It took some navigating before we finally found Susu.
The Vietnamese restaurant is located in the back alley of one of Bejing's hutongs.
There is no sign except this red door.
And whoa!!! Who would have thought that a dining room as posh and modern could be
found inside the courtyard?
The weather was nice so we decided to sit outside and get a free dose of vitamin D
There were more tables at the roof deck but we were too lazy to climb up and down the stairs :P
A Vietnamese meal always starts with Classic Fried Spring Rolls
I liked Susu's version with shrimps, taro, yam, beans and mushrooms. I wrapped it with greens
and mint and dipped the whole thing in fish sauce. Yum.
The Coconut Claypot Ribs with quail eggs and coconut slivers was too bland for my taste
Honestly, we didn't know what to do with this Hanoi specialty "La Vong Fish"
when the server placed the sizzling plate and the tray of condiments on our table.
He didn't bother to explain so we watched how the others do it. Fortunately,
everyone else in the restaurant ordered the same dish. We watched them
mix together the snakehead fillets, fennel, turmeric, scallions, vermicelli, peanuts,
fish gravy and herbs in their bowls, and we did the same. We didn't like it. Lol.
The fish was rubbery and the fish gravy didn't sit very well with our tastebuds.
We stuck to familiar dishes.
Chicken Pho - very clean tasting, maybe too clean
Hue Style Noodle Soup - pork and super hard-to-chew beef shank in soup spiced with
lemongrass and shrimp paste with spaghetti-like noodles
My favorite of all dishes was the Classic Banh Mi with pork, chicken liver pate, pickled carrot,
daikon, cilantro, cucumber and chilies. The baguette was perfectly crisp outside and shattered
into a million crumbs each time I bit into it. The flavors were fresh, sweet and tangy. I could
have finished the whole thing...
Except I had to share it with three other hungry people :P
Apparently, Susu is quite popular in Beijing. The chef is from Vietnam and is said to
serve the most authentic Vietnamese food you can find in this part of China.
Let's help Susu keep the China Dream alive!
Susu 苏苏会: 10 Qianliang Hutong, Dongcheng, Beijing, China. Tel: +86 10 8400 2699
北京市东城区钱粮西巷10号