The Google translation of Bún Canh Tôm Hà Nôi is “Hanoi bun shrimp soup” which is accurate if incomplete. The soup in question will set you back $8.50 at Hanoi 3 Seasons on Gerrard East (and presumably at their second location on Queen East) much more than bun rice noodles and eight or nine shrimp in a big bowl. It’s actually lovely light touch of lemongrass and tangy tamarind broth made ethereal by dill and cilantro and brought down to Earth with tomato. The tomatoes right now are particularly lovely. It is certainly a meal in itself.
This is the perfect Asian summer soup. At least for this gweilo. Just don’t wear a white shirt, like I did last time, as my noodle slurping ways made me look like some sort of pox afflicted leopard.
Malcolm Jolley is a founding editor of Good Food Revolution and Executive Director of Good Food Media, the not-for-profit corporation which publishes it. Follow him at twitter.com/malcolmjolley
P.S. Intrepid GFR readers will recall the last citation of Hanoi 3 Seasons was in connection to their house specialty, Cha Ca La Vong, and a shameless (and successful) attempt to ride on the coattails of food media star Laura Calder.
