You don’t go to Hanoi’s most storied eatery in search of surprises; you go to relive something already etched into collective memory. That’s exactly what comedian Kumar Varun did on his recent visit to Bún Chả Hương Liên, the restaurant made legendary by a televised dinner between Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain.
Comedian Kumar Varun Feasts In His Favourite Hanoi Restaurant; Shares Pics
Recently, Indian Comedian Kumar Varun visited the legendary bun cha point in Hanoi called Bún Chả Hương Liên. He shared a post sitting with bowlfuls of mouthwatering dishes on his table, and his caption brings out the foodie as well as the comedian in him.
“I know, I know. It’s touristy now. But I still went. Same bún chả joint. Same table. Same smoke in the eyes,” he writes on Instagram. “And for five minutes, I pretended I was on a table-for-two with Anthony Bourdain.”
The post shows him seated in quiet reflection over a tray of grilled pork, rice vermicelli, herbs, and beer. Kumar Varun’s post is special in more ways than one. The photo tells you this isn’t just about the meal; it is rather about stepping into a shared cultural imprint, a table where many have sat before him and many will after.
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The Bún Chả Hương Liên Eatery
The restaurant he’s at, Bún Chả Hương Liên, still holds the same magic it has carried since its installation in 1993. Hương Liên became a global name in 2016 when Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain sat at one of its plastic stools for dinner, captured in a now-iconic broadcast. A laminated photograph of that evening is still framed on the wall. The menu doesn’t let you forget this either; they still serve the “Combo Obama”: one bowl of bún chả, one fried seafood roll, and one Hanoi beer, all at just 120,000 VND (₹400 approx.). The combo feels like a history preserved in the language the restaurant knows best.
There is something cinematic about the place, perhaps because of what it represents. Their magic lies in their food, which is best described as humble, honest, and way too good! The bún chả is a classic Hanoi-core dish with fatty pork grilled over charcoal, bathed in a fish sauce broth with pickled green papaya, and served alongside a generous mound of rice noodles and a basket of greens. This tastes like someone just picked them from a roadside farm. Their fried roll (nem hải sản) is one-hell-of-a a satisfier too. It is blistered golden and stuffed with seafood, offering crunch against the soft chew of noodles.
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There’s a temptation to treat places like Bún Chả Hương Liên as overhyped. But sometimes the hype is honest. And sometimes, as in this case, the table for one becomes crowded with memory.
Where: 24 Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi, Vietnam
When: 8 AM to 8:30 PM
Cost: 240,000 VND (₹750 for two approx.)
Cover Image Courtesy: randomvarun/Instagram
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