Bún đậu mắm tôm, a very popular dish in Hanoi, is loaded with noodles, tofu and shrimp paste. Shrimp paste is popular in many parts of Asia, including Vietnam. It is also called mắm tôm. It smells like a rotten animal, but to many locals, the aroma makes their mouth water. After two or three times, you may pity those who refuse to try this seemingly gross local food. It is easy to find a street vendor that offers this yummy dish. Vendors add a few drops of fresh lemon, or Satsuma "quả quất," to the shrimp paste, then boiling oil from the same pan they fry tofu. The bowl is then mixed well until it is full of tiny white bubbles, which weakens the smell. Dip a piece of tofu, some noodles and a basil leaf into the sauce and eat them together. Watch people around you to see how it’s done. Dip the rice vermicelli and other ingredients in the sauce. Just don’t take too much at once. It’s salty. Enjoy.
The price of a bowl varies from $1.50 to $3 a person.
For the best fried chicken sandwich in Oakland, fans head to Bakesale Betty. Open just three hours each day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., look for the line outside the lunchtime bakery and take-out stop at the corner of Telegraph and 51st Avenue in Temescal. The shop is owned and operated by Australian-born chef Alison Barakat (you’ll recognize her by her trademark blue wig) and her husband and baker Michael Camp. The two opened Bakesale Betty in 2005, and along with a rotating menu of delectable sweets, began to offer a fried chicken sandwich. The word got out. Today, they sell between 500 and 600 sandwiches in three hours. The secret to Betty’s fried chicken sandwich lies in its simplicity. Barakat deep-fries buttermilk-soaked, air-chilled chicken breasts and heaps a mayonnaise-free jalapeño coleslaw atop two soft Acme Bakery buns. The result: A spicy, juicy sandwich bursting at the seams. Interesting tidbit: On nice days, people sit outside the shop and eat on vintage ironing boards used as tables.
Open since 2004, Chef Kaiser Lashkari’s laid-back, BYOB restaurant is famous for its generous portions of flavorful Pakistani, Northern Indian and Indo-Chinese food. Everything possible is made from scratch, including Lashkari’s curry blends. The house specialty is the hunter’s beef, the Pakistani version of pastrami or corned beef. Cured with garam masala, saltpeter, ginger and garlic, the hunter’s beef is brined for 11 days, steamed and then baked. Served with a spicy, dark yellow mustard sauce, the beef is served two ways: shredded and fried with chili powder and black pepper to a crispy brown; and thickly sliced on a plate alongside fresh tomato slices, cucumber and lemon. Other highlights include green curry with chicken; biryani with lamb, chicken and shrimp; and almond custard, a unique, dense riff on flan.
Bún riêu is a Vietnamese meat and rice vermicelli soup. There are several varieties of bún riêu, including bún riêu cua, bún riêu cá and bún riêu ốc. Bún riêu cua is served with tomato broth and topped with freshwater crab. Various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in Vietnam’s rice paddies. Crabs are washed in clean water to remove dirt and sand, then pounded with the shell on into a fine paste. The paste is strained and the crab liquid forms the soup base, along with tomato. The crab residue is used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients include tamarind paste, fried tofu and rice vinegar. This dish is rich in nutrition: calcium from the ground crab shells, iron from congealed pig's blood to redden the broth, and vitamins and fiber from the vegetables.
Price of a bowl vary from $1 to $2.50.
Opened by New York-bred pitmaster Billy Durney in 2013, this Texas-sized barbecue joint on the Red Hook waterfront prepares meats in the classic Southern technique - smoked over oak wood. Look for enormous beef ribs, Texas-style brisket, pulled lamb belly, pork sausage, jerk chicken and pulled pork belly. Traditional sides include sugary baked beans, stewed collards, gooey mac and cheese, sweet cornbread and lightly pickled cucumbers. Fans rave about the brisket and pulled pork tacos, served in hand-made corn tortillas with salsa verde, pickled red onion, lime crema and cilantro. A walk-up service counter takes orders on a first-come, first-served basis — until the day’s offerings sell out, often by 9 p.m. While customers wait, they can enjoy craft beers, American whiskeys, seasonal cocktails and Red Hook wines from one of two bars. Live music keeps the place jumping on weekend nights.
At St. Honoré bakery, in the La Alameda neighborhood, you can always find hot artisanal bread just pulled from the oven, colorful pizzas, fruit juices, milkshakes and fresh salads made with a mix of lettuces, vegetables and fruits. But the house speciality is their pastries, which are out of this world. The Sfogliatelle, or "lobster tail," is an Italian pastry made with several thin layers of dough and various fillings: orange flavored ricotta cheese, marzipan, hazelnut or almond paste. At St. Honoré, colas de langostas, made almost every day, are crispy, topped with powdered sugar and filled with pastry cream or chocolate. Other favorite desserts include chocolate cakes, profiteroles, fruit tarts and pies.
John Li has quickly become known as the dumpling king of London. Open Saturdays in the Schoolyard area of Broadway Market, his stall’s impressive offerings lure followers with perfectly textured skins, crisp bottoms and well-seasoned, tender and juicy fillings. Fan favorites include the Sheng Jian Bao, steamed dumplings with a gently fried base, generously filled with soup and pork; Cornish crab and prawn dumplings; lobster dumplings with ginger and spring onion; scallop dumplings; and the “brunch” dumplings, which showcase a boiled quail’s egg wrapped in a filling of lamb, sage and onion sausage. Topped with sesame seeds, chilli oil, vinegar and soy sauce are available for seasoning. Homemade soy milk, the classic dumpling pairing, is available to complete the experience. John makes his dumplings to order and customers can watch his intricate pleating technique. Pro tip: Arrive before 12.30 p.m. Otherwise, you could wait more than 20 minutes for your order and dumpling are usually sold out by 2:30 to 3 p.m.
It started as a humble food cart, serving Portland visitors an uncomplicated, paper-wrapped poached chicken and rice dish with origins in Thailand. A popular Bangkok meal, it quickly caught on in Portland and became a business success story for its namesake, Nong. There are three locations, but the brick and mortar restaurant, unlike the carts, is open seven days a week. It’s the location you’re most likely to see the owner, Nong, supervising the kitchen, welcoming guests and reminding them of the complimentary hot tea and her house-made syrup and soy sauce. The Khao Man Gai is served over jasmine rice that has been cooked in the chicken broth. You get a “soup” side of the broth to sip on, as well as a few crunchy cucumber slices meant to cleanse your palate. It’s amazing how your body can crave something so simple. This dish is a perfect complement to Portland’s gloomy winter days. Good for when it rains, delicious when it shines and especially when you’re sick, this is the dish you’ll long for.
Another local favorite, Wolf and Bear has the tastiest little falafel wrap to ever come out of a restaurant on wheels. They’ve got a couple locations scattered around the city, but the cart I first tried was off Mississippi Avenue, a hip and trendy block filled with bars, burgers and boutiques. The falafel is light and fresh, organic and locally sourced (of course). Although it’s prepared in a food cart, don’t mistake it for fast food. You’d just as easily be presented with an equally satisfying lunch in a sit-down restaurant. For an alternative move, make it gluten-free. Lose the pita and opt for a falafel plate over a bed of greens.
The best underrated little sandwich in the city is at this unassuming little food cart off Burnside Avenue in SE Portland. A local favorite, the #1 pollo pibil is an untraditional, Portland-inspired torta. The Mexican sandwich has a super soft outer bun and a toasty-crisp underside that provides a nice subtle crunch. Layered inside are seasoned pulled chicken, chipotle-lime aioli, refried beans and shredded lettuce, which make for a beautiful bite. It’s a sandwich that’s not too messy and never tries too hard. The flavors combine to give you a light, yet hearty bite. Order an elote cup on the side and a cold beer from the neighboring cart and your lunch is complete.