Taking It On The Chinn (Bobby's that is)

When we were in Hanoi a few years ago, we decided to eat at one of the newest and most popular restaurants in all of Hanoi, Restaurant Bobby Chinn. Overlooking the central Hoan Kiem Lake at the heart of Hanoi, Restaurant Bobby Chinn is the standard for international cuisine in a city long known for culinary adventure. A well known international hotspot, Restaurant Bobby Chinn offers a hip setting for an unforgettable evening of culinary delights, and some unexpected sights as well. Hanoi is a beautiful, artsy, and cultured city, along the lines of San Francisco or Seattle. It is a wonder that we didn't destroy it during the war.

Here is Bobby's story. “It took me a while to figure out that I was an ethnic mutt. Half Egyptian, half Chinese, born in New Zealand, educated primarily in England, with a sense that San Francisco was home. I was privileged to be brought up with two grandmothers who were both really great cooks. My Chinese grandmother was from Shanghai and made Chinese food that I had never tasted in any restaurant anywhere. She was cooking a “fusion” type of Chinese food back in the 50’s, substituting for ingredients that were not readily available in the U.S. at that time. Some how she made light sauces, greaseless noodles, and tastes that were entirely unique. My Egyptian grandmother cooked in all manners of North African food - she makes a wicked couscous, Bisteeya, and desserts that are highly addictive. Quite frankly, I do not remember ever having a bad meal until I arrived at boarding school in England.”

Bobby received a BA in Finance and Economics, moved to New York City and began working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at 11 Wall Street. Quickly disillusioned, he left in search of something/anything that he loved. He tried a bit of everything - from attempting to sell seafood to the mob, to stand up comedy - and along the way, he also discovered his love and talent for cooking. To make ends meet, Bobby worked as a runner, busboy, and server in various restaurants. His culinary education began in earnest when, while waiting tables, he began hanging out in the kitchen of Elka, a cutting-edge, Franco-Japanese restaurant in San Francisco.

Later, renowned chef Hubert Keller of Fleur De Lys took Bobby in and enabled him to further develop his skills. He would later work with chefs Jeffery Inahara, Traci des Jardin, and Gary Danko. After reading Burgundy Stars, he went off to apprentice in Bordeaux and Paris. Chinn has run several highly acclaimed restaurants in Vietnam before opening Restaurant Bobby Chinn, including Camargue, Saigon Joe’s in Ho Chi Minh City, Miro, and the Red Onion Bistro in the Hanoi Towers (formerly the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison).

While the meal was memorable, and Bobby so charming, we got to see another part of Hanoi unknown to most tourists. We got to sit at the primo table in Bobby's front window. Bobby himself waited on us, and spoke to us about food, politics, and good wine. But the real show was outside the window, as we lingered as long as we dared. At the corner where several streets merged, were several of Hanoi's finest, along with a flat bed truck for impounded vehicles and motorbikes.

As cars were pulled over, presumably for making an illegal turn at the intersection, the auto or motorbike owner would casually walk over to the man in charge. After exchanging a few pleasantries (I assume), he slips some paper money into the policeman's pocket. He then slips away, jumps back on his motorbike or into his car, and heads off to dinner. This went on for the better part of our dinner, which must have lasted at least two hours. Those without money had their vehicle impounded and loaded onto the truck. Several truck loads were hauled away while we ate. Bobby even went outside a few times to chew the fat with some of the cops.

So is this Communism at work, or have they figured out how the system really works? After all, the Vietnam War is called the American War in Hanoi. It was a real eye opener, in a city where we were told not to smile when we went to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Thank you Bobby Chinn!

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