Teacher Trekker

Yann, Samira and I spent two nights in Dalat before making our way to Nha Trang. During our evenings we wandered the night markets and surrounding blocks looking for interesting foods to try. We found some winners and some losers along the way.

Night Market Restaurants 

Our first night before eating anything, we took a thorough stroll around the market looking into our options for dinner. There was a large section of the market that was dedicated to hot food vendors. There were full sized tables and chairs for patrons to sit and eat. There were probably anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen different “restaurants” that were operating in this area. Everyone serves basically the same menu but in their own section. It’s fairly simple. We sat down at one where there were many locals already eating. Or so we thought. It turns out we didn’t pick the right one.

The meal was very disappointing. Yann and I ordered a beef hotpot that was mostly what looked and tasted like all of the parts of the cow that most Westerners don’t eat. That which was meat was very chewy and full of fat. We ate mostly noodles and greens. The nuoc mia (limeade made from sugarcane) was actually very good. It was the highlight of the meal. Samira had a better dish than the two of us, but we could have chosen more wisely. It turns out we wanted to sit one table over and would have been served by the restaurant that was preparing everything over a clay pot fire. All of those people seemed to be having a very good meal based on their facial expressions and lack of talking. It was a learning experience. When we stood up we did notice that we were sitting under the incorrect outdoor tent. We made our way through the night market after a disappointing dinner.

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Stumbling Across Desserts & Street Food

Still hungry, it was time to find more food to eat. We walked around a bit and Samira hungry for dessert found a pastry shop. We walked into this shop and were amazed. They had almost anything you could think of. When you walked in you picked up a cafeteria tray and from there the aisles were lined with pastries, cookies, breads, breakfast treats and all sorts of things in between. Like children in a candy store we walked around laughing and giggling at the options in front of us.

I found something similar to a black and white cookie and a few chocolate muffins and cakes. I had to get a breakfast treat with bacon, because everything is better with bacon. Some of the names and what the desserts looked like were bizarre, like cake plasticity, but it was too tempting not to try one at 4,000 dong (approx. US$.20). It was made of rice dough and wasn’t very sweet. It was actually almost flavorless and overly chewy. Everything else was a tasty treat whether I had it right there or saved some for later which I did both nights. Sure each item was cents and at the most $1, but after you add it all up at the register it ends up being more than you thought, but still a bargain. The amount you spend is really in proportion to the size of your sweet tooth. Unfortunately, I do not have the name of the shop. However, next door was Nha Hang Lien Hoa 15-17-19 Duong 3/2 Phuong 1 Dalat. They were selling baguettes like hotcakes. Locals were jam packed on line waiting for their turn to order.

We found another dessert shop at the Hoan Hy Bakery Hotel. In addition to being a hotel and travel agency, they also had a bakery that served a few different cakes and pastries. More importantly they had chocolate. I tried a few different kinds each night in town. The quality of the chocolate was exceptional, especially if you are a fan of dark chocolate. There were clear indications of French influence in each of these shops. Between the two of them we managed to satisfy all of our cravings both evenings in town. I recommend a stop by after your main meal while you are wandering around the city center during the evening.

We made our way back to the market. Along the way there were many women cooking what looked like a quesadilla over a grill that was heated by an open fire. They are called bang trang nuong (grilled rice paper). I had to try one of them. I don’t even think it cost $1. It was for the most part a quesidilla. However, the wrapping was a thicker rice paper instead. It had cheese, green onions, maybe fried baby shrimp and a bunch of mystery sauces that got thrown into it. I think one of the mystery sauces was definitely a fish sauce and another was some sort of srirachi sauce. I could have had another, but I was suddenly much more full than I realized from these adventures in sweet and savory.

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Night Market

The majority of the market stands were packed with tons of dried fruit, drinks and other snacks. There were free samples at every stand. We tried different kinds at each vendor looking for the best tasting treats. Every stand was selling the same product like everywhere else in Vietnam. There was one major problem with the dried fruit. At first glance it appears to be dried fruit. After tasting it we knew there was something wrong. After further examination, if you looked more carefully, you would notice that it is really artificially flavored sugar in the shapes of fruit. Although some of them were not so terrible, some of them definitely were awful. It was not what we were looking for so we moved on. I did, however, purchase some of the dried potato sticks that I began eating in Ho Chi Minh City.

There were all different types of stands you could imagine. Like all street markets in Asia, if you look hard enough you can find almost anything you are looking for. Since we weren’t looking for clothes, shoes, cleaning or hygiene products, we were able to avoid a good portion of the stands. We were just about finished when I decided to make one more purchase.

Another product that most vendors were selling was local Dalat wine. The prices were very “same, same” from stand to stand, but if you managed to work an angle or two, you could make a deal. I eventually got a discount after walking away and threatening a no sale. It didn’t work the first time, but another vendor took the bait. Shortly after, I met a pair of Americans who just graduated college. We went back to their guesthouse, walked around, hung out and tried some of the local wines. We were disappointed with all of them. It was more reminiscent of cough syrup than a well crafted wine, but when in Dalat.

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Following Tourists with an iPad in the Rain to a Local Restaurant

The next evening we went out to eat at a restaurant after our very long day exploring Dalat. We actually didn’t have any plan except to walk towards the city center and find somewhere to eat. When we left the hotel it was already raining, and our desire to explore and compare options diminished with each pounding pellet of precipitation that poured on us as we plodded along the pedestrian path. (I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself.) We wandered our way into Long Hoa Restaurant. Actually we saw a group of South Korean tourists running for their lives with an iPad that had the restaurant’s information on the screen. They walked right past us into the restaurant. We saw that it had a recent Trip Advisor Award. It was easy to put together that the award is what led the runners to the establishment in the first place. We were wet. We were hungry. We were sold.

After receiving the menu, we decided we were going to order from the specialty options. Yann and I again split our meal, because we wanted to try multiple dishes. There was the special chicken with vinegar and onion, as well as the barbecued deer with French fries cooked in butter. The chicken was exactly what it sounded like and nothing special. The seasoning used on the deer was excellent, and I’ve never had French fries cooked in butter, but I may have to try it myself it was so good. Samira ordered chicken in gravy with French fries. Something got lost in translation, and when her order came out the French fries were in her main dish and not a side order. The meal was very good. It was slightly more expensive compared to eating at the outside market stands, but the extra cost is because of better quality food and preparation. Sadly, the limeade wasn’t as good as our previous night’s drink. They used honey instead of cane sugar, and it was not as sweet as we would have liked it, but it was an interesting change nonetheless.

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Conclusions

If you love food and desserts you will have an excellent time in Dalat. From street carts and vendors selling all of the standard night time street food and a number of local dishes to restaurants both in the market area and surrounding streets, there is something for everyone. Much of the food reflects the French colonial roots of the past that the area is so well known for, and it only enhances the culinary experience as it fuses with the local delicacies. If you consider yourself a foodie and you are in Southern Vietnam, then Dalat should be on your must eat list.