easy access to, and it works well)
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups water (or whey, or a combination of both for a less sour outcome)

– Mix all the ingredients together until it comes together in a shaggy ball. Cover with plastic wrap and sit at room temperature for about 18 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

– Tip dough onto a floured work surface and divide into two (for large rectangular pizzas) or four (if you want to make smaller pizzas). To shape the dough – pull the right side towards the centre, then do the same for the left, top and bottom to make four layers. Make this ball round, with the seam on the bottom, add a little more flour if it’s sticky.

– Dough can be used immediately, or wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for a few days. Be sure to remove the dough from the fridge a few hours before you need it, in order for it to come up to room temperature.

To make large rectangular pizzas
– Heat your oven as high as it’ll go, with your baking tray inside.

– Push or roll the dough out on a sheet of baking paper. Try not to manipulate it too much or it will lose its bubbles and character. If it starts to bounce back, and is still too thick, let it rest for a few minutes and then try again (you may want to cover it so it doesn’t dry out).

– Add toppings.

– Transfer your pizza using the baking paper to the piping hot tray and put in the oven. Cook until the edges are brown, the dough has puffed and the toppings are ready. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the dough and the oven temperature, anywhere from 5 – 15 minutes (just keep an eye on it).

To make smaller pizzas
– Heat your oven as high as it’ll go, with a cast iron pan inside.

– Push or roll out the dough on a floured work surface. Try to make it the size and shape of your pan.

– When the oven is hot, carefully remove the cast iron pan. Dust it with a little flour (or, add a little oil for a crisp bottom).

– Place the dough in the hot pan and quickly add toppings, then return it to the hot oven and cook until ready.

Toppings:
Potato – Peel and finely slice a few potatoes, then put in salted water for about 30 minutes to soften. Drain, mix with sliced onion, seasoning, olive oil and layer on top of the pizza.

Easy tomato sauce – Strain a tin of whole peeled tomatoes. Blend with some garlic, pepper and herbs.

Plus all the usuals – use your imagination!

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Ice cream made without proper churning is often a grainy, icy disappointment. As is most ice cream bought in Hanoi, unfortunately. Here’s the solution: no-churn frozen yogurt, made using homemade yogurt and super-ripe fruit, mango in this case.

Power outages happen occasionally in my Hanoi neighbourhood, but the poor quality of the frozen goods here seems to be a direct result of disdain for generally accepted freezer conventions. Things are changing for the better, but in my experience there’s a high probability that the ice block you choose in the mini-mart freezer lucky dip will have partially melted and refrozen at least once. Just last week we parked at a favourite lunch time spot next to a bike with a bag full of Celano’s hanging from the hook in direct sunlight. The owner was inside getting take-away, not a quick stop as every meal is freshly prepared, while the poor ice creams disappeared into oblivion.

I could just buy an ice cream machine, but that’s a slippery slope to diabetes, and also another gadget that isn’t easily available here that will have to be stored in our tiny kitchen and given up when we inevitably leave.

In order to get the creamy texture it’s essential to pre-freeze the fruit and add enough fat/sugar so that it doesn’t freeze solid. This recipe is adapted from several others, to use ingredients that are easily available here and affordable in Hanoi. The cream cheese increases the fat content and provides creaminess and tang without making this cream cheese freeze. I use my homemade yogurt, which is sour and thick, and ripe mangoes that I’ve peeled, de-seeded and frozen the day before. I’ve found this mixture doesn’t freeze too solid and is still scoopable a week later.

No-churn Mango Frozen Yogurt

The key here is to use frozen fruit. I’ve tried with fresh fruit and the result is an ice crystal mess. The cream cheese adds more fat so it retains creaminess and softness when frozen. This is only lightly sweet, adjust the amount of condensed milk to your taste, and also add more if your fruit isn’t sweet.

2 mango (about 2 cups worth), peeled, seeded, sliced and frozen
1 cup yogurt (try with homemade yogurt
100g cream cheese
3 tablespoons condensed milk (or more if you prefer a sugar rush)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the fruit is pureed, you may have to scrape down the sides to get everything included properly. Transfer to a container, cover and freeze.

It should be ready in about 4-6 hours, but it will keep for much longer.

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