Category: Vietnam

Top 5 Cafes In Da Nang – Vietnam

Da Nang, Vietnam

Currently transiting in Ho Chih Minh City’s airport so I’m taking the opportunity to write this before I’m back to hectic schedules.

Vietnamese coffees are still pretty much using robusta beans and roasted till very dark with margarine and sugar. Sounds familiar? Yeah a little like Singapore’s Kopitiam coffee but this is pure 100%. No adding of corn or any form of fillers. That’s why the taste is always super bold, coupled with a nice caramelized finish. Arabica coffees are rare as they are usually double the selling price but most of the time, the baristas fail in their extraction. Anyways, holidays are meant to chill, hence I was cool about it. 😉

Anyways, my Top 5 list is base on mainly coffee, ambience and service. May differ from yours so just use this as a guide. You can check out my videos uploaded on my Instagram (@eatwithroy or #roydanang) or FB page.


No. 5 – Gopatel Hotel Coffee House



Ambience: Yes, it’s the cafe at hotel that I was staying in. Yes they have buffet lunch, tea and buffet dinner too. So you can go try if around that area. Not much of ambience but they do have full window seats looking out. Free wifi but slow.

Service: Service is ok.

Coffee: Vietnamese coffee brewed in batch. Served daily at the buffet was just really rich with flavour, really nice even with fresh milk mixed into it.

Add: 202 Nguyễn Chí Thanh, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Tel: +84 93 5007707


No. 4 – Rafew Cafe

  
  

Ambience: I was debating with the guys if they meant ‘refuel’ or ‘review’ when naming this place. Anyways Rafew is tucked away within the city, walking distance from Gopatel hotel. Very instagrammable ambience, there’s a second storey overlooking the backyard. When I was there, it was very nice and windy. Really chill. Free wifi.

Service: Service was absent after the first order. No one came back to check on us. We had to pay our bill downstairs.

Coffee: No espresso based drinks, no Viet drip coffees. Only those pre-maid and iced coffees. Tiramisu can skip.

Add: 58 Hoàng Văn Thụ, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Tel: +84 90 5773721


No. 3 – Coffee Namu Namu

 

Ambience: Love the interiors of this place, very modern, has 3 levels and obviously I climbed to the top level. At the rooftop, you can see the Dragon Bridge afar and also the Ferris wheel. Very chill especially when the weather is as chilly now. Free wifi.

Service: Very good and always smiling.

Coffee: Finally some espresso drinks but latte was a little on the weak side. Not cheap though as beans are said to be Italian. Banana bread could be more moist though.

Add: Q. Hải Châu, 180 Bạch Đằng, Hải Châu 1, Q. Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Tel: 0511 3575808

Web: http://www.namunamu.vn


No. 2 – Pho Xua


  


Ambience: Super rustic and traditional Viet. Felt a little like entering one of the temples in Cambodia. There’s a second storey also.

Service: Not too bad and they stationed one person upstairs.

Coffee: No espresso based drinks, only Vietnamese drips or iced. This is probably one best local beans I’ve tasted so far;  rich, bold, flavourful, brown sugar finish. Good place for food too.

Add: 17 Phan Đình Phùng, Hải Châu 1, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Tel: +84 511 3894589


No. 1 – Cong Ca Phe


  
  
  

Ambience: Cong has a very nice rustic olden Vietnamese revolution decor and the name says it all. I totally love this place especially level 2 where you can see the Han River. Staffs are all don with green tshirt uniforms which fits in the whole branding very well. Free wifi. But people smoke inside the enclosed area which is bad for non-smokers.

Service: Pretty attentive and prompt.

Coffee: No espresso based drinks. Coffees are good and very creative. Love their Coconut Coffee Smoothie and iced coffee with fresh milk. Can try the coconut glutinous rice with coffee also.

Add: 1 hai chau 1, 98 Bạch Đằng, Hải Châu 1, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

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Countries Where My Readers Come From

Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Miscellaneous, NEWS, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

 

 

This post is to recognize and thank all my readers who are the driving force behind my continuous writing on good food places. I can’t identify who you are but YOU know who you are! Big thanks and shout out to all of ya!

Frankly, I haven’t heard of some of the country names before… I apologize for my ignorance! I promise I’ll read more about your countries and would be excellent if you can write to me at eatwithroy@gmail.com and introduce what kind of awesome local food there are in your countries! Maybe top 5 would be great! Who knows, I may be tempted to visit your country just to do a food tour some day!

In the meantime, eat on but eat wisely my friends! 😉

Gastronomically yours,

Big Roy

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Street Food – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

You all know I’m on diet right? Writing on all these food is actually creating a crave within… so I really dunno why am I doing this to myself… haha… not a culinary masochist though but all these backlogs need to clear before another batch of food reviews coming in soon when I venture into Xiamen of Guangdong, China. I heard so much about the place as a place for foodies like me. I would love to do videos on the food but you all know, I’m not a video person and taking still pics are still what I prefer. Nevertheless, I will try to video some stuffs! 😛 Anyone been to Xiamen and tried something that is so good that you wanna tell me about? Drop me a comment here or a message on my facebook page! (www.facebook.com/eatwithroy)

Ok back to the topic. I had some street food in HCMC but I didn’t try a lot as I was too full from my other meals and couldn’t really walk too much. But I must say the street food is really good and so much cheaper than what you pay in those upmarket restaurants. With hygiene in mind, I reckon anyone should observe the vendor selling the food first on how he/she handles the food and also if the patronage is high or not. Below are some of the food I tried around Ben Thanh Market area, all within walking distance. You can read about my experience in HCMC on my other travel/life site –> (http://wp.me/p3Hprw-1J)

My favorite Banh Mi stall...
My favorite Banh Mi stall…
Vietnamese baguette with pate, ham, cheese and condiments. VND25,000 (S$1.50)
Vietnamese baguette with pate, ham, meats, cheese and condiments. VND25,000 (S$1.50) See the plate of pate on the far left? 🙂
Fillings for Banh Mi, Vietnamese use a lot of veg and garnishings... Love this baguette!
Fillings for Banh Mi, Vietnamese use a lot of veg and garnishings… Love this baguette!
Never tried this but I reckon it's fried carrot cake... don't look too hygienic to me.
Never tried this but I reckon it’s fried carrot cake… don’t look too hygienic to me.
Loads of fruit stalls
Loads of fruit stalls
You get pomelo peeled for you in packets like these for VND20,000 (S$1.20)
You get pomelo peeled for you in packets like these for VND20,000 (S$1.20)
Packets of Jambu like these also for VND20,000 (S$1.20)
Packets of Jambu like these also for VND20,000 (S$1.20)
Roadside BBQ stall... Nice guy, speak very little English, but enough to order my works!
Roadside BBQ stall… Nice guy, speak very little English, but enough to order my works!
My works of BBQ chicken drumstick, BBQ Pork Belly, BBQ Pork Ribs, steam egg and rice. I wanted to try everything so I asked him to add for me. This cost me VND80000, which is around S$4.80. Seriously damn awesome... So good that I was tempted to have it again the next night... but I held back... Phew!
My works of BBQ chicken drumstick, BBQ Pork Belly, BBQ Pork Ribs, steam egg and rice. I wanted to try everything so I asked him to add for me. This cost me VND80,000, which is around S$4.80. Seriously damn awesome… So good that I was tempted to have it again the next night… but I held back… Phew!
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This Muslim Viet selling ice coffee on the ‘Muslim’ street to the east of Ben Thanh Market. VNC10,000 (S$0.60)
This is the actual amount of coffee in my ice coffee from the muslim guy... You're suppose to let the ice melt as the coffee is really strong.
This is the actual amount of coffee in my ice coffee from the muslim guy… You’re suppose to let the ice melt as the coffee is really strong.

Rating: 5/5.

Taste: Overall the food in Vietnam suits most palates. Pretty close to Thai food. Love it! Didn’t try the pho noodles ‘cos the stalls all didn’t look too good and the stools were too flimsy and too low for me to sit. ;P Maybe after my slimming down I’ll go back. 🙂

Portion: Slightly below average… ‘cos of the size of a Vietnamese is usually half my size. 😉

Service: Very nice vendors and they love talking to tourists… Maybe not for the clothing ones ‘cos people always bargain with them.

Ambience: N/A.

Price: Very affordable.

RTE: YEAH!!!

Location: Around Ben Thanh Market.

Com Tam CALI – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Usually I would do lots of research before my trips on the best places to eat or visit. To be honest, this HCMC trip, I didn’t do a lot of research. Hence I was actually going around without any knowledge of the cuisines I was about to try… which I kinda like! Haha!

So I was walking around the Ben Thanh Market area in search for local food when I came across this aircon place which looks like a higher class street food to me. I went in nevertheless ‘cos there were many people eating inside. The place has a mezzanine level as well but I chose to sit downstairs as my knee was still hurting very badly from my trip to Perth. I managed to get a seat on the side which I was able to take a picture of the whole restaurant. Found out later that ‘Com Tam’ actually means broken rice in Vietnamese. It is a typical meal farmers in Southern Vietnam would eat together with some pork or BBQ ribs, fried egg and vegetables. Hence Com Tam CALI is in essence, bringing simple local Vietnamese food to their customers in a more conducive ambience so that they can enjoy their dining experience in their establishments.

Signage
Signage
Inside the restaurant... You can just look at the pics on the wall and order. Most of the good stuff are featured there!
Inside the restaurant… You can just look at the pics on the wall and order. Most of the good stuff are featured there!
Com Tam Moc does a lot of charity to help the less fortunate... Just like Care Givers Group! (caregiversgroup.org)
Com Tam Moc does a lot of charity to help the less fortunate… Just like Care Givers Group! (caregiversgroup.org)
My coconut... flesh is damn hard but the water is sweet and refreshing
My coconut… flesh is damn hard but the water is sweet and refreshing
Pumpkin soup... I spotted MSG in the soup so can miss.
Pumpkin soup… I spotted MSG in the soup so can miss.
Their specialty rice set... Forgot the name cos in Vietnamese... haha... Pretty ok actually but not filling... Vietnamese size... Even the eggs below is quails'!
Their specialty rice set with 7 side dishes… Forgot the name cos in Vietnamese… haha… Pretty ok actually but not filling… Vietnamese size… Even the eggs below is quails’!
Pho with BBQ chicken
Pho with BBQ chicken
Pho which is eaten with very little soup.
Pho which is eaten with very little soup.
Typical Vietnamese spring rolls
Typical Vietnamese spring rolls
Bill... With drinks for 2, around S$16.
Bill… With drinks for 2, around S$16.

Rating: 4.5/5. Actually a 4 but ‘cos they do charity, so a ‘0.5’ more!

Taste: It was pretty alright actually. Kinda like the ‘ngoh hiang’ thingy on the top right of the special rice set. So ordered extra. The BBQ meat is nice.

Portion: Below average.

Service: Not bad. Language barrier!

Ambience: Aircon… can’t go wrong!

Price: Around S$16… A lot more expensive than road side definitely.

RTE (Return To Eat): Maybe can slot into one of my meal slots when I’m back cos many items in the menu haven’t tried!

Location & Contacts: 235 Le Thanh Ton, District 1. Tel: (08) 3842 8922. (Same row as Lavendar Hotel, towards the left if you face the hotel.) Total 6 outlets in HCMC alone.

5De Quan – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

To be honest, I do not know how to pronounce the name of this restaurant. I was there actually to look for another restaurant which has apparently closed down. ;P So I went in to try this place even though I didn’t know what they were serving! To my surprise, it was pretty good! And I would recommend this place which happens to be a place for mainly locals. Good thing is, the manager of the place spoke a little English and the menu has broken English. 🙂

Front of the restaurant
Front of the restaurant
I really dunno if this is a restaurant or a warehouse or a hall... but good thing is, the ceiling is high and can open up with the weather is good.
I really dunno if this is a restaurant or a warehouse or a hall… but good thing is, the ceiling is high and can open up with the weather is good.
This is a typical rice cracker which is baked and served before the meal. Quite interesting as an appetizer and to go with your beer.
This is a typical rice cracker which is baked and served before the meal. Quite interesting as an appetizer and to go with your beer.
My choice of beer
My choice of beer
This dish is actually quite simple and nice. Blanched vegetables with their special sauce. And it really clears your bowels the next day...
This dish is actually quite simple and nice. Blanched vegetables with their special sauce. And it really clears your bowels the next day…
BBQ Squid... Served with lime and salt & pepper dip. Awesome!
BBQ Squid… Served with lime and salt & pepper dip. Awesome!
Beef Salad... Very nice and very spicy... See they use a lot of cilantro for dressing...
Beef Salad… Very nice and very spicy… See they use a lot of cilantro for dressing…
BBQ Beef Skewers. The beef used was cubed steak meat. Very nice also. Comes with another sauce and a lot of cilantro for dressing.
BBQ Beef Skewers. The beef used was cubed steak meat. Very nice also. Comes with another sauce and a lot of cilantro for dressing.
Fried rice... staple for Asians. :)
Fried rice… staple for Asians. 🙂
BBQ Goat... which is their specialty and I didn't order cos of the company I was with...
BBQ Goat… which is their specialty and I didn’t order cos of the company I was with…
Address and contacts
Address and contacts

Rating: 4.5/5.

Taste: Very nice and suitable for most taste buds. Can request for less spicy if you cannot take chilli hot stuff.

Portion: Average.

Service: Very good.

Ambience: Well… can be better cos quite warm in there until they brought a fan to blow directly at me. But if you like alfresco, it’s ok. Seats very small and hard though.

Price: VND$300k+ (If I can remember clearly… the numbers are just so huge I can’t remember everything…)

RTE: Yeah!!!

Location: See last pic. If the round about at Ben Thanh Market is south, then this restaurant is at the street north of Ben Thanh. It’s on the right side with Ben Thanh behind you.