Tavan Restaurant, Sapa, Vietnam

The restaurant is in the Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa where I recently stayed for a night. Obviously a little up-market, with prices to match, but I was in serious need of some pampering.

The hotel has been built in a sort of Swiss Chalet style, a theme that is repeated inside the restaurant. As the hotel is on a hill above Sapa Town, it offers great views (weather permitting) and dining both inside and on a terrace.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by a very friendly waitress who escorted me to the table and gave me the menu; shortly followed by a cold face towel and some delicious bread. The menu is not very large, with a page each of Vietnamese and European dishes; as well as a couple of set menus.

Tavan Restaurant.

I could not face a 7-course menu and I know from previous stays that the Sapa mushrooms are fantastic. I therefore ordered the Sapa Mushroom soup as a starter and the Sapa Mushroom Risotto with crispy egg yolk as a main course.

Not a very large menu, but I refer that to hundreds

of items out of the freezer.

The soup arrived piping hot; something that is surely appreciated during the cold winters (though it was bloody hot in Sapa that day). The mushrooms soup is not like the pureed and strained version often served in Western restaurants; it comes with chopped mushrooms and lots of them. As mentioned before: I think Sapa mushrooms are great and I was not disappointed here. The soup was seasoned to perfection and went down a treat.

Sapa Mushrooms rule.

The Risotto that followed was a bit small, without the soup I think I would not have had enough. However, this is the only criticism I can make. Risotto is not a difficult dish to make, but it is amazing how many restaurants can get it wrong; turning the rice into a soup or leaving it uncooked. Not here though; the grains were just the way I like them, creamy but still "al dente". I was not so amazed with the egg yolk; but I guess that is a matter taste. I am also a snob when it comes to the Parmesan usually served with Risotto. I would have preferred freshly shaved Parmesan instead of the ground version I got here but then that was maybe asking too much.

Perfect Risotto.

Menu prices range from USD 10.00 (for the Risotto) to USD 28:00 (for Black Angus Beef). There are obviously cheaper eateries all over Sapa, the town being a popular back-packer destination, but they obviously have different levels of service (from louse to non0existant) and quality of food (ditto). I think the prices are very reasonable for being treated like a king and getting outstanding food. Value for money is what it is all about in my book.

A real dining experience in Sapa.

I did take a look at the wine list, though no wine drinker myself, and here the prizes that make my eyes water; the cheapest bottle started at USD 38.00 and quickly moved well beyond that. I guess getting the booze up the mountain comes at a cost.

I think I am not going out on a limb here when I state that the bet food can be found at the Tavan restaurant and it would certainly be my choice if I ever make it up to West Tonkin.

Some candy floss for dessert.

Service: *****

Food: ****

Ambience: ****

Value for money: ****

Recommended: Yes.

Hanoi Noodle Soup (and it is not "Pho"

The restaurant does not have a name, menu, or much room.

I am a big fan of Pho, the noodle soup so popular in Vietnam. Arguably the best Pho comes from Ha Noi but as I have had more of those than I can shake a chop stick at, I tried something different this morning.

I happened onto a small restaurant on Hang Bac in Hanoi's Old Quarter following a tip-off. The restaurant is so small that I almost missed it but it is obviously very popular with the local neighbors, all 12 chairs or so were packed.

It was packed 5 seconds earlier and would be so again 5 seconds later.

I squeezed myself into the restaurant and on a tiny plastic stool, trying to keep my size-11 feet out of the kitchen. No need to ask for a menu here, there is only one dish and that is Bun Rieu Bo (though I need to verify that that is what it is). The noodles look a bit like Spaghetti but are made out of rice flour. These are dumped in a big bowl and ladled with an absolute excellent broth.

The kitchen, for all it's worth.

Unlike Pho, the broth is heavy on tomatoes and does not have much meat. It does have lots of fried Tofu. No big fan of Tofu normally, the Tofu here is actually pretty good. Add to that some chili, lime juice, lots of herbs and a couple of bread sticks and you are set for the day with a breakfast that beats many 5-star hotel efforts hands down.

Do not expect service or atmosphere, this place is about food and that is all there is to it. Go in, get your bowl, grab some iced tea, polish off your soup, pay your VND 20,000.00 (USD 1.00) and get out to make room for the punters waiting outside.

Bun rieu Bo.

Service: Are you kidding? This is a noodle shop.

Food: *****

Ambiance: Still kidding?

Value for money: *****+

Recommended: No, as I don't want hordes of Lonely-Planet touting backpackers descend on the place.

Master Suki

Master Suki, Green Suki, Angkor Suki, Hawaii(!) Suki, SK Suki. Many different restaurants all over Siem Reap serving basically the same thing: hot-pot. Electric plate in the middle, pot with broth on top, and then you order whatever you would like to chuck in there. A simple enough concept and one that is very popular with locals as well as with Asian visitors. It is fast, cooking your food is fun, and prizes are pretty reasonable.

We went to Master Suki, the only reason being that it is close to where we live; as far as I am concerned the food tastes all the same in the different Suki restaurants. The only diffence is that in some restaurants the food comes on a conveyer belt, much like in a Sushi restaurant, and in others it comes on small plates.




Like in all the Suki restaurants, the decor is pretty basic; I guess it is the Asian-influenced answer to Mickey Dee's or KFC. The punters are supposed to come in, eat, and bugger off to make room for the next guests. Service is also spotty. They were all very friendly, but I am guessing the girls are hired from the booneys as they are cheap; this shows in both the feet-dragging and the absence of English. No worries though; the menu comes with lots of pretty pictures.

The individual dishes are all around USD 1.50 each, but portions are small and you would have to order quite a few if you are hungry. As with all hot-pots, this is best enjoyed with a few people as that makes it possible to order a wide variety of dishes. Add some veggies and mushrooms and you are laughing. If you do not like hot-pot very much, then there is always the option of meat, fish, or fried rice dishes. Prizes vary according to the meat and size of the dish, but range from about USD 3.00 to USD 6.00. Juices are around the USD 2.00 mark, as are the beers.

This particular restaurant also has a Chippie connected to it; good if you cannot face anymore Asian food. The fish is really not bad and decent value for USD 5.00. I couldn't tempt my daughter with it, so she went ahead and ordered "Bowels Beef (sic)", Pig's Intestine and Jellyfish. Just kidding, she may be half Vietnamese, but she prefers to stick to more conservative food.


As usual in Suki restaurants the food arrived about 2 seconds after we ordered. The hot plates are very efficient, bringing everything to a boil in no time at all. Is the food tasty? It really depends on you and what you dump into the broth, you can make it as yucky or as yummy as you wish.



Now if only they could do something about the uniforms:





Rating (out of 5):

Service: **** staff appear little motivated, but are very friendly and willing to help
Food: From * to ***** depending on what one chooses
Ambiance: *
Value for money: ****

Recommended: If you want a quick meal, do not like KFC, and think it is normal to eat hot-pot when it is 37 degrees outside: yes. Seriously, it is actually quite good and at least the food is fresh.