Malacca - Tengkera Duck Noodle

We stopped into Tengkera Duck Noodle for lunch one day in Malacca.

The setup was choose your duck bits and your type of noodle. We both got kuey teow (wide rice noodles). I had mine with an egg. Sherry got hers with a side of duck feet.

Mixed up with some chili flake on top, it was savory, slippery, and delicious.

It was served with some extra broth on the side - deep duck flavor with a bit of five-spice.

The place was not too busy when we arrived, but quickly picked up with a lunch crowd as we ate.

Hanoi Revisits - Bún Chả, Bún Bò Nam Bộ and More

We had some favorite spots from our first trip to Hanoi last year, and we made a point of revisiting them on this trip.

Bún Chả is perhaps our single favorite dish in Hanoi, and we made it back to the spot we first had it (original post here) twice on this trip. Just as good as before.



Another favorite was Bún Bò Nam Bộ - we also hit this place up again two more times (original post here). Such a great dish.



We did a repeat visit for phở bò at Quán Phở Gia Truyền (original post here). It was good, but I think I'll be looking for a new go-to phở bò spot the next time we are in Hanoi



Bún Ngan Nhàn (original post here) was still going strong, with the duck noodle soup lady efficiently (if grumpily) feeding up a line of hungry customers for lunch each day.



We couldn't say no to BBQ pork on a stick (original post here). Spicy, lemon-grassy deliciousness.



And, of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Hanoi without Bia Hơi (original post here). We visited our favorite bia hơi lady on Mã Mây street, and also enjoyed an evening at a more local spot (where Nhà Hoa and Bát Đàn streets intersect at the west end of the Old Quarter).

Overall, Hanoi was very much as we left it a year ago. More cars on the roads, and the beginnings of encroachment by global fast food chains, but still very much a window into old Vietnam. Hopefully the pace of change will remain slow.

Hanoi - Eating Bún Ngan, Bún Ca and Bánh Cuốn in Ngõ Trung Yên Alley

While enjoying Bia Hơi on our first night in Hanoi, one of the people we chatted with mentioned an amazing duck soup they had found in a nearby alley. Following their directions, we ended up in Ngõ Trung Yên Alley for lunch the next day.



Finding the stall, which is called Bún Ngan Nhàn, turned out to be easy - just look for the line and the lady sitting out front busily ladling up steaming bowls of soup.



The soup base was amazingly flavorful, and the duck was delicious.



The duck lady sets up in front of a small shop that sells drinks to go along with your meal. You have to order a drink if you want to sit inside, so we had one with lychee and coconut and one with passion fruit - both very good.



That was our first meal in Ngõ Trung Yên, but definitely not the last. We dubbed it the "magical food alley" because of all of the good stuff in there. As is typical in Hanoi generally, what was going on in the alley depended very much on what time of day it was. The duck lady ran from around 10:00am until early afternoon - come by at a different time and there was no trace she had ever been there or would be there again.



In the morning they alley operated as a small, but active market selling vegetables, poultry and meats.



Another lunch-focused spot in the alley is Bún Cá Sâm Cây Si. We passed it a few times, and eventually ended up there for a meal. Bún cá is a rice noodle soup dish with fried fish pieces in a light tomato-infused broth.



It was extremely good, as was the other item they sell, cá cuốn thịt - little fried rolls of pork and fish.



The shop sets up in a little jog in the alley.



It gets pretty busy there, with the tables jutting out into the ever-present motor bike traffic.



While walking through the alley one morning, we saw a lady making Bánh Cuốn (a steamed, rolled rice noodle dish). What particularly caught my eye was that she was cooking eggs along with the rice noodles - something I hadn't seen before.



We came by on another day to get ourselves some. Here is the Bánh Cuốn, with its typical filling of pork and wood ear mushrooms and topped with fried shallots and pork floss:



And of course we had to try the eggs:



They were cooked through, but still had a nice soft texture and having them wrapped in a bit of rice noodle and topped with fried shallots made for a fun breakfast dish.

If you visit Hanoi, do be sure to check out the "magical food alley" - you will not be disappointed.

Hong Kong - Roasted meats at Joy Hing and Hon Lok

Roasted meats (pork, duck, goose, pigeon...) are everywhere in Hong Kong. It is hard to walk very far in this city before you pass by a shop with delicious looking bronzed roast beasts hanging in the window. Fittingly, then, our first meal in Hong Kong was a roast pork feast at Joy Hing Roasted Meat in the downtown neighborhood of Wan Chai.



Joy Hing, like many well-regarded small restaurants in Hong Kong, is always busy. These places pack people in, though - you generally find yourself sharing a table with others. Even if there is a line, it usually moves quickly. You aren't expected to linger at a place like this.



Service at Joy Hing is brusk, and was less tolerant of our lack of Cantonese than most other places we visited. Despite no English menu, we managed to get a plate of bbq pork (char siu) and roast pork. It was more food than we needed and priced well above what we expected, but was undeniably delicious.

We had better ordering luck at Hon Lok Roasted Restaurant, near our Hotel in Causeway Bay.



Again, communication proved difficult, but a combination of Cantonese, English and finger pointing soon had the friendly staff plopping down plates of roast duck and pork, along with rice and the ubiquitous gai lan (Chinese broccoli) in oyster sauce. Exactly what we wanted.



Delicious, and it also cost a fraction of what we paid at Joy Hing.



A guy at the next table briefly suspended inhaling his own food to chide my inefficient use of chopsticks to eat rice with. His waving of his spoon at me made his point clear. Lesson learned, and one that stuck with me for the rest of the trip.