Buzz
Under the refreshing shade of green bamboo, picking up delicate strands of pure white noodles and casting a glance into the distance, on this side lies the new Nhat Tan Bridge, a little further away like a toothpick stands the Long Bien Bridge, Chuong Duong… The soft fragrant noodles remind distant guests of everlasting memories!
Escaping the bustling urban life to seek refuge behind the curtain of green bamboo
I am Thuy Duong, not someone passionate about art but I am fortunate to be born into a family of musicians. My father plays the moon lute, and he also participates in associations with many other uncles and aunts in the industry, meeting each other about once a quarter or every six months.
Last week, I had the opportunity to accompany my father to attend a club gathering like that at a restaurant by West Lake. Truly, on such trips, sitting amidst the vast space overlooking West Lake, among people who have spent almost their entire lives to listen to them talk about their love for the soul of the homeland, I realized how indifferent I have been!
Tre Palace is a regular meeting place for art clubs like my father's
True to its name, Tre Palace, this place is surrounded by large bamboo groves, I wonder how long the restaurant has been carefully nurturing them. But the lush green bamboo, thick like bushes, just like in the northern countryside I have passed through.
Tre Palace is surrounded by large clusters of bamboo, dense like a miniature northern village, making it pleasantly cool inside
The restaurant sits right on the water's edge, overlooking West Lake and the nearby Nhat Tan Bridge, we were lucky to get a table in that area. Sitting outdoors, under the cool shade of bamboo, the true coolness of nature, pleasant and refreshing unlike modern air conditioning. The restaurant's dishes also suit the space well: river catfish, grilled chicken, field snails, snakehead fish, but the most impressive feature is the trays not with rice but with noodles – Phu Do noodles.
Rustic dishes complement both the ambiance and the gathering
In our group that day was an uncle from Phu Do, I had the opportunity to learn more about common dishes that carry with them a history intertwined with Hanoi. The uncle asked, 'This is authentic Phu Do noodles, try it and see if there's anything different?'
Sitting under the shade of green bamboo, listening to the soulful strands of white noodles
Picking up a piece of white noodles, the strands are round, soft, and pure white, with a chewy, fragrant, and refreshing taste, with a faint rice aroma lingering. Very subtle, you have to pay attention to notice, but once you do, you'll definitely find it hard to indulge in sour and pungent noodles hastily bought by the roadside.
All the dishes that day at Tre Palace were served with Phu Do noodles instead of white rice
The uncle recounted that to preserve the traditional craft to this day, noodle makers in Phu Do village must strictly adhere to the rules passed down by their ancestors. It starts with rice selection: they must choose sticky rice. Experienced makers only source rice from one region, because rice from elsewhere, different rice, is unlikely to be as good. The rice is then soaked, half a day in summer, longer in winter, soaking for a day when it's new.
In the old days, our ancestors had to use a hand-operated mortar and pestle to grind the rice into fine, smooth flour, ferment the dough, then press, slice, knead, and filter out impurities, dust to produce the final noodle flour.
Strands of pure white noodles, fragrant and elastic, reminiscent of the hardworking hands early and late
Then, the flour is placed in a mold, pulled into strands, then boiled to the right degree before being scooped out, rinsed with cold filtered water to prevent sticking, then pressed into noodles or made into tangled noodles, stacked on smooth, dried banana leaves, fermented, and only then followed the footsteps of the grandmothers, mothers, and sisters to the market to sell.
'Are there any noodles like those? / Round strands, fragrant and elastic, pure white taste'
Today, despite the availability of modern machinery, many steps in the process of making Phu Do noodles still have to be done by hand, because only the hands of experienced noodle makers know the right freshness, texture, and firmness of the noodles.
Not only present in dishes like bun cha, bun thang, and bun moc of Hanoi, but also with grilled fish cake, snakehead fish, common carp, or grilled catfish, without this cool, tender, sweet, and fragrant tangled noodles, the meal would lack its essence.
Imagine being at Tre Palace, enjoying a piece of grilled snakehead fish cake without the accompanying white noodles, what flavor would be missing?
The entire feast at Tre Palace is served with Phu Do noodles, perfectly complementing the flavors.
Truly, under the refreshing shade of green bamboo, picking up delicate strands of pure white noodles and casting a glance into the distance, on this side lies the new Nhat Tan Bridge, a little further away like a toothpick stands the Long Bien Bridge, Chuong Duong… Is there any feeling more enamoring of Hanoi than this!
Sit under the refreshing shade of green bamboo, savor the breeze from West Lake, and indulge in the famous Phu Do noodles along with the specialties of the capital city.
This dining trip is truly one of the invaluable experiences, no less than traveling abroad, because revisiting the past in the very place where you live is nothing short of fascinating!
For those seeking a venue to organize parties or company gatherings, and tired of the usual European, Korean, or Japanese buffets, there is always the option of returning to Vietnamese cuisine at restaurants like Tre Palace. The average price for a table of 6 people is around 1.5 million VND, with spacious, airy space, prompt service, and often featuring traditional music performances. Definitely worth a try!
Address:
Explore the magnificent Tre Palace located at 142 An Dương Vương.
Discover exclusive group discounts at Tre Palace! Book now to avail.
Meet Thuy Duong, your friendly guide to the wonders of Tre Palace.
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