Shhh! Did you know? The canteen at the Vietnam Embassy opens its doors to the non-Embassy crowd on Fridays from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Take the back lane to enter, you'd find a dark blue board on a rather old door signalling that's the entry to the canteen. The interiors are simple, basic, and clean. There's a poster from the cover of the TinTin comic 'TinTin Au Vietnam' that adorns a wall.
The menu is limited to two starters - Nem and Nem Tuoi {vegetarian version}, three mains - Pho, Bun Cha, and Com Rang Thap Cam. Both the starters are priced at INR 100 for two pieces while the mains are available at INR 250 each.
The Vietnamese are very serious about their broths. We tried the Chicken Pho; a broth with rice noodles, chicken, and generous amounts of spring onions and coriander. It’s light, fragrant, and delicate in its flavours. A perfect bowl for the health conscious. Bun Cha and Com Rang Thap Cam are both served with a broth which uses fish sauce diluted with a mixture of sweetened vinegar, water, and lime. The broth adds flavour to the otherwise mellow food. A chilled bottle of beer is perfect in the summers. A great accompaniment it is served at the canteen too.
If you want to get introduced to the Vietnamese cuisine, the canteen is a good place. Though they have an outdoor seating too, the place fills up with expats and officials in no time. For the desis, a word of advice; don’t expect the food to be spicy.
Oh, and avoid going with kids.
The menu is limited to two starters - Nem and Nem Tuoi {vegetarian version}, three mains - Pho, Bun Cha, and Com Rang Thap Cam. Both the starters are priced at INR 100 for two pieces while the mains are available at INR 250 each.
The Vietnamese are very serious about their broths. We tried the Chicken Pho; a broth with rice noodles, chicken, and generous amounts of spring onions and coriander. It’s light, fragrant, and delicate in its flavours. A perfect bowl for the health conscious. Bun Cha and Com Rang Thap Cam are both served with a broth which uses fish sauce diluted with a mixture of sweetened vinegar, water, and lime. The broth adds flavour to the otherwise mellow food. A chilled bottle of beer is perfect in the summers. A great accompaniment it is served at the canteen too.
If you want to get introduced to the Vietnamese cuisine, the canteen is a good place. Though they have an outdoor seating too, the place fills up with expats and officials in no time. For the desis, a word of advice; don’t expect the food to be spicy.
Oh, and avoid going with kids.