Joanna James
While the coastal city of Quy Nhon in central Vietnam is an ideal destination for beachside escapes and sightseeing excursions, it offers much to discover for foodies too. Street food is particularly popular and well worth savouring, including the dishes mentioned here.
This well-known dish features a fermented pork sausage that has been grilled and is served with fresh vermicelli. One will find dining venues in the town centre offering bun nem nuong which generally has other ingredients such as vegetables, grilled fish, pickled cabbage and peanuts. Depending on where you try this dish the taste can differ; this is because each eatery will use a different kind of sauce which can vary in taste be it sweet & sour to spicy.
When it comes to street food in Quy Nhon that is eaten for breakfast, banh hoi long heo is a popular choice; that said, it is not uncommon to see this dish being sold in the evenings as well. It is made using very fine strands of rice flour (similar to rice vermicelli) and is normally accompanied by pork tripe. Best eaten hot, banh hoi long heo typically has chives added on top too.
If you have a craving for something sweet, then the traditional Chè dessert is for you; depending on the way it is made you can enjoy it as a pudding or beverage / soup. Available at eateries and local resorts the likes of Anantara Quy Nhon Villas, this yummy treat has a sublime combination of ingredients which can include kidney beans, jelly, mung beans, tapioca and fresh fruit; all this is topped off with coconut cream.
Apart from being the general word for bread in Vietnam, banh mi also refers to a short baguette which is soft on the inside, while having a crispy thin crust on the outside; normally, this sandwich-like creation is cut and a variety of fillings are added; in Quy Nhon, restaurants and eateries may add fillings such as pate, cured ham or pork, as well as vegetables, pickles or herbs which add to the flavour.
Foodies who love prawns or shrimp dishes should look to try banh xeo tom nhay which is a kind of prawn pancake and a local speciality. The pancake used is thin and relatively small, while the star ingredient is the freshwater prawn. Best consumed when freshly-made, the dish is usually topped with onions and bean sprout; not to be missed is the chance to dip it into the delectable sauce that generally comes with it, made from spices and fish sauce.
This fish cake noodle soup is a perennial favourite not only when it comes to dining in Quy Nhon, but central Vietnam as a whole. The fish cake for bun cha ca can be made from different fish with varieties such as mackerel and barracuda being commonly used locally. Equally important is the broth that has a unique flavour due to ingredients such as the fish bones of flagfish and mackerel.
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