“I just recognize the way she speaks,” Tee, the mother-in-law, tells TODAY.com. “I would recognize it right away, 'Oh, that's Caroline, that's Caroline.'” Caroline, or Caro, goes by @derpycook on Instagram and TikTok. She also goes by something else entirely on a secret writing account, but that secret was no match for her CIA-like mother-in-law.
A little more than a year ago, after running a successful pop-up called Ha's Đặc Biệt, the chefs Sadie Mae Burns and Anthony Ha opened Ha's Snack Bar, an itsy-bitsy restaurant on the Lower East Side. The Snack Bar, like the pop-up, served Vietnamese-inspired dishes that were clever, cheffy (and more than a bit French-inflected), and utterly cool without any sort of hauteur.
Kevin Tien, chef/owner of Moon Rabbit in Penn Quarter, says he encountered a lot of eel dishes, from soups to congee, when he traveled to Vietnam for the first time a year ago. "I didn't realize myself that eel is a really popular source of protein in Vietnam," he says. "And with my background in Japanese cuisine, I thought it was just an easy thing to put on our menu."
By using the whole chicken, my aunt maximizes the flavor of the broth while also cooking the meat that serves as the dish's protein, rather than the sliced beef, tripe, and meatballs found in aromatic beef phở recipes. Her homemade phở broth is truly a labor of love. It's rich and aromatic, full of flavor, and umami rendered from the whole chicken as it cooks. The bones give the broth depth of flavor, while the fats, cartilage, and meat bring richness.
When people migrate, food is one of the strongest ways that people can stay connected to their homeland. Waves of migration from Vietnam to the UK, first after the Vietnam War in 1975 and the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979 (around 22,000 "boat people" came to the UK between 1975 - 1988), and then in the 90s and noughties as people sought out study and employment opportunities, has created a rich Vietnamese food scene in London.
I'm thrilled to be opening our new venue in King's Cross. Our goal is to bring the freshness, vibrancy, and natural goodness of Vietnamese food to even more people. HOP was born from my love of Vietnam and its food culture, and we want every dish to feel authentic, nourishing, and fast-perfect for busy Londoners who don't want to compromise on taste.
Most notably, Bourdain was able to stir up interest in Vietnamese cuisine as he waxed poetically about some of the most delicious dishes he had while visiting the country. Vietnamese restaurateur and national culinary culture ambassador Chef Vo Quoc admitted to Forbes, "Tourists who come to Vietnam still seek out the dishes Bourdain spotlighted, and so the businesses in food and drink have benefited from his pioneering work."
Berkeley's boba shop cup runneth over. J's Snacks and Tea is the latest addition to Berkeley's burgeoning boba scene, offering snacks like popcorn chicken, spicy Taiwanese sausages and sweet potato fries dusted with plum powder. Heartier meals are also available, including bento box lunches, rice bowls and a seared salmon salad. J's Snacks and Tea, 2505 Hearst Ave. (at Euclid Ave.), Berkeley
Da Nang is a coastal city in central Vietnam reachable by plane in two hours from Hong Kong and three from Singapore. Although not as famous as other Southeast Asian beach hotspots such as Phuket and Bali, it is close to some famous Vietnamese sights, including Hoi An, the Ba Na Hills and the Hue Imperial City. Da Nang can be roughly divided into two main sections: the beach side and the city side.
For the uninitiated, Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns spent years running Ha's Đặc Biệt, a Vietnamese pop-up that ricocheted across New York City and beyond. During the pandemic, their egg-scallion bánh mì and cabbage rolls stuffed with pork shank developed something close to cult status. They even staged a Paris residency before the New York Times (and just about everyone else) started singing their praises. But the dream was always a permanent home.
San Francisco has a complicated relationship with tech. We're less than 50 miles from Silicon Valley, and much of the city thrives on an enthusiasm for Waymos and living in a world where self-driving cars take you to the Apple Store to buy VR glasses. But sometimes you need a break from all that-a place that feels downright analog, where you can turn on your phone's do-not-disturb and look at a menu instead of a QR code.
"Chef Hai embodies the essence of Hue's culinary heritage while infusing it with a global perspective. His unwavering dedication, humility and creativity have earned him this well-deserved recognition."
