Mawlana Restaurant Hanoi — Restaurant in Hà Nội

Some dishes feed your stomach. Some, your soul. But very few whisper to your memory and remind you of home. The Mawlana Green Salad (سلطة بلدي) is definitely not to be looked down upon thinking of it as "just" a side dish, it’s a deeply nostalgic reminder of Egyptian hospitality and taste. Salata Baladi, or "country salad," is Egypt’s national salad, and Mawlana with it's ever evloving menu of the only truly Authentic Egyptian cuisine in Hanoi, treats it like the national treasure it is. It arrives as a humble but vibrant mix of finely chopped ruby-red tomatoes, crisp Persian-like cucumber slices, slivers of sharp red onion, and loads of fresh parsley. Crowned with a lime wedge, it teases your senses with citrus and freshness before you even take a bite. The dressing is the secret weapon. Lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, and dried mint... a tangy, herby, garlicky elixir that doesn’t just coat, it soaks and uplifts every single ingredient. Even after I had finished my salad, I found myself sipping every last drop of the leftover dressing and after I was done completely, I had lifted the bowl up and found myself still licking the surface of the delivery bowl to devour the last drop of the juicy goodness from the Salad. This isn’t garnish. It’s a central dish in every Egyptian table, and here at Mawlana, along with having the integrity of it's authenticity preserved, and recreated by the brilliant, experienced and hard working chefs, made with care and heart along with our brother Ibrahim's supervision. Add in the Mawlana Chicken Shawarma, packed and juicy chicken cubic slices as found in Turkish Döner kebabs melty with flavor and cheesy goodness along with delightful sauce, and the super surprisingly delightful Shishtawook Shawarma Wrap... which is totally one of a kind with a tender juicy opening bite, with meat generously overloaded in each bite with mouthwatering spices, surprising you mid-bite with roasted eggplant slices and grilled tomato, continuing with bursts of flavour in the tender meat, generously overflowing from each bite and eventually signing off with tremendous juicy, flavourful and a cheese filled saucy ending and you’ll find yourself closing your eyes just to savor it all. The Egyptian Minced Meat Kuffta Shawarma Wrap? ABSOLUTELY Mind-blowingly juicy and tender Charred meat, and the introductory silky tahini sauce dressed all over and across the entire wrap until the very last bite, not to mention the aromatic spices that's gonna make everyone running to you from a mile away...it’s a world class gourmet and culinary sensory experience in a wrap. And this is to mention just a starting point of experiencing the miraculous masterpieces straight from the hands and supervised by the head Chef at Mawlana with over 40 years of firsthand experience....Every single dish here at Mawlana feels like it was made for serving love and heartiness to people with wide open arms...for enriching memories and for strengthening the bonds and connection to the roots of home along with bringing the comfort from over 8397 miles... all the way from Egypt to this little bright lively city in the middle of South East Asia, namely, Ha Noi. And it all begins with tasting a savory humble salad that makes you feel like you’ve just been hugged by home. Because here, even the simplest dish tells you: Welcome, Habibi! and that too, with the widest and warmest smile, welcoming gesture and hospitality that hugs your heart in a way that's indelible even after decades as the years of life go by, just a warm and fuzzy memory at Mawlana...Bless the whole team here, and our beloved brother Ibrahim along with the chefs working behind the kitchen day and night shedding sweat and blood to prepare all this incredible food and serve it to guests opening their hearts and souls wide open, cooking every bite worth of food with countless ounces of love...

Hawawshi, originally born in the alleyways of Cairo, is a dish shaped by simplicity but carried through generations with depth. At Mawlana, the Mastermind chief chef with 40+ years of firsthand experience makes sure that this traditional staple arrives folded in soft, aish baladi, not over-crisped nor underdone, but with the kind of integrity that holds its form gently with exquisite softness and just the right amount of rigidity to enjoy and savour the wheaty flavours along with the minced beef that is so perfectly crafted to be integrated with a bread, it's a medley of gourmet brilliance. Inside, a delicate mixture of finely minced beef, mellow peppers, and onion meets a subtle, ancestral blend of spices. Not loud and not rushed. Just right. Every bite lands subtlely full of flavorful spices and grace. This Hawawshi at Mawlana, is absolutely THE MOST AUTHENTIC and true to it's heritage Egyptian Hawawshi bought straight from Cairo to Hanoi Moussaqa (مسقعة), the soul of Egyptian vegetarian comfort, the exceptional chefs here roasted layers of eggplant softened into a slow-simmered tomato base, gently laced with garlic and the quiet fire of chili, cooked with enough patience to tell you someone behind this dish still believes in cooking as an act of care and art.It exactly tastes like home, and authentic foul and ta'ameya places in Cairo and the way the chef's aubergine is roasted until tender is strikingly akin to the infamous Abou Al Syed. The rice, unspoken but essential, carries the weight of the meal with dignity. Cooked remarkably clean and to perfection, with grains that hold their own, yet lean into one another, it brings a faint richness, and buttery undertone similar to samneh, but never overpowering. Its flavor is subtle, and quiet but absolutely distinct. This rice is not just any regular accompaniment... it is foundation to the high quality goods utilized in the kitchen at Mawlana.And then,a surprise that catches a lot of guests unexpectedly off guard with a smile, a dessert gift... the chocolate raisin cake,seems simple in form, but precise in effect. Each bite carries with warmth a soft crumb, light and buttery, then a deeper center touched by chocolate, melting just enough to mark its place. Raisins weave through gently, sweet, but not one bit cloying. It is another Hallmark of the tremendous generousity of our brother Ibrahim that every single guest who has walked through the doors of Mawlana has experienced. All of the incredible precision in true Authentic Egyptian Culinary Excellence comes not from chance, but from mastery.. from chefs who understand the spirit of Egyptian cuisine, and from the quiet watch and wisdom of brother Ibrahim, whose presence continues to shape every dish with humility and assurance. There is no need for reinvention here. Only remembrance, and revival on the other side of the globe, all the way from...

There are meals,and then there are moments so lovingly orchestrated that food becomes not only nourishment,but narrative. At Mawlana in Hanoi, what one encounters is not a mere indulgence of flavor..but an act of care so profound,that even though no words will ever truly suffice..Where do we begin? A Chicken Biryani at Mawlana: the quarters of chicken... are beyond generous..Not just modest portions or a decorative leg tucked beside rice .No. This is literally an entire bird fit for a feast in a palace..bronzed and lacquered with a devotion rarely seen anywhere else, its skin blistered to the edge of crisp yet so tender, its interior moist and nestled above all are halved aubergines, gently roasted with slices of zucchini, onion, and rice so vividly seasoned it tastes like the memory of homeland.The rice..each grain separate, carrying saffron's warmth and cardamom’s whisper, absorbing the chicken’s essence without surrendering its own.The greatest Chicken Biryani of it's league brought forth to the ultimate perfection imaginable by the experienced and relentlessly toiling chefs behind the kitchen along with our dearest brother Ibrahim's supervision, making guests smile with unconditional gratitude from their heart..Three yogurt-based sauces appear, each with its own dialect.The Classic Mawlana White Garlic Sauce enriched with a swirl of olive oil and dusted paprika, its tang lifted by the quiet hum of garlic. Another cool and speckled with diced tomato and cucumber, not just like tzatziki sauce but richer and far greater along with a third, slivering tahini that's fresh and nutty flavour-like with just the right amount of subtlety and grounding. Salads, meanwhile,arrive not as afterthoughts, but as chorus. A loving gesture of our brother Ibrahim, 2 special salads with a bright garden chopped fresh tomato, cucumber, carrot, a crown jewel lime, and lettuce with everything at its crispest, and a Fattoush Salad masterpiece, that brings olives, feta, crisped bread, mint, pomegranate molasses sauce and cheese with sweet peppers, and the tang of sumac like appetizing citrus.Then, almost as an epilogue: an extra pickles and onions with orange, that's vinegar-slick and punchy.. giving the meal its final, sharp punctuation. And a deep red tomato-based, spiced,and sweet-sour delightful sauce. And not to forget that, all of these tantalizing sauces to be savored alongside Mawlana's Special Pita bread. There's nothing like the hospitality and generosity inside these doors anywhere else in the planet, to experience Mawlana for once is a memory to take comfort and pride in...