I’ll be honest – I was skeptical. My wife and I have tried ngan cháy tỏi (crispy garlic-fried Muscovy duck) at several places, and it’s always the same disappointing story: meat burnt to a crisp, dry as cardboard. Yet people still queue like mad at spots like 61 Hàng Lược or 71 Hàng Thiếc, which made me wonder if this is just another overhyped Hanoi dish. I get the concept – deep-fried Muscovy duck sitting in a fragrant bed of golden fried garlic, where that sweet, nutty aroma should hit you before you even lift your chopsticks. But every place we’d been to, the garlic did all the work because the meat was basically jerky.
Quick crash course on the duck situation in Vietnam
There are two types – ngan (Muscovy or Barbary duck) and vịt (your common duck).
Regular duck has a shorter neck, flatter body, and milder taste. You’ll find it in dishes like vịt quay (roasted duck), bún măng vịt (duck with bamboo shoot vermicelli), mì vịt tiềm (braised duck noodle soup), vịt om sấu (duck braised with dracontomelon) across the country.
Muscovy duck is different – leaner, darker meat, stronger flavor. It’s mainly up north, especially Hanoi, in dishes like bún/miến ngan (Muscovy duck vermicelli/glass noodle soup) and ngan cháy tỏi (crispy garlic-fried Muscovy duck).
Finding this place felt like a test of faith
We drove through a maze of narrow alleys. Some sections were properly dodgy – the kind where you’re not sure if you’re about to hit a dead end or stumble into someone’s living room. I genuinely questioned my life choices. Then suddenly, the alley opened up into this big, bustling courtyard in front of an old apartment block – one of those khu tập thể buildings from decades ago with the shared courtyard.
We arrived right at peak dinner time. This place had taken over the entire courtyard.
Most places like this have 5-10 tables. Sơn Trọc had at least 30. Around 7-8 people cooking, 3 taking orders, 2 on drinks. Free parking at the far end. This wasn’t some small mom and pop shop – this was a full operation. My wife’s friend had recommended it, and now I understood why. It took me 37 years to find this place.
Thankfully, we got seated quickly. The menu was overwhelming – 30+ dishes – but the staff was genuinely helpful. Our server gave recommendations based on our party size (me, wife, two big kids). No rushing, no pushing expensive items, no attitude about us taking our time. Just calm, smiling, professional. The kind of service you’d expect at a fancy restaurant.
The food
We ordered ngan cháy tỏi (crispy garlic-fried Muscovy duck), canh măng tiết (bamboo shoot broth with duck blood cake), and nộm chân rút xương (boneless duck feet salad). Everything arrived fast, and we wasted no time diving straight in.
The ngan cháy tỏi – finally, someone got it right. The duck was surprisingly tender and packed with flavor. And for once, the garlic wasn’t carrying the entire dish, though we still demolished every golden slice. The duck pieces were thick and chunky, lightly coated—not drowned in flour like other places. Still had that nice crunch. They only use ngan dé (young Muscovy duck) here, which means meat that is more tender and juicier.
Canh măng tiết was the perfect complement – light broth, rice vermicelli, massive plate of herbs. The tiết (duck blood cake) was spot-on: bouncy, soft, exactly what you want. Ultimate comfort food territory.
Nộm chân rút xương (boneless duck feet salad) was a nice surprise. Instead of the usual green papaya, banana blossom, or cabbage, they use sliced cucumber and carrots with chopped herbs and crushed peanuts. Fresh and bright. We did find a few small bone pieces we didn’t like, but honestly, at this point I didn’t care. I was too far gone.
The damage: 325,000 VND for four people. I was expecting closer to 500k. Maybe because they’re not in the city center?
We’ve been back a couple more times since, bringing different friends each time. The ngan cháy tỏi is still the star. If you’ve been disappointed by dry, burnt Muscovy duck everywhere else like I was, this is your redemption arc.