Good Morning, Vietnam: Egg Coffee and Obama Bun Cha

Good morning, Vietnam!

It was our first morning in Hanoi, and I was ready to drag Mom all around the city for a crash course in what Vietnam is all about.

After breakfast, I wanted to take her to try a traditional Hanoi egg coffee, and I knew just the place to go: The Note Coffee just off of Hoan Kiem Lake!

The only problem was that Mom wasn't quite sure about egg coffee. The name sort of put her off of the drink, but I was determined to convince her that it was a delicacy.

Here's the story:

In 1946, a bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Giang opened a small cafe. At the time, Vietnam was suffering a shortage of milk. Improvising, Mr. Giang whipped up some egg yolks and mixed them into his coffee as a dairy substitute. The result became a Hanoi legend. Cafe Giang is where egg coffee was born! It may sound strange, but egg coffee is actually delicious - hot or cold.

I'm happy to say that Mom completely changed her mind. She was delighted by the colorful Note Coffee, and she really enjoyed the egg coffee that I ordered. 

I admit, the name is kind of weird, but the drink itself is amazing.

Egg coffee should really be called "eggnog coffee". Delicious Vietnamese coffee (the best coffee in the world) is topped with a rich and sweet egg custard, which gives it a delightfully creamy vanilla flavor.

After coffee I took Mom to my favorite Hanoi restaurant for an early lunch.

Back in 2016, then-President Barack Obama visited Hanoi on his historic presidential tour of Vietnam. While he was in the city, he was treated to lunch by food writer and TV host, Anthony Bourdain (who picked up the $6 tab for the meal). Mr. Bourdain took Mr. Obama out for lunch at what was, in his opinion, the best Bun Cha restaurant in the city: Bun Cha Huong Lien.

Today, the restaurant still uses President Obama's visit as a chance to advertise, and visitors are encouraged to order the "Combo Obama" - the very meal that Obama and Bourdain enjoyed together. Their table and silverware are even preserved under a glass case on the restaurant's second floor.

However, the restaurant is still reasonably priced; very much in line with what a bowl of bun cha would cost at another restaurant in Hanoi. They didn't use their fame to raise their prices. I respect that.

The whole combo costs 120,000 dong (about $5).

The Combo Obama comes with a deep-fried seafood roll, a bowl of hearty Hanoi-style bun cha, a can of Hanoi Beer, and a wet wipe (all of which are integral parts of what makes the Combo Obama the Combo Obama).

Bun cha is my very favorite Vietnamese dish.

Bun cha is a northern Vietnamese dish originating in Hanoi. The dish consists of barbecued pork and a heaping plate of rice noodles served in a savory dipping broth with a massive side of fresh herbs.

I like my bun cha with a lot of minced garlic and a little bit of hot red chili.

The side dish, a deep-fried seafood roll, is almost too big and rich to finish. The super crispy roll is completely stuffed with crab, fish, and shrimp.

Read my review of the Obama Bun Cha Combo on my food blog, The World of Street Food:

Hanoi's Best Bun Cha in the Old Quarter (Obama was here!) (theworldofstreetfood.com)

probably the closest we'll ever get to having a selfie with Obama