Messy Witchen - Food, Recipe, Dining Blog

Hanoi

Chả Cá Phan @ Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Our day 2 in Hanoi has been mainly about eating and eating. More to come but first here’s what we had for lunch: chả cá Lã Vọng. What’s in the name? Chả cá means grilled fish and Lã Vọng is the name of a statue of either the God of fisherman or poet (I found two versions of the story out there). I’ll skip how the dish comes about and let you find out yourself (it has to do with Lã Vọng and then more). 😉 In short, chả cá Lã Vọng is a dish of turmeric grilled fish with dill.

Similar to bún chả, chả cá Lã Vọng is hail from Hanoi. There’s a street called Chả Cá in Old Quarter dedicated to this dish where it takes its root. I gave those tourist-famous chả cá Lã Vọng restaurants a miss, and instead, choose Chả Cá Phan because it’s mostly patronized by locals and also because the Vietnamese reviewers gave quite good reviews online.

Come feast on chả cá Lã Vọng or turmeric grilled fish with dill.

March 7, 2020
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Hanoi

Pablo Cheesetart @ Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

On day 2 of our Hanoi trip, we took a walk along Phan Chu Trinh street after a super brief visit to Hanoi Opera House. We were eyeing O’Douceurs located on this street and even went inside but finally, but alas we decided to skip it. Since it was past 11am and the weather was even hotter, we were reminded of the tasty ice-cream that we enjoyed earlier at Kem Tràng Tiền. We knew Pablo Cheesetart, Japan’s famous cheese tart chain is just around the corner and chooses to take a break there for the air conditioning first and sweet treats second.

The moment I stepped into Pablo Hanoi, I was at awe with the interior design. It was chic, modern and comfy. This is the first floor interior. Beautiful ain’t it?

I’ve only tried Pablo Cheesetart once before this which was at Osaka a few years back. Pablo Hanoi was our 2nd time. So, ahem… we ordered two minis for sharing while enjoying the cool air and cosy ambience.

February 27, 2020
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Hanoi

Delicious Ice-Cream @ Kem Tràng Tiền, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

While visiting the French Quarter on day 2 of our Hanoi trip, we stopped by Kem Tràng Tiền for a much needed break. It was only 10am and the weather was hot and humid. Oh, we welcomed the sight of Kem Tràng Tiền cheerfully with open arms!

Kem Tràng Tiền offers old school ice-cream taste in the shape of a cone, stick, cup and ice-cream box. Besides that, they also sell soft serve, mochi ice-cream and Givral bakery’s French treats and cakes. I was looking forward to the visit because I grew up eating these kinds of ice-cream and also how awesome it is to enjoy them in another country with the locals. You know it’s their favorite when you see young and old enjoying Kem Tràng Tiền ice-cream! 🍦❤️

Kem Tràng Tiền was founded in 1958 and that’s over 60 years of history, experiences and memories. Located at Tràng Tiền street, it’s a charming road that somehow reminds me of Shijo dori in Kyoto.

February 21, 2020
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Hanoi

Bun Cha Ta Hanoi @ Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

I visited Hanoi in October last year for a duration of 4 days and 3 nights with my sister. Although it’s a short trip, we enjoyed the trip immensely especially the vibes in the Old Quarter and the delicious Vietnamese food.

On our first night, we had bún chả at Bun Cha Ta Hanoi. I have never tried bún chả before so I was really excited about it. I knew beforehand that Bun Cha Ta Hanoi caters mainly to tourist, but because I was tempted by its good reviews so I went with it without putting any expectation.

Our first ever meal in Vietnam is bún chả. 😋

Bún chả is a Hanoian dish of grilled pork with rice vermicelli. It also comes with fresh herbs and vegetables. This dish was made even more famous by Anthony Bourdain and Barrack Obama when they shared a meal of bún chả together for Bourdain’s travel show in 2016. I didn’t patronize the restaurant that they went to.

February 18, 2020
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Breakfast & Brunch, Chinese, Pork, Quick & Easy

Beautiful Mess Siu Yuk Egg Scramble

Siu yuk, sio bak or Chinese crispy roasted pork belly is a much-loved meat dish that’s usually eaten with rice and noodles. Then, there’s curry chee cheong fun with siu yuk which I rarely find but makes my mouth water at the thought, and finally, there’s my dad’s yummy stir-fry siu yuk! The point is, siu yuk is awesome with everything and even on its own (when the siu yuk is made right that is).

This recipe was created when I was making a simple scrambled egg. I had just roasted siu yuk two weeks before and had some left in the freezer. Into the scrambled egg, the siu yuk goes and the rest is history. I have made this egg dish thrice so far in the span of 6 days, and all 3 times they look different on the outside (mostly messy) but the taste is the same. 😛 That’s why I called it a beautiful mess. It’s actually a matter of controlling the time (when to fold) and keeping in mind that the bulky whole siu yuk has some to do with the overall look too.

Beautiful mess siu yuk & egg scramble. 💥❤️🥚🍳🐷

October 5, 2019
1,495 views

Klang

End Of An Era: Emporium Makan, Klang

I grew up alongside Emporium Makan, which is Klang’s oldest and longest operating food court. Opened in mid-1969, Emporium Makan is located strategically in the heart of Klang town. This half a century-old food court, unfortunately, is bound to be demolished. It’ll soon be the latest victim of demolished heritage buildings in the Royal Town of Klang. It’s this kind of time that I pray 🙏 our Sultan Selangor can intervene and help save Emporium Makan just like how he saved Kuan Yin Temple (over a century old!) from being demolished due to termites many years ago.

There used to be a supermarket called Gama on the first floor which was very popular in the 80s. However, the supermarket closed down a long time ago and efforts to make the empty place happening again failed big time. Besides, the vacant first floor isn’t in good condition.

Packed! At one of the famous stall at Emporium Makan. Coincidentally, this is where I usually eat.

September 15, 2019
3,119 views

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