Best Cha Gio I've had — and I've tried a few

Having eaten Cha Gio at several restaurants over the past year, I can say this version is the best. The clean and deeply savoury quality is more pronounced here than anywhere else I've tried. star anise broth is handled with real knowledge — you can taste the difference.

This is proper a Hanoi pho stall at breakfast cooking, not an adaptation for foreign tastes. Vietnamese iced coffee was the obvious choice and the combination was perfect. Vietnamese cuisine shows French colonial influence alongside traditional Southeast Asian techniques. Would return for this dish alone.