06 COUSINS When Cousins opened back
in June 2014, it felt like a safe bet that it was destined to flourish. The French-inspired food was consistently on point, the staff were encouraged to be friendly as well as professional, and the weekly food specials kept things lively. With new locations at 7/59 Dao Tan and 19 Doan Nhu Hai, and an Italian spin-off, Cugini (67 To Ngoc Van), just opened, four new restaurants in three years says it all.The menu is a combination of French classics and well-known specialities from around Europe. Waving the Tricolore are dishes such as beef tartare (VND130,000), sole meunière (VND320,000) and the lemongrass crème brûlée. For something from further afield, look for the lamb navarin pasta (VND210,000), the British-style fish and chips (VND140,000) or the Italian-inspired burrata and aged balsamic (VND260,000). Each restaurant is uniquely decorated, with the locations at Quang Ba and Dao Tan both featuring large outdoor patios. Located at: 3 Quang Ba, Tay Ho, Hanoi; facebook.com/cousins.quangba
KNOWN FOR
ITALY
Stylish football players, wine and food made with passion
BEST KNOWN DISHES
As much as the Italians hate it, pizza
DISH EXPORTED TO VIETNAM Pizza, of course, and something called mi y — the Vietnamese answer to spaghetti Bolognese
THE NITTY GRITTY
There used to be a saying among die-hard travellers. Everywhere you go in the world, you’ll find an Irish bar and an Italian restaurant. Vietnam hasn’t done so well on the Irish bar front — only a few names (including the long-lost Sheridan’s) spring to mind. But when it comes to Italian restaurants, the country seems to shine. It started with the Chez Guido Italian restaurant in the Hotel Continental Saigon that
07
DA PAULO
Da Paulo has been a pizza delivery staple for years; consistent quality, fast and free delivery, and a huge selection of toppings have helped to secure this status. However, this charming Italian eatery is more than just the ideal partner to a rainy night on the sofa with Netflix. The dine-in experience is just as good, and has been a West Lake favourite since 2010. The atmosphere is relaxed, more like a trattoria than a fine-dining establishment. There’s a huge choice of Italian wines, and
eventually became a delivery-only service, before folding. This was closely followed a few years later by the predecessor of Pane e Vino in Hanoi (name long forgotten). Then Gino Benelli arrived in Vietnam, bringing his cooking passion to what became Luna D’Autunno. Down south Pendolasco opened in 1998, with the restaurants Good Morning Vietnam and Pomodoro following closely behind. Around the same time, Italian food was adapted to the local palate. Banh pizza was served in the top-end cafés and familyowned restaurants around Saigon and Hanoi, while the Saigonese adapted spaghetti Bolognese and made it into a dish called mi y — quite literally, Italian noodles. These days Italian cuisine is everywhere in Vietnam — from the classic version through to the more contemporary — and it draws in customers of all shapes and sizes. If there is a type of cuisine that in the post Doi Moi era has been welcomed, loved and adapted by the Vietnamese, it is Italian.
around thirty different pizzas to choose from. If it’s a three-course feast you’re after, then look no further. The appetisers include Italian street food staples like arancino di riso alla Siciliana (deep-fried cheese and beef ragout stuffed rice croquettes, then topped with hot tomato sauce). For your secondi, there are a variety of gnocchi, risottos and pastas; but the veal escalope (VND260,000) and salmon steak (VND310,000) may be too hard to resist. Located at: 32 Quang Khanh, Tay Ho, Hanoi; facebook.com/dapaulowestlake
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