It only gets better at Tamarind Cafe

I probably passed by Tamarind Café more than 20 times, before I entered it. The changing point came after I posted my review on Cafe Smile in the Lonely Planet website. Overnight, Cafe Smile became the #6 (initially it was #35) of 110 things to do in Hanoi, and ranked just above it at #5 was Tamarind Café.

One thing that threw me off completely initially are the prices in US dollars. I have got pretty used to paying for things in Vietnamese dong. All at once, I felt disoriented. I can't be punching all the prices into my calculator and find the equivalent prices in Vietnamese dong.

One of the house specials is the Tamarind mushroom steak (USD6.30). It had a patty of mushroom coated in rich, black pepper mushroom sauce, and little bits of carrot and brocolli on the side of the plate. It is not something which I will crave for again.

I was prepared to say that vegetarian food was just simply something that I would gladly give a miss after my first experience three weeks ago.

But as things turned out, I visited it again last week. I ordered the Crispy Mushrooms (USD2.90), Taboule (USD3.60) and Tamarind Exotic (USD2.20).

Crispy Mushroom and Tamarine Exotic

Taboule

I enjoyed the refreshing taste of Tamarind Exotic, a blend of tamarind, pineapple and sugarcane. Then came the Crispy Mushrooms - I enjoyed eating them drenched in soya sauce. But the true star of the meal was the Taboule. Made from wheat grain, mint, lime, fresh vegetables and pumpkin seeds, every mouthful was delicious.

On my last visit two days ago, I tried the Surprising Sweet Potato (USD4.10), Eggplant Claypot (USD5.60), and Tangerine Dream (USD2.50).

Surprising Sweet Potato and Tangerine Dream

Eggplant Claypot

I absolutely enjoyed the Surprising Sweet Potato. Every clump of piping hot mashed sweet potato had a different flavour - wasabi, garlic and peanut. I liked the wasabi one best. The Eggplant Claypot is a mix of egglant and bean curd steamed in spicy and sour sauce. It was ok for me. The Tangerine Dream is a blend of tangerine and banana. I prefer the Tamarine Exotic.

Anyway, one man's meat can be another man's poison. You should try the food yourself, and formulate your own opinion of it.

Tamarind Café
Address: 80, Mã Mây, Hanoi
Tel: +84 3926 0580