‘I eat 7 meals in Hue for 350,000 VND’

During a day discovering the ancient capital of Hue (Thua Thien-Hue), I had the opportunity to enjoy bun bo, filter cake, mussel rice, snail, wet cake, roasted pig’s filter powder tea, and an impressive Western town cocktail.

Without any advance plan, two friends and I quickly booked a plane ticket to Hue on the first weekend of April. The ticket price at this time is quite cheap, the round-trip ticket plus our fees is about 1 , 2 million dong. Arriving in Hue, we stayed at the hotel to rest in the center and rented a motorbike for 120,000 VND / unit to explore the city. Besides visiting famous destinations, we also experience the delicious Hue flavor here. Breakfast with Hue beef noodle soup A friend introduced Bun Bo Loan restaurant on Phan Chu Trinh street, about 300 meters from my hotel. Around 8am, the shop was crowded with diners, I had to wait for the seating arrangement for about 5 minutes. Noodle cooking place is placed on one side of the door, the other side is the path leading to the dining table area. I am impressed with the rather fancy aluminum pot for making vermicelli. At first glance, it looks quite like a cot. The owner explained that aluminum is a good heat-retaining material, the pot has a large capacity, the mouth is small, so the broth will boil faster. An eye-catching bowl of Hue beef noodle soup costs 50,000 VND. We ordered 3 full bowl of Hue beef noodle soup. The meal is beautifully presented with a large crab pie, attractive meat. When enjoying, I can feel the bar broth, not too salty like some addresses in Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, for diners with strong taste, the food here seems a bit pale, does not smell like fish sauce. My biggest questioning point is that the noodle here is small, unlike my experience and default of Hue beef vermicelli. As a follower of Hue beef vermicelli, in Ho Chi Minh City, whenever I hear delicious sounds, I come to try and sell big noodle almost everywhere. I have always thought, that is the characteristic of Hue delicacy until I enjoy it here. Asked some friends born and raised in Hue, I received a solid answer: “Must be a microfiber”. On forums or social networks, the question of small or large Hue beef noodle soup is still a matter of controversy. Overall, a bowl of vermicelli priced at VND 50,000 here is too perfect to start a new day in Hue. Lunch at Dong Ba market was not impressive After about 3 hours visiting Dai Noi, our group decided to stop by Dong Ba market for lunch. The market is introduced as one of the symbols not to be missed when traveling to the ancient capital. This place was formed in 1899 under the reign of King Thanh Thai. Walking along the side aisle, I went to the dining area and decided to stop at the stalls selling the most food, the most crowded, above which hung a check-in photo of chef Anthony Bourdain. Because there is not enough space, most customers will sit in the rows of chairs placed around the counter, choose dishes and chat with the owner. I ordered banh beo, cha, banh beo, spring rolls, but quite disappointed. The dish is not heated so it is chewy and loses its inherent flavor. The only bright spot is spring rolls made from pureed pork, seasoned, wrapped in a skewer and dotted with fish sauce. The meal is about 30,000 VND / person. Meal in Dong Ba market is cold and not delicious. Also during lunch, I moved to Mrs. Mung mussel rice shop located on Truong Dinh street. The restaurant is not too popular in the tourist community but is loved by the locals. Mung is 69 years old this year, selling mussel rice for 35 years. In addition to mussel rice, the shop also has bread of all kinds and Hue beef vermicelli. At noon, the restaurant is quite empty compared to the opposite brand. In return, we enjoyed delicious food, cheap price and enthusiastic service attitude. The dish is a combination of cold white rice, herbs, thai banana corn, chili, fat tart, crispy pork skin, pork belly, peanuts … served with a cup of hot mussel water is quite complete. Meals and drinks totaling 86,000 VND. Three servings of mussel rice, drinking water cost 86,000 VND. In the afternoon, on the way from Thien Mu Pagoda to the city center, I stop by to try Huyen Anh grilled meat rolls. This is famous as a long-standing restaurant, attracting a lot of tourists and local people. The space is spacious, the tables and chairs are arranged scientifically, so even though it is crowded, I still feel comfortable. We order a portion of wet cake and grilled pork vermicelli for 80,000 VND. Thinly coated wet cake, wrapped with vegetables and grilled meat inside, dipping with spicy fish sauce reminds me forever. Many people comment that the meal is a bit small and the price here is quite high compared to the general premises. Wet cake rolled with grilled meat dipped in a strange spicy fish sauce. Hue at night is not sad If you have time, you can enjoy the juices. 17-18h, the restaurant of Ms. Hue, located on Le Ngo Cat Street, is very crowded, we have to wait about 15 minutes before the food is served. As the name suggests, the cake is made from fresh filter powder, grease, onion, and egg pressed on a cast iron pan. I rolled cake with raw vegetables, sour food and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce. The toughness of the pressed cake mixed with fragrant eggs, fatty grease and salty fish sauce made me fall in love. Snails, snails smoking with salty marinade and lots of chili, spicy ginger fish sauce is a night dish you should not miss. A snail like a photo costs 30,000 VND, suitable for sipping and watching the romantic Perfume River at night. Try snacks at night in Hue. We end our day exploring Hue cuisine with a cool, unique cocktail at Aura Mixology. Behind the soundproof glass doors, the cocktail bar on Tay Chu Van An street has a soft color that is completely different from the bustle outside. Around 22:00 we were the last guests at the restaurant. “Since it opened at the end of 2020 and during the outbreak, there is still a small number of people visiting the shop,” said a bartender, pouring drinks into a glass and said. In the dim light, soft music playing, I became relieved after a day of traveling quite a lot. The impressive Nguyen Dynasty Cocktail costs 140,000 VND. I chose a cocktail glass Nguyen Dynasty (Nguyen Dynasty) according to the recommendation of the staff. Drinks have a rather fancy form, a mix of modern and traditional when placed on a wooden tray, with a cup of Chuon village rice and incense. The drink leans towards the sweet, sweet taste that I like, not too heavy and with a hint of the familiar apricot flavor. The bartender likes to chat with guests, enthusiastically asking how the drink is. In a short day, I have not had the opportunity to try many dishes as well as to visit these famous attractions. However, with about 350,000 VND, I brought myself experience and kept my appointment to return to Hue at the earliest opportunity.