TmINh

For over 10 years, Ngọc Chi has been serving an extensive menu of mostly Vietnamese origin using local veggies and herbs. Some dishes include plant-based meat. Fermented seasonings are put to good use, accentuating big-boned flavours while supporting a healthy lifestyle. Whet your appetite with a bowl of sour soup featuring mixed veggies. Then move on to wontons and spring rolls, hand-wrapped and deep-fried to perfection á la minute.

The 70+-year-old owner inherited the heirloom fish sauce recipe from her family. With chilli, garlic and fruit, the pungent seasoning is the heart and soul of her búm mam, cold rice vermicelli dressed in fish sauce and topped with meat, veggies and peanuts. The most popular topping is crispy roast pork; the thập cẩm version includes pork, beef sausage and cured raw pork balls. Fresh sugar cane juice makes a perfect companion to the noodle dish.

This humble shop, open daily from mid-afternoon, has been trading for over 40 years. It focuses on just two affordable dishes: bánh bèo and bánh đập. The steamed rice cakes arrive in sets of five, the tender bases topped with a rich pork and wood ear sauce, finished with shallots and peanuts. Made to order, the subtly tangy bánh đập pairs crisp rice crackers with a soft rice wrapper; the accompanying sauce strikes a balance of sweet, salty and fermented notes.

Open from 6am-1pm, this no-frills shop is packed with people craving their fix of mì quảng. The flavoursome orange-red broth is made with shrimps, and you can top your noodles with a choice of quail egg, pork, shrimp, meatball or springy jelly fish.

Operated for over 40 years by Bà Vui, whose name it bears, this enduring local favourite keeps a tight focus, serving just two items: bún gà and xôi gà. The deeply flavoured clear chicken broth is lifted by light, refreshing acidity and a subtle touch of black pepper. Served warm, the sticky rice is topped with a mix of tender pulled chicken, pickled onions and a generous handful of fried shallots – and portion sizes are hearty and satisfying.

In business for over five decades, it is now run by the third-generation owner. The sign indicates the house speciality – bún chả cá, or fishcake noodle soup. Springy and flavoursome, their house-made deep-fried and steamed fishcakes deserve all the attention they get. But extra tuna, mackerel, crab cake and crab balls make the noodle soup even better. The broth is sweet with a hint of sourness, thanks to pineapple and tomatoes.

Bún chả cá (fishcake rice noodle soup) is pivotal to Da Nang food culture. Now run by the second generation, this hidden family-run gem has been serving the city’s favourite noodle soup for over 30 years. Its signature đặc biệt, or special, is topped with crabmeat as well as fried and poached fishcakes. You can also opt for a slice of mackerel or tuna as a topping. The tomato-based broth tastes sweet and mildly sour, with bamboo shoot overtones.