7 must-try dishes in Danang

Chicken rice

Source: Foody.vn

Danang is renowned for its chicken rice. The rice is yellow because it is cooked with some turmeric extract and it is full of a refreshing pandan fragrance. The chicken is shredded and mixed with onion, laksa leaves, lemon, chilli, salt, pepper and chicken broth.

Good chicken rice can be found in Hong Ngoc restaurant on Nguyen Chi Thanh street or A Hai chicken rice restaurant on Thai Phien street. Tourists can also experience the dish in Hoi An’s Ba Buoi restaurant, which is situated on Phan Chau Trinh street.

Cao Lau

Source: Bon Appetit

Cau Lau is a large and flat kind of noodle, which is made from rice and ash of a special herb in Hoi An, about 30 kilometres from Danang. Cau Lau is served with pork, bean sprouts, some other herbs and a little sauce. Rice crackers are also added to create a touch of crunchiness to the dish.

Tourists can find Cau Lau vendors on many streets in Hoi An and Danang but the most famous ones are Ba Be restaurant on Tran Phu street (Hoi An) and Cao Lau restaurant on Thai Thi Boi street (Danang).

Mi Quang

Source: Khata.vn

Some people mistake mi Quang for cao lau because of their similar appearance. Mi Quang noodle looks like Hanoi’s pho, but its yellow colour is created by a sauce made of turmeric and caramelised salty chicken. Roasted pork and shrimp are also added. Unlike cao lau, mi Quang includes some onion leaves and a sprinkling of roasted nuts, plus a half boiled egg.

The restaurants that are said to bring the truest flavour of Danang’s mi Quang is Ba Ngan restaurant on Dong Da street and Ba Vi restaurant on Le Dinh Duong street.

Hu tiu Nam Vang

Source: VOV

This is a great dish for noodle lovers. The hu tiu noodle is more crunchy than the normal noodles found in Vietnam. This dish contains pork, liver, shrimp, quail egg, and meatballs. Chopped green onion and coriander are added to create more flavour. Its broth is cooked using pork bones and dried squid or dried shrimp.

In Danang, tourist can find hu tiu Nam Vang on Tran Phu or Ong Ich Khiem street.

Banh beo

Source: VnExpress

Banh beo is a steamed rice cake which is served in small bows. A typical banh beo will feature a dimple in the centre filled with ground dried or fresh shrimp, chopped green onion and crispy fried shallots. People should add some sauce to each before eating.

Banh beo can be found in many restaurants in Danang such as Be Be restaurant on Hoang Van Thu street or Truc Lam garden café on Tran Quy Cap street. However, my favourite is Tran restaurant on Le Duan street.

Pork rice paper rolls

Source: Cuonroll.vn

This dish is very simple and fun to put together yourself. Take a slice of boiled pork and all the vegetables you like and wrap them in rice paper.  Dip the roll into a salty, sweet, and hot sauce and enjoy.

Tran restaurant on Le Duan street is one of the top places to try this dish.

Sea food

Source: Foody.vn

Since Danang is a coastal city, tourists can enjoy fresh and diverse seafood here at great prices. Waiters guide diners around the restaurant’s tanks of fish, crab, shrimp, and shellfish. Once the seafood is selected, customers can choose whether they want it steamed or grilled with onions or roasted nuts.

Tourists can find good seafood restaurants along My Khe beach. One of the best is Hau Sua.

By Averie Nguyen/Timeout Vietnam