An unlikely pair! President Barack Obama took a detour during his trip to Vietnam to grab lunch with Anthony Bourdain.
The president of the United States, 54, and the adventurous TV chef, 59, dined at local restaurant Bún chả Hương Liên in Hanoi, where they chatted over bowls of grilled pork with noodles and other Vietnamese dishes.
Bourdain documented the lunch date with an epic photo that he shared via Instagram on Monday, May 23, writing, “The president’s chopstick skills are on point.”
Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer. pic.twitter.com/KgC3VIEPQr
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) May 23, 2016
The TV personality later noted on Twitter that he picked up the $6 tab. “Total cost of bun Cha dinner with the President: $6.00. I picked up the check,” he shared, adding, “Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.”
The duo’s conversation is set to be featured in an upcoming episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, which will air on CNN in September.
President Obama arrived in Vietnam on Sunday, May 22, for his tenth trip to Asia since entering the White House in 2008. He is also scheduled to visit Ho Chi Minh City and Japan before concluding his trip in Hiroshima later in the week.
The politician will be the first sitting president of the United States to visit Hiroshima following the World War II bombing in 1945.