5 western restaurants to check out in Trung Hoa

In the past I have showcased 5 decent but forgotten places to dine in, and 5 great street food locations in the area. This time its worth mentioning 5 sit in restaurants that were great to eat in, be it after a long week, as a weekend treat, or just to get stuffed! All of these are restaurants that served foreign foods, so if you have had one too many bún chả’s, then these 5 are worth checking out.

Spices

Spices: Taste of India was the go to Indian restaurant for us. We didn’t head to the Old Quarter much during the internship so we missed out on PK Spice, Namaste, Grills & Gravy and Nan n Kabab. Until then, there was Spices. At first hard to find, it became second nature after a few weeks of checking out the area. True to my own personal tradition, I came here after my first paycheck. Dishes are the standard fare, with biryani’s lacking curry sauce but with yoghurt. Chettinad is here as well, though Veda in Ireland does seem to do it better. However, the interior is really fancy, and Tiger beers are huge, at 500ml, giving it more brownie points. Always worth dining in, even a few years of working in Hanoi later.

Pizza Pompeii’s

2 Pizzerias were contested in Trung Hoa. Ciao 40 made a strong case, with Lizzy really liking it and with great pasta dishes, but Pompeiis had it all. It was a favourite of Megan, and worked especially well for group events. Jon’s farewell (spoilers for later) and Laura’s birthday were celebrated here. It does pizza without cheese in stone fired ovens. Pepperoni pizzas were simply perfect here. The chef was from Naples and had a serious love of both his own and Vietnamese culture. All in, it was a must have for anyone after something above your typical Dominos pizza.

Update from the future: Pizza Pompeii’s may have moved from Hoang Dao Thuy street in Hanoi, so double check before visiting or taking a date there. You may have to settle with Tokyo Deli next door.

Thai Express

Admittedly its sheen wore off as it was a franchise chain, but nonetheless this was where to get really enjoyable Thai food. They served great curries, Pad Thai’s and even coconut ice cream! I would eat with house 5 here, as well as Rebecca. Staff were friendly, and you could get a small discount with their loyalty card. My only gripe would be betting served beer in a glass of ice rather than being served chilled, but its a minor quibble. If you arrive in Vietnam and for whatever reason want Thai food, Thai Express will do, and there are other branches in the country, generally in Vincom megamalls. Other locations included the Lotte Tower, Saigon or even Bien Hoa!

Paris Baguette

This was a boulangerie/cafe hybrid, with waffles, doughnuts and sandwiches available. My personal favourite was popcorn chicken with lettuce in a demi baguette. Really tasty and worth sitting down for, but in most cases Paris Baguette was a place for takeaway foods. Nonetheless I dined with Rebecca here (seeing a pattern?) and it was definitely better to have a conversation here than other, noisier places. The staff really went plastic paddy for the French, wearing the berets and striped clothing with a blue backdrop and Eiffel Towers. All that was missing was the twirling moustache and string of garlic! All in, a better place to eat than the similarly named Paris Gateaux. Check it out.

Ciao 40

I was torn between putting this or Al Fresco’s on the list but ultimately Al Fresco’s was another franchise chain like Thai Express, and it did feel less special when it turned out to have branches in Saigon. Ciao 40 on the other hand had a stronger identity overall, but both Italian restaurants were excellent.
As stated earlier with Pompeii’s, Lizzy really enjoyed Ciao 40 and highly recommended it. The interiors are really fancy, and the sort of place you would take a very attractive woman to for a date with wine and pasta. The pasta dishes especially impressed, and with a wide variety of dishes you wouldn’t be disappointed with the selection.

Some honourable mentions go to Poseidon in Hanoi centerpoint, an absolutely massive Fish buffet restaurant, but you need to know what you are doing going in (ie following the Vietnamese line!) and Cowboy Jack’s, an American themed restaurant beside Vuvuzela that did the usual MURICA’ stuff and pints at similar prices. A McDonalds has since been build across the road too, so maybe if you would want western food there is that as well. In any case, for a large built up area of Vietnam’s capital, it still had a few places to keep you from feeling too homesick.