Back in 2016, Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama (then US President), met in an inconspicuous part of Hanoi to share a simple meal of Bun Cha.

Times were different. Donald Trump’s Presidency was just a pipe-dream and the world’s inequality crisis had yet to begin. Life felt relatively stable.

In this tranquil meeting, between two towering figures in their own right, it feels in retrospect like the quiet before the storm.

Since that time the restaurant has glorified that day, not only proudly displaying pictures of the pair on every floor of the restaurant (there are four floors), but also renaming a special on the menu The Obama Combo.

Bun Cha – A Hanoi Classic

They are brought together to try the humble, yet mighty uniquely Hanoian dish, Bun Cha.

It is a divine mix of pork patties, grilled pork belly which sit within a broth of vinegar, sugar and fermented fish sauce. The intense sweetness feels almost wrong in a savoury broth, but it works, at least for a Western palette. 

Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain sat eating a simple ‘Bun Cha’

The broth is served with a plate of greens and noodles. You are encouraged to mix them in with the broth, a task that sounds easy but is difficult to do with any elegance.

The idea, as Bourdain explains to the US President, is to go all in – ‘slurping is totally acceptable in this part of the world’.

The combination of sweet, sour and salty feels like an attack on the senses, but a welcome one.

Barack Obama did not shy away from his praise.

‘This is killer, this is outstanding, it’s really good.’

The former president is not new to this part of the world. He grew up in Jakarta in Indonesia when he was a child, where he mastered the art of using chopsticks. 

Last night, I visited the Old Quarter here in Hanoi and enjoyed some outstanding Vietnamese food.  I tried some Bún Chả.  (Applause.)  Drank some bia Ha Noi.  But I have to say, the busy streets of this city, I’ve never seen so many motorbikes in my life.  (Laughter.)  So I haven’t had to try to cross the street so far, but maybe when I come back and visit you can tell me how. – Barack Obama, 2016 – Hanoi Convention Centre

What do locals think about Bún Chả Hương Liên?

However, as a new visitor to Hanoi with no previous experience with Bun Cha I wondered how it is viewed amongst locals? 

I spoke to a local Hanoi-an to find out more about how the restaurant is viewed by a local. I met May in the Old Town of Hanoi to find out more.

At first May laughed when I excitedly told her where I had just eaten lunch.

‘This is a place where tourists go to eat.’

A hammer blow to my fragile ego. Never again could I show my face in travel writing circles.

‘The flavours changed after the restaurant became popular.’

When Obama visited the restaurant a decade ago the Bun Cha’s taste was different. May explained to me that the sweet taste had changed to accommodate the stream of tourists that now visit the restaurant.

Bun Cha from Bún Chả Hương Liên

‘It is normal for Bun Cha to be sweet but the level of sweetness now is too much.’

May shook her head as if she was tasting the extreme sweetness there and then.

‘In the old days the food at the restaurant was much better, the meat was marinated more subtly, but now the sauce is sweeter and the grilled meat is marinated blandly.’

It could be that the sheer amount of tourists that now visit the restaurant has increased so much that there has had to be a hit to the quality of ingredients.

Where to eat authentic Bun Cha

May then told me of another place that is far more authentic to the original Bun Cha than at Bún Chả Hương Liên.

‘Here the chef grills the meat on bamboo skewers, so it tastes much better.’

The meat is cooked on skewers over hot coals, but avoids being placed on metal grilling which has the potential to influence the taste.

The chef sits near the BBQ fire holding the thick bamboo skewers over the flames, a touching show of the restaurant’s commitment to good quality.

‘The ingredients are also more fresh.’

The restaurant name? Bun Cha Que Tre.

Where is the restaurant Bun Cha Que Tre?

The restaurant is situated in Hanoi’s Old Town, in the northern part. It is south of Bach Ma Temple.

Address: 33 P. Hàng Giầy, Hàng Buồm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam

Opening Hours: 8am – 10pm everyday

Phone: +84343233663

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8RoRjrw2hLPRNLcZ8