Among of them, Danang is the most worthy city in Vietnam to live. It is said so, not only because of the sightseeing and landscape, but also for its indicative cuisine. There are many popular and famous dishes that everyone should explore whenever visiting the area.
In the first days of August, one can enjoy delicacies from various regions that all gather in Danang during a culinary festival called “Hometown Taste”. The dishes were of royal cuisine or renowned rustic dishes, such as veal, a specialty of “Cau Mong”; chicken rice, Quang Nam’s specialty; grilled pipefish; Quang noodles; sweet soup with longan cooked with royal style.
It is very easy to try the specialties in Danang. In addition, it is also an ideal place for holiday, rest and eating because of its wide open spaces and sea breeze. Tourists can enjoy the foods along the beach or river or in city center like a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city’s neon lights.
It is of note to look into the strange names and cooking methods in the area. The ingredients are often very common seafood, like squid and shrimp from Quy Nhon, Phu Yen or Nha Trang, but they have their own style of cooking such as “sauna” shrimp or squid.
The names of these dishes may sound very new and strange, but they are common street foods. One of them is also a dish that Chef Hua Dich Tuyen, a famous chef of Pullman Danang Beach Resort brought to the Golden Spoon contest.
Fresh rolls are common appetizers in Quang Nam. Photo: T.Dung
We teased the chef by asking him “is it “mầm đá” dish?” because of its presentation with many hot stones. Actually it is the steamed shrimp with a special name “Ngũ Hành Sơn” which means “five mountains” or it could be called “sauna” shrimp which is currently very hot in Danang. Chef Tuyen told us that it is very simple to do this, as seafood is cooked from the heat that emanates from the hot stones and wine. By doing this the food retains its native taste.
Hong Dao is one of the famous wines from Quang Nam; Hong Dao wine will get you drunk even before tasting it. According to Authors Vinh Hao and Thach Trung, Hong Dao wine is made of Bau Da whisky and the holy peach grown in the west of Binh Dinh Mountain.
The dish is not only spectacular on the palate, but also pleasing to the eye. The wine is used to set the shrimp or squid aflame over the very hot stones. The dish is grilled in such extravagance and it often needs no extra seasoning. If wine is unavailable, then beer is also used.
This sophistication by the chefs is designed to interact with the diners. During this process every sense is fully engaged. They can hear the crackling sound when the hot pebbles encounter the alcohol, fire and smoke generate visual effects, the smell of the ingredients, and all of it combined goes straight to the nose. Diners enjoy the dish with great memory.
Delicious dishes from street food to “5-stars”
A dish from the festival created much buzz: “Quảng” noodles. It was because of this dish that the team from Palm Garden Resort advanced to the semi-final round. It was also awarded first prize to a restaurant from Danang at the Hometown Taste festival.
All the dishes, be them commonplace of luxurious, were met with compliments from the diners. This created a value to the dishes, because when people talk about “Quảng” noodle can now be associated as a specialty of the whole region.
Chef Doanh Nguyen of Palm Garden Resort presents his party table. Photos: T.Dung
Chef Doanh Nguyen of Palm Garden Resort shared that “Quảng” noodle is made of rice powder and has a special color and taste. Broth is made of various ingredients, depending on the type of noodle that diners want to have. It can include chicken, pork, shrimp and seafood.
Mi Quang has the typical taste of chives and turmeric. Vegetables for “Quảng” Noodles are vegetables with a particular type of flavor. People often have Tra Que vegetables, which includes basil, lettuce and sliced banana flower, served with roasted peanuts, green onions, Quang Nam chili and sesame rice paper.
The decisive factor of the quality of “Quảng” noodle is the secret recipe of broth that features the local ingredients and spices. That is also the reason why “Quảng” noodle does not retain its authentic taste when it is made and sold in another area. If one experiences “Quảng” noodle in another region, only the name is consistent. Quality is likely reduced, but it may not be realized by the general public.
Sauteed veal - a specialty of Cau Mong. Photos: Quang Linh
"Cầu Mống” veal dish is one of the most popular rustic dishes in Quang province, and it is also listed in the top 50 delicious dishes of Vietnam. Usually calves between 25 - 35 kg are chosen. It is raised wildly in the downstream of the Thu Bon River, so the veal is soft, sweet, white and has a pleasing fragrance.
The veal is roasted over charcoal, then cut into thin slices, plated on a round dish and served with vegetables grown in Tra Que village. It is dipped in anchovy fish sauce, chili, garlic, pineapple and roasted sesame. It is so delicious that tourists can often be heard shops near Cau Lau bridge raving about the dish.
Even in Saigon, “Cau Mong” roasted veal is sold in many restaurants and beer shops. But those are common shops. When Chef Doanh Nguyen, who cooks in a 5-star hotel restaurant, it was turned into an international delight, such as sautéed and served with french fries with a sauce made of veal broth, wine and scallions.
Baby clams served with “Cam Nam” rice paper ( * ) . Photo: Quang Linh
Cuisine from Hue cuisine is also rather refined. Hue dishes employ intricate and sophisticated cooking techniques. Traditionally, cuisine from Hue is considered a delicacy, regardless of whether they are rustic or ornate. Presentation is also included as an integral part of foods from Hue.
The beauty of each dish is not the only key touch point. It must also have rich taste, and positive nutrition so that eating rich Hue-styled food is about total fulfillment. With these indicative criteria, it was easy to identify the tables at the contest from Hue. They were presented with eye-catching dragons and phoenix carved from vegetables and decorated vividly atop porcelain.
Chefs from Duy Tan Hotel introduced the shrimp rolls at the event. It is a rustic dish with shrimp caught from the Quang Dien lagoon. Stewed pigeon with five spices was also presented, with a secret broth copied from the royal recipe and served with fresh noodle - a specialty of Van Cu village.
The chef of the Mondial Hotel Hue brought rustic specialties of fresh rice paper with sour shrimp and eel stuffed in bamboo shoots with tamarind sauce bamboo. Meanwhile, the chefs from VNECO were inspired by the idea of combining royal cuisine culture with rustic, traditional folk cuisine: steamed fish with mushroom and chicken stewed with lotus seed.
On offer was an exceptional feast of dishes from the many regions teaming with hometown flavor.
The map of delicious dishes in Quang Nam- Danang We would like to recommend some addresses of popular restaurants with delicious food specialties that many guests choose when coming to Da Nang and Quang Nam. These dishes appeared at the culinary festival "Hometown Taste" :
 “Quảng” noodle – Ba Vi (166 Le Dinh Duong- Danang)  Hoanh Thanh (ball noodle)- Ty Ty Restaurant (17/6 Nhi Trung St, Hoi An Old Town)  Cao Lau – Ty Ty restaurant (17/6 Nhi Trung St, Hoi An Old Town)  Rice chicken – Ba Thuan Shop (17/4 Nhi Trung St, Hoi An Old Town Pork rolled in rice paper with two sides of skin – Mau Con Restaurant (215 Trung Nu Vuong, Hai Chau Dist, Danang)  “Bánh bèo, bánh bột lọc, bánh nậm”- rice cakes made of different way – “Bánh bèo Bà Bé” shop 100 Hoang Van Thu St, Hai Chau Dist, Danang |
27 teams entered the Semi-final round of the Golden Spoon contest
The Golden Spoon contest is financed and organized by Ly's Horeca brands and Minh Long I under the auspices of the Vietnam General Department of Tourism and Industry and Trade room Vietnam.
 Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa won first prize. Photo: Phi Nguyen This year, the central cluster competition held in Da Nang has 12 teams from the provinces / cities in Thua Thien Hue- Hu, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai. The first prize was awarded to the chef of Hyatt Regency (Da Nang), two second prizes were awarded to the chef of the Pullman hotel (Da Nang) and Palm Garden Resort (Quang Nam). Thus, the preliminary round selected 27 teams to enter to the semi- final round. |
(*) Cam Nam: Riparian lands along Hai River
(Quang Nam)
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