A day in Old Town.

This morning, my partner and I walked to the Buddhist temple behind the apartment to meditate. The gate to the grounds was open, however, the temple was not. No meditation in the temple for us today. Off to breakfast.

She found a restaurant, in a boutique hotel, that she wanted to go to for an egg breakfast. I did not want to go there, yet I remained open. As we wound through the streets - down Trích Sài, around the south of lake Tây Hồ, past downtown, the streets became narrowed and bustling with kinetic energy of pedestrians, motorcyclists, merchants, and cars. Driving through Old Town, I oohed, awed, drooled, and lamented at every food stand I saw that was swarming with people sitting on tiny stools, crammed against a wall, slurping noodles, sipping broth, and chomping on all sorts of dumplings, cakes, and buns. These were the places I longed to be, eating with the locals.

The car stopped right in the heart of Hoàn Kiếm, we hopped out and carefully crossed the street, dodging a myriad of motorized vehicles, like the famed pixelated amphibian. Up a few black marble steps, we entered through two glass doors, held open by a couple of young, friendly doormen. We waded through a sea of smiles, to the elevator. I decided to appreciate what I could, and ogled the architecture. It was clean and contemporary, with touches of old French colonial ironwork.

We stepped out onto the sixth floor where Mr. Kevin greeted us like a walking ray of sunshine. He oriented us to the buffet and menu, then sat us down by the window with a terrific view of surrounding streets and buildings. I perused the selection, poured us a cup of coffee, ordered a bowl of phó, and loaded up a plate.

The food, all of it, was excellent! It was super fresh, and very flavorful. The vegetarian phó with kimchee, my own addition, was delightful. It had fantastic heat, just the right amount of salty sourness, the noodles were perfectly cooked, and the veggies, crunchy yet soft.

And the coffee... oh the coffee! It was one of the best cups of Joe I've had in my life to date. Locally grown, fair trade and sustainable, rich notes of chocolate wafted from the cup. There's an acidity that hits right up front, however, it is a very smooth acidity. It's strange, I know, but I'm at a loss how else to describe it. Next came a wave of sweetness and creaminess. It tasted of milk and sugar, even though it was straight and black. The end was a bit nutty and had almost a buttery finish.

I just couldn't get enough. I had four cups before I thought to slow down.  Mr. Kevin was kind enough to provide the name of the company and blend that they use, a mix of two beans. And the young lady at the front desk had the kitchen bring me a 500g bag of each so that I could enjoy it at home without taking on trying to find it on my own in a city brimming with cafes and coffee shops.

It was a marvelous morning experience!