Highway 4 might not be the place to come to drink every week if you live in Hanoi, but if you’re a visitor, this bar and restaurant should definitely be on your hit list. Three stories of bar and restaurant with a variety of seating sees both locals and foreigners alike enjoying what’s on offer. If you’re an adventurous eater the menu is sure to please. Served tapas style, you can sample locusts roasted with lemon leaves (seasonal of course), cricket and pork patties, chicken cartilage in batter and even pig’s ear salad. I’d already eaten by the time I reached Highway 4 so I stuck to the drinks… 🙂 Here you can sample Vietnam’s very own rice liquor (Son Tinh Premium Spirits) infused with fruits, herbs (sworn to cure many ailments) and, (in true Vietnamese style) even animals such as seahorse. The Nep Phù Loc, herbal spirit at 40% alcohol, will blow your head off and lingers on the palate for quite some time – I recommend trying this one last so as not to wipe out delicate taste buds before you’ve sampled some of the the softer styles. The fruit infused varieties are a better option for untrained tasted buds and offer a gentle stepping stone into the more serious blends. Rose Apple and Passionfruit are palatable with the Apricot and Red Plum having more of an artificial resonance on the tongue. The company claims that the high quality of distillation and absence of artificial flavours basically means you can drink a lot and be hangover free the next morning. Perhaps these are a better option than the home brew varieties you might be offered during a homestay in the countryside. One serving will set you back around 30 000 Dong and three small sample bottles make a great gift or souvenir for 200 000 Dong.
Highway 4
3 Hang Tre
Hoan Kiem
Old Quarter
Ha Noi, Vietnam
Tel: 3926 4200, 2215 5797
[email protected]
www.highway4.com