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.

Hoi An - Chicken Rice at Cơm Gà An Hiền

Cơm Gà (chicken rice) is a local staple in Hoi An. You see small shops and stalls selling it all over. We had dinner one night at one of these establishments - Cơm Gà An Hiền.



When the plate first hit the table, Cơm Gà doesn't look like much - a pile of rice with some herbs, onion slices and shredded chicken on top.



The look belies the flavor, however. The rice tastes intensely of chicken. It can be a bit dry, but they provide a bowl of light chicken stock (with some tasty giblets floating in it) that you can use to moisten and add flavor. Add a generous amount of chili sauce and some lime, and you have a pretty nice plate of food on your hands.



Like many of the places we enjoyed in Vietnam, this shop is hidden down a little alley off of a larger street.

Hoi An - Mì Quảng and Cao Lầu at Ông Hai

Mì Quảng and Cao Lầu are two of the more famous local dishes in Hoi An. We had both of them for the first time at a little shop called Ông Hai ("grandfather Hai").



These two dishes are pretty much the only ones this place does, and it does them very well.



We had other versions of Mì Quảng later in our trip, but this was by far the best one. Nice textured noodles in a small amount richly flavored amber-colored broth with some sliced pork and shrimp and a dusting of crushed peanuts.

The quail egg is a standard touch - but this one was bright orange with the egg white looking yolk-colored.



The Cao Lầu was less outstanding compared to other versions we tried, but it was still very good. Round, chewy noodles in a soy-flavored broth with fried wonton-like crackers on top.