Backpacking Hoi An – A Food Lover’s Haven

Aside from the quaint historical feel of Old Town, it was the promise of tantalizing Vietnamese flavours that drew me to Hoi An. After a few days in the countryside, we were ready to fatten up with some authentic Vietnamese food and some of this mysterious Cao lầu (a specialty noodle dish that is found only in Hoi An).

Take a Cooking Class – Our first day was spent at a cooking school, where we sampled 11 different dishes that the group made together. There are also a number of cooking schools in Hoi An, and each one offers a slightly different itinerary. Some include a bike ride to the vegetable farm as well, so it depends on what you are looking for. Morning Glory Restaurant (see below) offers a variety of options.

Sample the Street Food – As if a full day of eating wasn’t enough, we waddled over to Banh Mi Phuong for some of the best banh mi in all of Vietnam. The bread was out of this world! Its thing, crispy exterior & light, airy interior contrasts beautifully with the very flavourful (& spicy) filling. We ordered #5 (Thit Nuong) and it was everything we thought it would be 🙂

Another great place to sample street food is inside the Cho Hoi An (Hoi An Market). We tried the Mi Quang and the White Rose. Interesting flavours and worth trying as they are specialties of the area. I do have to say that we weren’t blown away by them though.

We then wandered deeper into Old Town and ventured close to the water (near the intersection of Bach Dan Street and Le Loi). We still had yet to try the famous Cau Lau, so we stopped at the busiest street vendor on the block and sat down on their little plastic stools. We had a romantic view of the water and were right across from the stage with live traditional music performances.

When we finished dinner, we walked a few steps over to the dessert (Chè) stands and tried their ground black sesame dessert. It’s flavourful and not as sweet as the Chinese version that we’re more familiar with. Down another side street in Old Town is a tofu dessert stand operated by the cutest elder lady 🙂 We really enjoyed it and ordered a second serving!

Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant and Cooking School – Nestled inside Old Town (106 Nguyen Thai Hoc), this restaurant is super popular and reservations are highly recommended. They were fully booked every night we were in Hoi An and I can see why. They have a very extensive menu, so you really wouldn’t be bored going back 2 or even 3 times. We went for lunch AND dinner on the same day! Keeping the flavours of Hoi An street food alive, their menu offers specialties from the Hoi An area and other traditional Vietnamese dishes as well. We sampled a wide range of dishes, and especially enjoyed their chicken and mint salad (Goi Ga) and traditional chicken with rice (Com Ga Hoi An). However, what truly stands out is their condensed frozen yogurt dessert (Ya-out). Try it if you have a chance!

Cargo Club – Owned by the same people, this restaurant/cafe/boulangerie is right across the street from Morning Glory (107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc) and offers up a drastically different menu. Cargo Club serves a great western breakfast, cakes, pastries, homemade ice cream, specialty drinks and coffee, and western and vietnamese fine dining. It’s a really great stop no matter what time of day.

Reaching Out Teahouse – This is a really special place, and a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Hoi An tourism while enjoying a nice cup of tea (131 Tran Phu). The servers are speech and hearing impaired, which lends itself to the tranquil environment; and a lot of the beautiful handicraft products in the teahouse are made by the artisans at Reaching out Arts and Crafts store just around the corner.

Go back to my main post on Hoi An.