Hải Sản Hương Lan / Huong Lan Seafood Eatery

Hải Sản Hương Lan / Huong Lan Seafood Eatery
45 Nghi Tàm
Yên Phụ
Tây Hồ / West Lake
Hanoi
Vietnam

https://www.facebook.com/Hải-Sản-Hương-Lan-484764664917964/


Excellent Local Seafood In This Casual Eatery

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 3
Value for Money: 10
Spent about VND ₫220,000 / SGD $14 per person.

Hải Sản Hương Lan, known in English as Huong Lan Seafood Eatery, is a casual dining eatery that specialises in seafood, and only seafood. They offer in done in 3 ways; boiled, grilled / barbecue, or stir fried. Hải Sản Hương Lan is very local, everything here is in Vietnamese, and the locals like to dine here because the seafood is fresh, and the prices are very cheap even for Hanoi / Vietnam locals.

Ambience at Hải Sản Hương Lan is a little run down. The outlet is housed in a narrow shophouse, just off a busy main road. It's easily visible from the main road, thanks to its large, yellow signboard on the 3-story facade. Furniture is functional at best, though the place is brightly lit and clean, and hygiene is of a decent standard.

Service at Hải Sản Hương Lan is passable. This is a local casual eatery after all, so staff are brusque, and speak only Vietnamese. There is a large, clearly labelled menu, with prices, though it's also in Vietnamese. There aren't any pictures, so knowing what to order is important. Pointing at the menu items, or showing them pictures of the food, helps as well. Orders are fulfilled quickly, usually within 10 minutes, and I note that staff are also quick at clearing empty / dirty tables.

Food is the highlight at Hải Sản Hương Lan / Huong Lan Seafood Eatery, and as its name suggests, the seafood here is fresh, sourced daily, and incredibly tasty. They offer crabs, snails, clams, squid, prawns, scallops, oysters, fish, and cockles, in any of the 3 cooking styles. Besides seafood, they only have noodles and rice. Portions are designed for communal dining, at least 2 - 4 people is recommended, though they can take larger groups as well. Prices are incredibly affordable. Overall, highly recommended to dine here if you're in Hanoi, Vietnam!





The large, bright yellow signboard is easily visible from the main road nearby, and since this is a busy area, it's nearly unmissable. Choose to dine on either the 1st or 2nd floor. The hygiene here is decent for a casual eatery.

Hải Sản Hương Lan Side Signage

Hải Sản Hương Lan Main Signage

Hải Sản Hương Lan Exterior

Hải Sản Hương Lan Interior

Hải Sản Hương Lan Address & Contact

Hải Sản Hương Lan Facade

This is a very local Vietnamese place, so the Hải Sản Hương Lan menu is also in Vietnamese, without any English translations. It's best to have a translator / guidebook / local people with you when ordering. Prices here are incredibly cheap, and the seafood is fresh. They tend to stack plates on top of each other if you order more than the table can fit.

Hải Sản Hương Lan Menu

You only get simple utensils here, as most of the food is supposed to be eaten with your hands, or with chopsticks. The sharp metal pick is for spearing food, and prying open shellfish, so be careful when eating with it. You get a default of 2 dipping sauces per diner.

Metal Pick & Bowl, Spicy Chili Dipping Sauce, Salt And Lime Juice Dipping Sauce

The Nướng Hành method of grilling / barbecue with fish sauce, ginger, and scallions lends a fragrance to the seafood, yet still allows the natural taste to come through. This is especially evident in the Sò Diệp Nướng Hành / Grilled Scallop With Scallions (1 Scallop - VND ₫15,000 / SGD $1), where the chef has ensured that the scallops still remain moist, not dry. The Con Hàu Nướng Hành / Grilled Oyster With Scallions (1 Oyster - VND ₫30,000 / SGD $2) also allows the taste of the oysters to shine, though this large, plump oysters naturally carry more flavour on their own.

Sò Diệp Nướng Hành / Grilled Scallop With Scallions

Con Hàu Nướng Hành / Grilled Oyster With Scallions

Love the eggy roe within the Mực Trứng Chiên Xào / Fried Crispy Squid With Roe (1 Squid - VND ₫25,000 / SGD $1.60)! The squid itself has a nice chew without being tough or rubbery, still retaining a slightly bouncy texture. Clean, fresh flavour, great when dipped into the sauce!

Mực Trứng Chiên Xào / Fried Crispy Squid With Roe

The large, meaty Tôm Nướng / Grilled Prawns (1 Prawn - VND ₫30,000 / SGD $2) means that the prawn / shrimp meat still retains some moisture even after being barbecued / grilled. The shells come clean off rather easily, and the meat is great with the dipping sauce!

Tôm Nướng / Grilled Prawns

The fresh, crunchy Nộm Sứa / Jellyfish Salad (1 Plate - VND ₫50,000 / SGD $3.20) is a delight on the palate. This mixture of vegetables topped with jellyfish is sweet, salty, sour, zesty, fruity, all at once, when varying textures of crunchy, chewy, and soft. Delightful, also helps cleanse the palate somewhat after the heavy tastes of grilled seafood!

Nộm Sứa / Jellyfish Salad

The Miến Cua Ngao / Stir Fried Vermicelli (1 Plate - VND ₫50,000 / SGD $3.20) I thought was rather underwhelming, and ultimately, rather forgettable. Taste is decent at best, though the texture is somewhat clumpy, with the noodles sticking together. Possibly the weakest dish I had here, with good reason because it's not seafood. Skip this.

Miến Cua Ngao / Stir Fried Vermicelli

There is a satisfiying appeal in digging out the snails from their shells with the metal pick, in this Ốc Mít Luộc / Boiled Snails dish (1 Bowl - VND ₫60,000 / SGD $3.90). The gravy is savoury and sour, with a hint of tamarind, lime juice, and chili spice. The snails are meaty and chewy in texture, rather clean without any muddy taste. Good, and somewhat addictive!

Ốc Mít Luộc / Boiled Snails