• 3
• quick, cheap, and cheerful

We popped in to Cari Troung late in the evening - by Hanoi standards, when most restaurants seem to close at 8pm! It was very close to the Tet holiday so they were out of a few things on the already limited menu. The pho chay looked delicious but I was feeling a bit adventurous so I picked something that was translated as "rice pudding" on the menu but looked savoury and crispy in the photo. It turned out to be crispy fried rice cakes, deliciously seasoned and scattered with fresh green onions and fried shallots. It would be the perfect salty snack with beer but it also went down a treat with their delicious fried tofu in tomato sauce - a Vietnamese vegetarian classic. In the old quarter, where there are few vegetarian restaurants, Cari Truong is a solid option. Sit on the bench seats on the balcony and look down on the action on the street below. Just watch your head on the stairs on the way up!