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We tried Obama's favourite Vietnamese restaurant

Bun Cha Huong Lien is located in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle
Bun Cha Huong Lien is located in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle

Full disclaimer first up: before this meal I had never eaten a Vietnamese dish before in my life.

And yes – I know – I’ve been hugely missing out this entire time, which I definitely realised after visiting Bun Cha Huong Lien in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Before getting on my Vietnam Airlines flight to the capital city, everyone told me, “you have to try pho”! But while pho may get all the glory, I found out it’s not the only noodle dish worth eating.

The streets of Hanoi are lined with hundreds of tiny, cheap, and delicious eateries, but as soon as we rocked up to this restaurant you knew it was the place to be.

It was absolutely packed and the lines for takeaway went out the door. It doesn’t look like much; stainless steel tables with small plastic stools lined the two dining levels.

The tables are set with salad, spices, sauces and rice noodles. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle
The tables are set with salad, spices, sauces and rice noodles. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle

It didn’t take long to work out why it was so popular. It turns out, back in May 2016, recently retired US president Barack Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain shared a meal and a beer here.

Obama caught up with the chef as part of Bourdain’s CNN travel show Parts Unknown, and photos of the famous visit are all over the walls and on the menu itself.

Obama and Bourdain visited in 2016, before the TV chefs death. Photo: Instagram/anthonybourdain
Obama and Bourdain visited in 2016, before the TV chefs death. Photo: Instagram/anthonybourdain

Bun Cha Huong Lien’s specialty is a local classic, bún chả. The traditional Vietnamese dish consists of grilled pork (chả) served in a broth or dipping sauce, along with rice noodles (bún) and fresh herbs.

We sat down just two tables from where Obama and Bourdain dined years before.

The table was already laid out with plates of cold rice noodles, leafy greens and herbs, cut chilli, minced ginger and garlic, and pickled vegetables, all to share, as well as a dipping sauce made from fish sauce.

You then get served steaming fresh individual bowls of the grilled pork. The total meal costs about $2.50.

Absolutely loved this simple but delicious meal. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle
Absolutely loved this simple but delicious meal. Photo: Yahoo Lifestyle

And I loved every single drop of it.

Admittedly I needed to tie the top ends of my chopsticks together in order to actually be able to use them, but once I got the hang of it I demolished that meal and was itching for more.

It was a memorable first Vietnamese meal and while the place itself wasn’t anything special, it felt like I was walking in some famous footsteps.

I’ve definitely been converted to the cuisine!

Yahoo Lifestyle visited Hanoi as a guest of Vietnam Airlines.

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