Despite all the amazing food options NYC has to offer, truly mind blowing Vietnamese street food is something that has been missing from the scene (with the exception of Bunker but it's all the way out in a not-so-convenient part of Brooklyn) and it breaks my heart because it's one of my favorite foods ever. But Hanoi House opened recently to rave reviews so I was eager to try it. One of the first things that I noticed immediately about this place was that it was definitely more for hipsters as it's located right in the East Village and when you walked in, it was this dark, cramped room filled with non-Asians. But in spirit of keeping an open mind, I put my name down and waited almost an hour for my table on a Saturday night.
Once my text came through, I had to shove my way through the door and was seated practically on top of another table. Space constraints aside, I was excited for the food. The menu definitely has an authentic feel to it and if you're a vegetarian, you're a bit SOL as the only things that didn't have meat or seafood in it were the veggie sides or the vegetable crepe. But I was here for 1 thing, their pho ($13). You can fancy up your pho with either oxtail (+$3) or bone marrow ($3.5) - even though I love both, I opted for the oxtail because it's something that I really don't eat all that much anymore. Lisa and I shared the spring rolls ($9) and the papaya salad ($14) and she got the shaking beef ($28) as an entree.
The spring rolls were served traditionally with the dipping sauce made of fish sauce, herbs and lettuce wraps. You could tell that they were double fried which is the authentic way to make them, so an A on the spring rolls. Next came the papaya salad - this one was served with crispy pig ear, which sounds gross but it really wasn't. It just came it some saltiness and crunch to it. The papaya salad itself was nice but could have used a bit more heat/spiciness to it.
Finally came my pho. It smelled great and the broth didn't look oily at all. The one disappointed was that this pho wasn't served with the traditional side plate of bean sprouts, basil or mint. WTF? But I will say that the fragrance and the taste of the cuts of meat in the broth were pretty damn good. The noodles were nice and soft and the oxtail was a nice variation on the traditional cuts of brisket. I inhaled the whole thing and of the phos I've had in the city, it's definitely on the right track. But I still missed my bean sprouts and extra sauces you get at a real pho place. Lisa seemed to like her shaking beef but didn't seem totally in love with it so based on her reaction, I would say her specific meal was a 3.5 rating. We were pretty full by then so we didn't order dessert but apparently their che sundae is famously addictive. Oh well, next time.
Overall, I enjoyed by pho greatly but did miss the traditional "sides" that come with it and kind of the low brow feel of a non-fancy Asian place. My watch outs here are that your definitely going to pay more than if you were at a authentic mom and pop type of place (I mean my pho with $16!!), the place is full of hipsters and you will definitely feel cramped at your table but let's be honest, those are the same gripes that apply to every other hot trendy restaurant in NYC, so I'd definitely give this place a try maybe a few months after the hype has died down. Total price: $42/pp with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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