(gentle music) Welcome to my world. Two escargot pate freeze. Two green salads. Okay brandy sauce here. Lamb chops, steak frite. Shouldn't you be
doing something? Two soul filet and
a pepper steak. Come on, make the dessert. Chocolate tarte please. As a cook, tastes and
smells are my memories. Now I'm in search of new ones. So I'm leaving New York City and hope to have a few
epiphanies around the world and I'm willing to go to
some lengths to do that. I'm looking for extremes
of emotion and experience. I'll try anything,
I'll risk everything. I have nothing to lose. Hanoi, Vietnam. A beautiful landscape
but a lot of history. Holding strongly on a tradition while acknowledging the
inevitable changes of time. It's had and dealt out more than its fair share of
pain and turmoil. But as always, it maintains
a character all its own. Vietnam is one of my
favorite places on earth. The atmosphere, the
people, the food. I came back to visit Linh, who was my translator
last time around. We became good friends. Linh has invited me
to his family's home to celebrate Tet,
the Lunar New Year, the most important time
of the year in Vietnam. I couldn't have come
at a better time. So I just got into
Hanoi last evening. Went right to the
hotel, crashed, woke up, arrived right in
the middle of Tet, you know, the Lunar New Year. I came here to see the pagoda and everybody burning joss
sticks, making offerings. And then I saw this
place and thought, oh this is just the
kind of place I like. How about some snail
soup for breakfast? Gotta have some of this. So I know there's
snails involved. I know it looks
really, really good. You have your big snails,
ya got your little snails. In the middle there,
you've got some crab meat. The usual sprouts, some pickled
chilis and a little garlic. And of course, what is it all
about at the end of the day? And then find again
and again and again a really terrific stock. Oh yes. And look at the colors here. I mean, they just pop right out. It's a grade A in Hanoi
and look at this color. This is great. You know I would say that
the food is particularly good cause it's a day of celebration but the food is
always good here. (upbeat music) I have to tell you, I am
so excited to be back here. You know, you meet the
girl of your dreams in high school and
she just smells right. You know, it's
true love forever. That same kind of immediate
sense of recognition when I arrived in this country. I've been dreaming about coming
to Hanoi for a long time. It's so cool that Linh's
invited me to his house for Tet. Damn it is good to
be alive in Vietnam. Throughout Tet, the
Vietnamese visit pagodas to make offerings and pray for their families and ancestors. And Linh is no exception. This is a place for all
the people to rearrange. Has a separate private for
bringing into the temple. Offerings include young rice cakes, fruit, and incense. All the offerings are
placed at the altar. When the incense is burned out, you're free to take
back your offerings. They've been blessed and
are supposed to provide happiness for the new year. Offerings complete, Linh
and I meet for food. This is why we get along
so well, common ground. We both appreciate good food. Oh yeah. I mean look at this place. Food everywhere. Just went for rice. Sticky rice, very sticky. And it's not about
parking yourself at the table for the
day, but grabbing a bite and then trying what the
next guy's got to offer. It's everywhere. The Tet holiday is
when indulging in food hits a fever pitch in Vietnam. Everyone's been fasting
and now they're back to their favorite
dishes with a vengeance. I'll tell ya, if you're a foodie and you come to this
country well just, you just go absolutely insane. Yeah I used to
have these as a kid and the same thing
happened to them. They ended up
floating at the top. This is traditional
medicine, right? Maybe tomorrow. Yeah. (chuckLinhg) What are those? Here's something
different, corn pancakes. Not too difficult, right? Throw in a pile of
corn, a little flour, cook in oil till crisp
and on the rack to dry. It's like everything, delicious. You'll notice an
essential difference here between here and similar
operations in America. When you walk past
these food stalls every proprietor is absolutely
beaming with pride at you. They got a big smile on
their face like come on in, try this, it's the best. It's not that yeah,
what do you want? You know, you want the
fries or the onion rings? You don't get that here. And you know it's good. You can tell from the
expression of the proprietor that they're selling something really, really tasty
and they know it. Take for example quail eggs. I have a thing for quail eggs. Just peel them. It's not the embryo. A little bit of
salt, ready to eat. This is delicious. Just keep it rolling,
keep it coming please. So I know Linh's family has
a big Tet feast planned. I saw something else in the
market that I couldn't resist. Shrimp cakes. I think just one, one. This is a pretty
straightforward operation. You got shrimp, ya batter them, cook them in oil, a quick
snip and you're ready to go. Now, for those of you
who scoff at the decor I dare you, dare you to
find a more scenic view. These are freshwater shrimp? [Linh] Yes freshwater. [Anthony] Crispy, airy,
shrimpy, and delicious. How about beer? Yeah. Those are bottled ones. Not the bottled one. Right. (Chuckles) Not warm. (laughing) Good to see you again. - Okay.
- Cheers. Cheers. How do you say it in
Vietnamese, cheers? I really love this guy and I
can't wait to meet his family. As the celebration
of Tet continues the streets are
abuzz with activity. Everyone's dressed
up for the holiday on their way to visit family, bearing food, offerings, gifts. The Vietnamese look upon guests during Tet as very auspicious. I'm glad I brought my suit. I don't want to look like a
slacker in front of the family. This is my grandfather's,
my father's in law's house. [Anthony] Okay.
Meeting the family. I haven't been this nervous
since I met my own in-laws. [Man] Hello. [Anthony] Oh thank you. [Linh] And my father. Well nothing
soothes the old nerves like a little Hanoi vodka. All roads lead to
intoxication on this show. Is there something about me, some quality that urges
people to make me very drunk? We have some rice, rice. Oh good. You know this. We call it the fresh bile. They extract from the bear. Bear bile okay. Not politically correct,
dilemma time, really. But I'm a good guest
or I try to be. Very excited at this prospect. Just in case I have
any reservations. Linh reads the list of benefits that the drink will
provide for me. Digestive system,
it's a very bad, weak. That's a frequent
problem on this show. - Cheers.
- Cheers. The best best. Okay, yeah. And unsurprisingly, actions
unfold with a familiar logic. [Man] Happy New Year. - Happy New Year.
- Happy New Year. [Anthony] Okay,
maybe I don't have the Vietnamese Calender
quite figured out yet but by my calendar, we celebrated
about 40 years already. [Man] Salud. Oh here we go,
the reinforcements. So while we're busy
laying the foundation for a night of festivity,
Linh's sisters, wife, and mother in law are in the
kitchen preparing the meal. Alright, I know it doesn't
seem fair but seriously, would you want a bunch of guys gargling with bear bile
cooking your Tet meal? As in most Vietnamese kitchens, there's a keen reliance
on simple ingredients. But the key is how
different flavors and colors and
textures work together. And of course,
presentation is important. This square cake is banh chung, made of glutenous
rice, fatty pork, bean paste, wrapped
in dong leaves, then tied off with bamboo twine. It steams for over 12 hours and it's a must have
during Tet at Hanoi. This is the chicken cake,
we call this bahn chung. And this very traditional,
with the meat and pork. Meat and pork. It looks good doesn't it? Yeah meat and pork, I prefer. Yeah me too. Tradition extends through
most of these dishes. It's an astonishing spread. And again, every table
seems to naturally end up having this incredible contrast. As Luna sensibly pointed out,
get those beauty shots now cause we're about to do
some serious damage to this. (chuckling) I think you try something,
some of this first. First. Then you try this. This is the color of the rice during the Tet
holiday in Vietnam. The rice is colored by the
orange fruit it's cooked with. Though each dish may
work fine on its own, most are meant to be
used in combinations where different tastes and
textures complement each other. Like the spring roll,
with the ubiquitous dipping sauce, lochnaw. Good. This is the young bamboo
shoot cooked with the pork. I just put a piece
of bamboo shoot down because it started to jump up. Make sure I get a little
green onion with it and broth. It's not about a single thing. Sweet goes with sour,
opposing colors, opposing flavors,
and I like that. Good. Principles in action and clearly you absolutely have to
have this with this. [Man] Yes, sure. Sour pickled onions
with savory banh chung. Actually it resonates with the classic garnish for French pate. You're getting the
same kind of savory, sweet and sour thing going on. And I like that. This is an innate
sense of what's good. There's a definite sense
of past culinary influence. Stir fried frog legs. A galantine, a
galantine of pork. It's pate-like. We were in the heart of the pig fried together with
the onion and carrot. [Anthony] It's good. Like holidays in the
states this food, this meal, reflects
personal associations and long traditions. This is the young rice cake. I went to the pagoda,
I left it on the altar as a sacrifice,
now I can enjoy it. Not only is it cake
but I'm now having the happiness and whatever
I wish for the whole year. I wish that for you also. Yeah for you too. Even in English it is
impossible for me to describe how grateful and
honored I am to be here. There's a link, a
bond between life, family and food in this country. And I cherish the
moments I have here. The celebration of Tet has
come to an end in Hanoi. After which the first visitors and the first meal are
regarded with great importance. So, I better make a good
impression on somebody cause I need some food. Luckily, Linh has
arranged for a visit to the home of Madame Tuyet one of the most renowned
cooks in Vietnam. Well, the best right? I mean, she's won
how many gold medals? A couple of gold medals? Yeah she's not only
good but also the best. That's promising. Madame Tuyet lives in
Hanoi's Old Quarter in a typically tall, narrow,
three story building. She works out of her
open-to-the-street top floor kitchen making her own highly personal
version of takeout. Through a little passageway, up some back stairs, minimal
signage, but that's okay. Madam Tuyet knows that people who really love
food will find her. How do you do? I meet Madame Tuyet's family. Her sister and two daughters
help out in the kitchen. A family operation, so quality
control is not a problem. (upbeat music) This is gonna be a good meal. I can tell already. There's a vibe, there's a
sense I'm gonna eat well. And here it is, this
is what we came for. Her famous chicken which
is splayed out on a pan, slow roasted and
glazed periodically with a brown sugar
and wild honey mix. [Anthony] Customers
have been known to line up down the
street for this stuff. Yeah this is one of those smells real good in this
room situations. But there's also something else. Snakehead fish. Excellent. Yeah there are several
ties that the snakehead fish all through the country,
from a lot of the south. Right. The sea is pretty furthest
up, up of the north, it should be caught from
the nature not a raised one. Right right, farm, same
rules apply in the states. The wild is always better
than the farm raised. The fish is sliced, then rolled around a stuffing
made of pork and mushrooms. When you take a piece
of filet of fish and you put something,
a filling in the center and roll it like this you
would call it a pochette. This would be a
pochette de passan, Actually, something like that. The rolled fish is dunked
in a cornstarch batter and popped in a hot oil. Head and spine follow. Now snakehead fish are
a problem in the US because they can
actually crawl on land and kill larger animals. So it hasn't quite made
the leap from nuisance to being on the
dinner plate yet. Since all good cooks know that too much of a good
thing is just enough, there's plenty more,
including a big plate of screamingly
fresh spring rolls. I see we're getting another
coat on the chicken. The paper will prevent the skin from being burned by the heat. [Anthony] Thank you. Oh man. Now I understand why her
honey chicken is so famous. Now, I want to make
sure I'm eating the food according to local customs. He has his good reason for that. Five fingers? (laughing) Yeah so I can just
get right into this? Good, tell her
I'm very relieved. The snakehead fish
rolls are incredible. Pork and fish go together
so fantastically. Oh, magnificent. I just explained
to her that pork bring Tony to her and she
will go to Tony for food. The bridge. The bridge. He's a food. It's a full mind,
body experience this. Oh yeah here comes
the good stuff. There are a few
things in this world I like more than a
good cup of coffee. And I happen to think
that the best coffee in the world is made in Vietnam. So it shouldn't be a
surprise that Madame Tuyet has her own personal blend. This is the best of the best. You're climbing the
Everest of coffee. This is the mountaintop. This is it. Oh man is that good. My friend Linh. Once again he's done me right. Now before I leave Vietnam,
Linh suggests a snack. So we head to one of the main
restaurant areas in Hanoi. As I understand it, it's sort of the Vietnamese version
of a food court. Meaning, outside
of the Tet holiday it's one long strip
of food food food and operators and
hawkers all the way down. And what kind of restaurant
are we looking for? We go to the restaurant
where we can enjoy the chicken that is cooked
in the Chinese herb. Chicken and Chinese
herb, sounds good. Thai Hung Lau is
just one of the many small restaurants
that line this road. This is it. Nothing fancy, but it has a
specialty and sticks to it. This is the oldest shop of this kind of chicken in this street. So it's a chicken boiled
in Chinese herb broth here? [Linh] Yeah it is. Now this is fast food. Chicken in a bowl, topped
with a healthy broth. Two steps, and
it's at your table. Good good good. Oh cool. Oh yeah I like fried bread. What better to sup
up all that soup but some fried baguette? Nice, bon appetit. Oh that's delicious. Bird's nest soup. It has the same sort
of aromatic flavor. Good for sleeping. Oh for sleeping? Well, it has been a long trip. I suppose I could use a nap. But Linh knows as well as I do, there's no sleep for the hungry. So Linh that was yet
another outstanding meal. You know all the good
places in this town. I hope I made you enjoy. And what is it with Hanoi? I mean, it's everywhere. It's just food food food,
good food everywhere. The people in Hanoi are
the best person for eating. Yeah? You were born here. You have to say that though. But I'm beginning, I'm coming to agree with you I gotta say. It's a little frustrating. I mean, I'm only
here about a week, I want to eat everywhere
but I can't do it. Just this street,
it'll take me one month just to eat on this street. Yeah. That's driving me crazy here. I mean, everywhere you look
there's cool looking stuff. So what have I missed? Everything right? We did not miss anything. (Chuckles) Good, right answer. As the streets fill
up again in Hanoi. Linh takes particular delight bringing me to an out of
the way discovery of his. He must investigate,
he likes to say, when talking about
finding the good stuff. Where you bringing me now Linh? It is Monk Alley in
downtown Hanoi, an eel shop. Yeah, eels? Yeah. Alright I like eel. So, that's the name
of this place right? The eel shop? No messing about there. We know what we're
gonna be eating. But it's not like you
don't have choices. Eel with banana leaf,
eel and mushroom, a big bowl of eel soup
and stir fried chili eel. Let's have what you
eat when you're here. You're the regular. Okay the best to me is the eel that is cooked in the bamboo. You want a particular
dish you go to a place that specializes in that dish. You don't go to some
place with a gigantic menu with 22 different
types of things. I mean, they call
it the eel shop. And it does a lot of business. It's a pretty good bet that
they do eel pretty well. They have very
nice kind of salad. Yeah I like a
salad now and again. This is Vietnam so I
expect a few differences. So that's banana flower. And these little green
guys, they look good. In Vietnam we call it
hung, hung vegetable. The salad also has
pickles, sprouts, and a spicy dipping sauce. Oh that's really good. It is really crunchy
and delicious. Tastes good for me. He likes this kind of salad. Good. Enough rabbit food. Bring on the eel. Take your raw eel,
a little sugar, and a nice wad of garlic. Slide it into the bamboo
and cap a Vietnamese herb. Place over hot coals, sit back and let
those babies roast. The bamboo not only
flavors the eel, but also functions
as a serving dish. Oh damn that looks really good. Oh yeah that's some good eel. That's tasty. I see why you come here. I could get hooked on this. [Linh] It's quite sweet. It's good cause
it's caramelized. You get that nice charcoaly,
caramelization flavor. The best part of the
eel is usually his body. Not the head or the tail. Got a whole bunch
of them in here. Delicious. Yeah I got a
real thing for this stuff. Oh yeah that's some good eel. Yeah, this is spectacular. I appreciate this Linh, you
take me to all the best places. You really do this
is really great. It's a neighborhood joint
with a neighborhood around it. You're not eating in isolation. You're eating in a
context of a community. That feels, I don't know,
that feels really good to me. I like that. You've seen it. Can you smell it? Can you taste it? Can you see why I love it here? (soft music)
