Friday, December 01, 2006

QUE HUONG VIETNAMESE CAFE, NEXT TO DANKOOK UNIVERSITY AND CLOSE TO HANNAM BRIDGE AND UN VILLAGE IN SMALL PARADE OF SHOPS, NEXT DOOR TO ACH SO! GERMAN BAKERY TEL: TO FOLLOW

Over last couple of years living in Asia, Chicken Noodle Soup has come to hold a special place in my heart. I think that Westerners tend to marvel at the lack of obesity and the longevity of our Asian counterparts, and I am beginning to believe that this ubiquitous asian dish may be the reason for both. Whether it is spicy Thai-style: full of ground peanuts, fried garlic and coriander, or a clear simple Vietnamese Pho - perhaps Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect meal for every generation. Children can eat it when no spice has been added, middle agers can eat it as they wish, old people can eat it even if they have no teeth!

Que Huong has been my lunch time haunt for the last four weeks. This is a long time to eat the same thing every day for lunch - but how can I stop coming here when it offers the perfect soup. (Actually, if my schedule allowed it, I would vary my lunch venues slightly, but at the moment this place is so darn convenient with such a perfect dish that I can't be bothered to change).

Young, laid back staff help in this small, clean and simple little cafe which is always busy, but you never have to wait for a table. A really simple menu of soups and rice dishes is available. But if you go here, try the No. 8 chicken noodle soup washed down with warm tea, as close to perfect home cooked comfort food as you are going to get and a bargain at 6,000 won. In winter the soup warms you, in the summer it seems to keep you cool.

The broth is not too salty, the noodles are not too soft, the amount of chicken pieces is just right, the seasoning is spot on. What a great little joint this place is.

And if you have a hangover, there is simply nothing better than a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup to help you through the rest of the day.