However, despite my "ehh" for Northern food, there were some notable dishes that did stand out.
Hanoi Pho-Hanoi is supposedly the birthplace of pho and where the beef noodle dish, iconic in Vietnamese cuisine, reaches a whole other level of fanaticism not found anywhere else in Vietnam. I've heard two sides--"Hanoi pho is simply the best place to eat pho in all of Vietnam" and "Hanoi pho is so awful and nothing special compared to southern pho."
My verdict? It's good, but still not as good as pho found in the South. The North eats their pho without much vegetables, no hoisen/chili sauce, and lots and lots of MSG (in Hanoi, you have to tell the waiter "pho with no MSG" or you're in for a fistful of MSG for every bowl you ingest...blegh). The broth was good--sort of sweet and savory (thanks to the MSG) and the meat was tender. However, without the vegetables and condiments to flavor it like I'm used to, it felt "boring" to me. No color and none of that sweet/spicy broth that I love to slurp with my noodles. In all, Hanoi pho was not bad, but nothing spectacular as all the talk would suggest.
Snail-I didn't get to eat snail in Saigon yet, so I was excited when I saw a plateful of snails served while up North. It was alright! Very chewy. The snail itself didn't have any standout flavor, other than tasting like a chewy piece of muscle. It was steamed and served without any sauce to dip it in. I popped a few in, more for the fun of pulling them out of their shell. I do wonder, though, if these snails are farmed or were caught wild...
Mountain goat spring rolls-I visited the Ninh Binh region, where billboards advertising delicious mountain goat meat were in front of nearly every restaurant. Mountain goats in this area are free-roaming and can be seen everywhere. The restaurant I visited served mountain goat meat with spring rolls. Seasoned with sesame seeds and placed atop a bit of mint leaves on rice paper (that didn't need to be dipped in water), the mountain goat lost all of the gamey taste I would assume free-ranging mountain goats would have. It was good, kinda sweet like barbecued beef. However, it didn't taste like beef or any other meat I have ever ate for that matter. It didn't taste like chicken, that's for sure. The meat was very tough and chewy, but quite good. In a spring roll and dipped in sweet garlic sauce, this was one dish I really enjoyed.
Com Chay (Burnt Rice)-Looks like rice crispy treats, but tastes like a fattier version of rice cakes. This was a popular sidedish at nearly every restaurant I visited up North. It didn't really taste like anything, but the texture was a nice contrast to the other foods served in the meal. It's really fatty, despite its plain look. It is fried in animal fat. Mmmm...animal fat.
Beef soup-Kinda like crab soup we eat in the south, but with beef. Blegh...disgusting. The texture was so thick, not soupy at all...like eating booger textured soup or something. And the beef pieces didn't help with the globby texture.
Banh Com-At first when I heard banh com, I thought Vietnamese rice crispies. But in the north, banh com is actually these dessert treats. The outside is a sweet and sticky layer of green goodness (I believe it is made out of some sort of flour--it's used in a lot of Viet desserts but I'm not sure exactly what it is called). Inside is a green bean filling. These things are GOOD. Unfortunately, I only bought a few because they expire after four days. Banh com specifically made from this place in Hanoi is supposed to be the best.
Lychee-The best of the north. Southern weather isn't very conducive to growing lychee, which is a fruit found especially in the northern region. We bought 2 kilograms and finished it all within a day. It was so sweet and juicy. Back in the States, if you're lucky you can get some in the Asian supermarket, but never as big and fresh as you can find them in North Vietnam. Just eating these guys beats the not-so-great food I ate my entire time up north.
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