Guess who’s coming for dinner: US President Barack Obama drops by for streetside bun cha in Vietnam
The president slipped away from his hectic schedule to dine with TV food expert Anthony Bourdain.
She has ladled out countless bowls of her pork noodle soup, but the owner of a Hanoi streetside restaurant says she was stunned when Barack Obama strolled in, pulled up a plastic stool and slurped down Vietnam’s famed bun cha delicacy.
The US president slipped away from his hectic Vietnam visit on Monday night to sample the dish with Anthony Bourdain, a chef and food critic who fronts a travel show about hidden culinary gems around the world.
While 54-year-old restaurant owner Nguyen Thi Lien knew a foreign television crew was on the way, she had no idea they would be bringing a very special guest.
“His presence in our restaurant was a great surprise for my whole family, who could never have imagined it, even in our dreams,” she said on Tuesday.
US Secret Service and local police closed down the streets surrounding Bun Cha Huong Lien eatery on Monday evening.
A large crowd gathered outside the restaurant, letting out a cheer as Obama exited.