Da Nang - Bún Mắm Bé Hà

We happened to find a little shop on a residential street selling bún mắm (a new dish for us), so we stopped in for an early lunch.

Bún mắm consists of rice noodles with a funky fermented shrimp sauce and various meats. We got a version with some sliced pork and cold cuts.

The combination of the sauce and some of the cold cuts being fermented tipped the scales a bit too much toward the "funk" for me, but it was a fun dish to try and the people running the place were super nice.

Although we'd come for bún mắm, we noticed that they also had bánh bèo - so we got an order. They were fantastic. So much so that we came back again on our last morning in Da Nang and had an order each.

Da Nang - Hotel Breakfasts

Our hotel in Da Nang did a very nice breakfast - with very servicable versions of local dishes. Above, Mì Quảng.

Bò Kho.

Gỏi Cuốn.

Phở Bò.

"Western Breakfast".

Another take on Mì Quảng.

Bún Bò Huế.

Da Nang - Grilled Meats at Hai Còi and Cay Xè

Craving something grilled, we stopped in for some chicken at Hai Còi. There are a number of similar "chân/cánh" (feet/wing) places within a block or so - we chose this one because it had a good vibe going on.

Although translated on the menu as "chicken legs", "chân gà" really means chicken feet. We enjoy braised chicken feet, but it turns out they aren't super interesting grilled - there just really isn't anything that can be easily eaten on them.

The chicken wings (cánh gà), on the other hand, were incredibly delicious.

Another night after a few drinks in the expat area of Da Nang, we happened to round a corner and stumble upon another collection of grilled meat stalls.

We stopped at one called Cay Xè for some grilled pork.

The tables are set up with holes to accomodate a charcoal grill.

We ordered some pork belly (I think) and they recommended something called "pork frills" (điểm nướng) - not sure what park of the pig that is, but it was tasty.

Interestingly, the setup came with kimchi - I think probably due to the increasing tourism the area is getting from Korea?

Da Nang - Revisits to Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng and Bánh Mì Bà Lan

While in Da Nang, we re-visited a couple of place we'd enjoyed before. First up was Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng.

The place was exactly as I remembered it.

The Bánh Xèo and was still great.

As were the Nem Lụi.

Another night, looking for a quick and easy dinner, we stopped by Bánh Mì Bà Lan.

We got a sandwich each, and also shared a "breadstick" (a skinny little Bánh Mì with just pate). Nice, simple dinner.

Vietnam - Rooster (Bia Gà) and Bia Nhà

During our trip, we sampled some beer from a few craft breweries. It was nice to try a local take on brewing, and even nicer to get a brief respite from the endless parade of lagers that make up the SE Asian beer options.

Our favorite spot was Rooster (Bia Gà) in Saigon. Their IPA was very good - it wouldn't be out of place on a tap list at home.

The beers at Bia Nhà in Da Nang weren't as polished - they had more of a homebrew thing going on. The people running it were very nice, though, and we enjoyed our visit.

Hotel Breakfasts in Southeast Asia

Some of our hotel stays included breakfast. Generally the options ranged from standard Western fare to decidedly un-Western options. Here are some of the latter.

Our hotel in Taipei had a buffet breakfast that usually included some interesting options. The "good stuff" was often picked over by the time we got there, but we managed to do ok for ourselves.



In Hanoi, pho was always available.



And sometimes Bánh Cuốn.



In Da Nang there was a buffet with all sorts of options.



Nothing was particularly amazing, but the variety was fun.



In Hoi An, the Phở Bò had a bit of heat to it:



And they had local staples like Cao Lầu (a really good version, actually):



And Mì Quảng - good, but it didn't make us forget about the fantastic version at Ông Hai.



Our hotel in An Bang beach also had a pretty decent Mì Quảng:



And Bún Bò:



They also always had a very nice plate of fresh fruit.

Da Nang - Bánh Bèo, Bánh Ướt and Ram Ít at Quán Tâm

Bánh Bèo are rice cakes steamed in little saucers. We've had mixed success trying to make them at home, so we were very much looking forward to trying them made professionally for the first time.

Our first item of business upon arrival in Da Nang was to head to a little shop called Quán Tâm.



We ordered a mixed plate of Bánh Bèo, Bánh Ướt and Ram Ít. It is hard too see here, but the Bánh Bèo are discs (they have been removed from their steaming saucers) topped with pork floss a little bits of shrimp.

Bánh Ướt are rice rolls - much like Bánh Cuốn. Ram Ít turned out to be a little steamed rice cake on top of a fried rice cake with some pork/shrimp mixture in the middle. Great taste and texture combo.



There was also a plate of various leaf-wrapped packages at the table.



Note sure exactly what this was, but it reminded us of the fermented pork sausage you often get with bánh cuốn. Firm jelly texture, and a slightly sour taste.



Another package revealed a chunk of steamed pork-like somthing - I think the same stuff that was sliced as an adornment to the combo plate we ordered.



All in all, a fun light lunch in a comfortable, friendly setting.

Da Nang - Bánh Mỳ Bà Lan

After soldiering our way through numerous mediocre-to-bad bánh mì on our visits to Hanoi, we finally hit the jackpot in Da Nang at Bánh Mỳ Bà Lan.



This place was hopping - they were selling sandwiches as fast as they could make them.



This was simple perfection. Great bread, tasty pâté, nice meats (an assortment of pork), crunchy veg, and a tasty chili sauce.



As a bonus, we got a cute mini-baguette with just pâté and some chili sauce on it. Really good, and a great little snack for 8000 dong (or about 30 cents).