Currently, I am living in Da Nang which is about 100km to Hue that it is convenient to take a bus either a bus traveling between these cities. Thus, last week I decided to take a rest one and a half of the day in Hue. Let’s jump in there.
A corner of the Imperial City of Hue
I arrived in Hue on Friday evening by the new train which is quite clean and has good services. Then, I rented a motobike to travel around Hue the next day. I am really keen on Hue foods so this time I spent the entire day for my interesting hobbies.
The first place I went to, is a Bun Bo Hue restaurant which is a small one on Nguyen Du Street. Literally, the stock is the most important to a bowl of noodle and this taste is so unique including full toppings. Bun Bo Hue is a signature cuisine in Hue like pho in Hanoi or Quang Noodle in Quang Nam thus that is a “must-try” food when tourists visit here.
Bun Bo Hue
After my breakfast, I went to “Hue T.Roaster” in a small alley on Ben Nghe Street. As you know, purple is a color of Hue which is a symbol of faithfulness thus this coffee shop has a signature juice with purple color.
HUE
This juice is HUE, the purple smoothie is made from taro and condensed milk mixed with espresso giving it a good aroma. Moreover, this shop is airy, cozy and open, so that I can enjoy the fresh air to try the smoothie.
My next destination was Hong Mai restaurant for my lunch which is famous for Khoai cake and Nem lui.
Khoai Cake
Khoai cake is a Hue specialty dish you cannot miss when traveling to Hue which is made from fresh ingredients such as pork, shrimp, eggs, bean sprouts and others. This food will satisfy your taste and is an indispensable part of the travel experience in this ancient city.
Besides, this restaurant has another unique food that is nem lui.
Nem lui is not only in Hue however by its own recipe, spring rolls in Hue have unique features that make visitors so attached to them that they find it toughly to leave which is mainly made from meat and pork skin, marinated with ingredients, then rolled into long rice paper, skewered on lemongrass or bamboo sticks, and grilled on a charcoal stove.
Additionally, if you want to enjoy this delicious Hue dish, you must eat it while it’s hot. Take a piece of spring rolls, roll rice paper with raw vegetables and green bananas, you will enjoy the crunchiness of spring rolls, the spiciness of chili, and the fatty taste of the dipping sauce. It all blends together to create an incredibly wonderful flavor.
The last one, I would like to recommend the “afternoon tea” with some unique cakes in Hue as nam cakes, bot loc cakes, ram cakes and others. This small restaurant is in an ancient garden and owners are an old couple. Each cake is made carefully to each ingredients thus the taste is like for Kings in the past.
My ‘afternoon tea”
Before leaving Hue, if you want to buy some gifts for your beloved people, you should visit Dong Ba market which is the largest local market in Hue and there are various foods, souvenirs such as sour shrimp soup, bot loc cakes, sesame and many more.
To be continued one day later.
Donna Nguyen 