Uu Dam chay – Hanoi

 After giving you a glimpse into our 17 hours in Byron bay it was only fitting to give you a sneak “eating peek” into 18 hours in Hanoi. Uu Dam Chay is an exquisite restaurant that we happened upon while strolling around behind the hotel we were staying at. We hit the vegan jackpot. The ambiance was so tranquil and welcoming and the decor was outstandingly beautiful. It was a fusion of Vietnamese and Thai.

 

“Uu Dam (Udumbara) is a term from Sanskrit, which means “sacred follower descending to earth from heaven”. According to Buddhist scriptures, Udumbara are extremely rare, they only bloom once every three millennium. The blooming of Udumbara marks an appearance of a Buddha to the world.”
I say this about most places I frequent for a brief period but WOW I wish I had a week to sample the extensive offerings here. Limited time meant the usual request to our server… “If you had to choose three or four dishes what would they be? “

 

What was served to us (flawless choices)
Kham tam tofu – Tofu stuffed with a variety of mushrooms. I didn’t know what to expect with this dish but the spongy tofu was the perfect pillow for the mushrooms

Squared spring rolls – a squared roll is a traditional style of roll in Vietnam and these were filled with a mix of delicious vegetables in a fresh and crispy roll.

Fried rice with sweet basil leaf – I loved how many fried rice dishes in Vietnam were egg free and this dish with my new best friend from Vietnam, the sweet basil leaf was the perfect shake up. The sweet basil leaf is very popular in central Vietnamese dishes and we ate quite a few dishes in Da Nang and Hoi An that contained sweet basil. Sure we were almost local really.

Tom yum soup – we all know tom yum soup but this was next level. Of course it’s to be expected that the closer you eat to a dishes origin the fresher and more aromatic it will taste but this was utterly sublime. There was slurping. Polite at first and then slurping with a few mmmms. I make no apologies. I will let the pictures assist the salivating.

 

Louise

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