'Ka ni Kim

We spent four days in Đà Nẵng gorging ourselves on traditional Vietnamese dishes and a few meals from other countries’ cuisines, just because they do it well in this corner of Vietnam. In between tours, thrift shopping, and navigating public markets, here’s a roundup of the food we ate (or inhaled).

NOTE: Prices may change; conversion rates will certainly change. As of writing, Vnd100,000 is approximately Php235.

Bếp Cuốn

If you’re coming to Đà Nẵng, start strong with Bếp Cuốn, a Michelin Selected restaurant that serves Vietnamese fare from both the north and the south. We got the Dac San Bếp Cuốn (Vnd520,000 or ~Php1,218), a combination of their bestsellers – an order of banh xeo, the Met Bếp Cuốn platter, and a pitcher of their signature virgin mojito.

The star of the show for me was their banh xeo, partly because I had been looking forward to eating banh xeo since we started planning the trip. You’ll get a plate of savory pancakes, herbs, rice paper wrappers, and sauces. Assemble them yourself depending on your preferences. Bếp Cuốn offers a vegetarian banh xeo as well, with mushrooms, bean sprouts, and greens instead of shrimp, pork, or beef.

On the Met Bếp Cuốn platter, you have a selection of fresh and fried spring rolls, grilled pork, and the most amazing prawn dumplings – those were the favorite at our table. It was unanimous. All of these foods are snacks someone would typically serve on an ordinary day in a Vietnamese household. What Bếp Cuốn excels at is elevating the flavors and showcasing a little of everything. For a first-timer, it would be a great introduction to Vietnamese food.

We also ordered the tôm sú sốt bơ tỏi ăn kèm bánh bao chiên (Vnd259,000 or ~Php606) – prawns in garlic butter sauce with fried bao (bread). They serve the prawn with the shell on but partially peeled, so the meat is well marinated in the garlic butter sauce. Bao is often served sweet, not savory, but it pairs well with the prawns. We used it to soak up the rest of the garlic butter, too, and we enjoyed the sweet-and-salty combination.

Bếp Cuốn is located at 31-33 Trần Bạch Đằng, An Hải. They are open from 10:30am to 9:00pm. See their full menu here. For updates, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Bánh Mì Ba Rọi Ủ Muối

I ate banh mi at least three times on our trip. You really can’t go wrong with banh mi – it’s cheap and filling, and there’s a lot of variety depending on what you’re in the mood for. One of my favorite memories from my Ho Chi Minh trip was getting a totally stuffed banh mi with the bread fresh out of the oven. Read more here! This one came from a similar stall near our hotel. I opted for the banh mi with salted pork (Bánh Mì Ba Rọi Muối – Vnd35,000 or ~Php82) as an in-between-shopping-and-coffee snack.

The pickled vegetables were so crunchy, complemented by a few slices of chili. Just a few, but they packed a punch. The stall had vegetarian banh mi and banh mi with fried egg or meatballs on the menu as well.

Bánh Mì Ba Rọi Ủ Muối is located at 02 Hà Bổng, An Hải. They are open when they are open! Their hours aren’t listed online. Head over there whenever, just maybe not at an ungodly hour as they definitely do close at night.

Irini

I read about Irini online and thought it sounded like a good place to break our “only Vietnamese food” streak. I had their beef kebab, shakshouka, and falafel wrap. Our food took a while to be served, but it was well worth the wait. The beef kebab (Vnd99,000 or ~Php232) was perfectly grilled, a little peppery and with a nice, not-too-chewy texture. They also put a small assortment of vegetables on the skewer: bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes (my favorite!).

The shakshouka was good, albeit a bit sweeter than I expected. I love that they served it in a hot pan, still bubbling. It was seasoned well with a few sprigs of dill and some chunks of feta cheese for garnish.

My favorite thing was the falafel wrap. (Vnd120,000 or ~Php281) Out of curiosity, I opened it up all the way. I found an enormous slab of cheese. The creaminess of the cheese and the smothering of hummus balanced out the just-salty-enough falafel. You’ll notice there are two options on the pita wraps section of the menu, “Classic Greek” and “Very Greek”. The only difference is that the “Very Greek” version has fries. That’s a no brainer for me – we went VERY Greek, and we left very full and happy.

Irini is located at 41 Ngô Thì Sĩ, Ngũ Hành Sơn. They are open from 8:00am to 11:30pm. Learn more on their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more updates.

Roly Poly

You’ll find a lot of deceptively filling food all over Vietnam – it might not look like much at first glance, but it’s actually pretty heavy. Such was the case of Roly Poly. The concept is simple: Spring rolls in rice paper, assembled when you order them and not a moment before, served with your choice of dipping sauce. We got a prawn roll, (Vnd45,000 or ~Php105) a crispy pork belly roll, (Vnd40,000 or ~Php94) and a vegetarian roll. (Vnd40,000 or ~Php94)

The veggie roll was stuffed with fried tofu and avocado slices. I had it with sesame dressing. Everything tasted so fresh, and I remember thinking that all healthy food should taste this good. Their toasted sesame sauce was also delightful, creamy but not too sweet. My brother’s comment on the prawn roll was that he could eat it every single day and not get sick of it.

They get bonus points for their sense of humor.

A small detail, but one I find a lot of joy in — the seating here is low to the ground, as are the tables, which is aligned with the “authentic” Vietnam dining experience. Sitting roadside in a tiny chair while people watching and enjoying some good food and good company should be on everyone’s Vietnam agenda at least once.

Roly Poly is located at 05 An Thượng 6, Ngũ Hành Sơn. They are open from 10:00am to 10:00pm. Find more information on their website. Check out more updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.

Ngon Hà Nội Xưa

This restaurant wasn’t on our itinerary, but I’m glad we found it. We got our pho fix here, and it was incredible. It’s served with a basket of greens. The only thing I didn’t indulge in much was the quẩy – very crunchy fried bread sticks. We ordered a plate of nem ran (Vnd120,000 or ~Php281) to share. There was a vinegar mix for dipping, but the nem didn’t even need it. It was so flavorful.

Ngon Hà Nội Xưa is located at 291 Hồ Nghinh, An Hải. They are open from 9:30am to 10:00pm.

When we went to Ku Tom, I originally planned on getting bun bo hue, but it wasn’t available. Luckily, our hotel did have it, so that was my breakfast the very next morning. The Dream Suite hotel doesn’t offer a breakfast buffet, but they have a variety of Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese ala carte options. Their bun bo hue had tender beef slices and a hot, savory broth I was tempted to drink directly out of the bowl. As with many Vietnamese dishes, it also came with a pile of herbs and veggies on the side.

Kurumi

Speaking of vegetables! We had a late lunch at a vegan café, Kurumi, before heading to Hoi An. It’s a cool spot near My Khe beach that’s quite popular with tourists and, from what we could tell, digital nomads. I had their poke bowl (no fish) and their tofu “Benedict” (no eggs).

The poke bowl (Vnd105,000 or ~Php243) was absolutely packed with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as some pickled veggies. The “salmon strips” you see are actually soy tempeh, a meat substitute that originated in Indonesia. It’s a block of whole soybeans that absorbs the flavors of sauces and marinades – kind of like tofu but with a firmer texture. Everything is chopped bite-sized and piled artfully on a bed of brown rice.

I don’t know how Kurumi managed to make a no-egg and no-butter Hollandaise sauce, but they did, and it was amazing. Like the “salmon” from the poke bowl, the “bacon” in the tofu Benefdict (Vnd105,000 or ~Php243) is soy tempeh. The saltiness goes well with the creamy avocado. I tried to keep everything on the bun, but it’s a messy endeavor.

Don’t miss out on their smoothie bowls, either! (Vnd75,000-95,000 or ~Php174-220)

Kurumi is located at 17/22 Mỹ Đa Đông 12, Ngũ Hành Sơn. They are open from 8:00am to 9:30pm. For more information, check out their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

P’Cuisine Steak House

Our last night in Đà Nẵng, we had a sit-down dinner at PCuisine. The restaurant is right next to a deli with the same owner. If we had more time, I could imagine picking up a few things and maybe putting together some sandwiches or snack boxes.

We started with garlic butter prawn and rolls (Vnd179,000 or ~Php411). The bread had a garlicky glaze that we enjoyed. We loved the natural sweetness of the prawns. They were arranged around a little bundle of sprouts, with everything sitting in a light lemon sauce. It’s not surprise that you can find the freshest seafood in Đà Nẵng, since it’s right there on the beach.

The star of the show was the New York strip (Vnd599,000 or ~Php1,374). It was tender and generously seasoned. We got truffle mashed potatoes (Vnd69,000 or ~Php159) on the side. We liked how the truffle oil didn’t have that strange “gas taste” that some truffle oils do, or that comes up when there’s too much in a dish.

This was an indulgent dinner and a great way to wrap up our Đà Nẵng trip.

P’Cuisine Steak House is located at 64 Lê Quang Đạo. Book a table and learn more on their website.