Vietnamese cuisine is all about the aromatic herbs and subtle flavours; using fresh ingredients to create quiet masterpieces on a plate.  Since Sapa was our first stop in Vietnam, I was really excited to try all the traditional dishes.  Here are the restaurants we were able to sample while we were in Sapa:

Papaya Salad @ Panorama

Panorama (39 Fanxipang Street):  The restaurant is located upstairs, and they also have a cooking school.  We each ordered our own Pho Gai & shared veggies, rice, papaya salad & fresh juices.  Everything was very good, but what stood out was the papaya salad.  & of course, the pineapple juice!

Relaxing @ Baguette & Chocolat

Baguette & Chocolat (Thac Bac Street): Great little café/restaurant with a very nice outdoor seating area.  We enjoyed some downtime here to catch up on some reading and writing.  They have an extensive menu of food, snacks & pastries, all for a good cause.  It is a not-for-profit business that is aimed at providing training for disadvantaged youth so that they have the skills to work in the hospitality industry.

My fave vegetable spring rolls @ Red Camelia

Red Camelia (30 Pho Cau May):  Our first dinner was at this bustling, candlelit restaurant.  When we arrived, they were already quite busy, so we figured the food must be good here – & it was!  To accompany our beer, we ordered fresh vegetable spring rolls with peanuts & mint (my favourite!), veggies with rice, and lemongrass sesame chicken on a hot plate with fries.  & although we were already stuffed, we got another order of the vegetable spring rolls because I liked them so much.  🙂  The only issue was that they decided to give us the same bowl of fish sauce for dipping when they came back with our second order (oh well).

Grilled Fish @ Little Sapa

Little Sapa (18 Pho Cau May):  We had another very tasty dinner here, with fresh beef spring rolls, fried choko with garlic, veggies, grilled lemongrass ginger fish on a hot plate, and a bowl of mixed fruits for dessert.  The restaurant is really busy and all the tables were consistently full.

Viet Emotion

Viet Emotion (27 Pho Cau May):  This restaurant is busy throughout the day, with people sitting on their pretty patio for a drink between meals.  The food is excellent.  They even pack your dinner to go for those who are taking the overnight train back to Hanoi.