Eat and meet

Hoi An

Hoi An has some excellent places to eat and drink -- on the riverfront, scattered throughout town, and across the water on Cam Nam Island.

Hoi An flourished thanks to its port, attracting traders from China, Japan and the Mediterranean. Out of this mixture of cultures, a unique style of Vietnamese cooking developed, drawing upon a wide range of flavours, influences and cooking techniques. Hoi An is now home to a number of specialty dishes, many of which can be traced to foreign origins. The most famous is cao lau, a tasty soup made with thick wheat noodles, meat and aromatic vegetables. Though it may not be instantly recognisable to Japanese visitors today, it was influenced by imported Japanese soba noodles. Local lore says that the dish must be made from the water of a specific well -- others argue that it is simply the distinctive noodles that make it unique. A dryer version of the dish, mi quang, is also widely available. Chinese influenced rice-flower dumplings, called banh beo and banh vac (white rose) are also common. Much less publicised is com ga, a tasty stir-fry of rice, chicken, garlic and vegetables.

These dishes are available everywhere, and it can often seem that they're all the restaurants in Hoi An serve. Most are geared toward customers simply passing through town, and many have little concern for quality, making it hard to find exceptional versions of any of the dishes. One safe bet is to take effort to search out more local options. Cau lau and banh xeo (small rice and turmeric crepes) are widely available in the central market. On Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, heading away from the old town and the Japanese Bridge, you'll find several stands serving an especially tasty version of mi quang. For com ga, check out the shops along Phan Chu Trinh, near the Tran Family Chapel.

Another great place to sample the local specialties is Mermaid, a long-running restaurant tucked away a block back from the river. Something of a Hoi An institution, it offers little in the way of decor or charm, but that's part of the attraction. Like many restaurants, you can order a set menu or choose a la carte. In addition to fantastic white rose and cau lau, we loved their take on spring rolls and finely sliced, fried and smoked eggplant. The fresh crab was delectable but fiddly, though more than compensated for by the other dishes.

For superb but delectable versions of the town's famed dishes, check out Hai Scout Cafe. An airy place stretching from streetfront to streetfront in length, it has three different areas for eating -- two indoors and one outdoor courtyard area. With pale yellow walls fringed with bamboo, the courtyard is the perfect place for a cocktail or a meal in the sultry evening air. Their take on the white rose and com ga are particularly good-- though it did take some time to get one of the many waiters to take an order. It's a good spot to retreat to if you can't take the peddlers any longer, though they still occasionally saunter through.

The long-running Cafe Des Amis continues to dish out excellent and huge meals -- the five-course meal will leave you bursting at the seams. The menu is set -- you can choose from vegetarian, meat or fish and head chef Mr Kim will dish out whatever he happens to feel like cooking that day. Mr Kim is quite a character, chatting up his guests in French and English, and if you eat lunch he'll invite you back for dinner and guarantee a different menu -- as if you'd actually need to eat again so soon. Get there early if you want one of the two riverside tables on the upstairs balcony. It's a popular place, and a guidebook sweetie, but still fun and friendly. At 90,000 VND per customer, the meals are well worth the price.

The Cargo Club is probably the best place in town for a really delicious, leisurely breakfast, an afternoon cake and coffee, or a late night dessert. We'd stick to the kerbside seating, as upstairs does have views over the river but the service lacks and you get blown away by huge fans. The Vietnamese food is overpriced and comes in small servings compared to other places, but the to-die-for pastries are great value. Sample their chocolate crossaint once and you might find yourself returning for every day of your visit. Another gripe: like many of the shopfronts that are opening up vast internal spaces to diners, with seating for dozens and dozens, there's only one toilet. Prepare to queue or dash back to your hotel. Owned by the Mermaid proprietor, we were told.

Restaurant Cafe 96 is another old favourite to pick out among the gaggle of places on Bach Dang. Bubbly owner Bup is a third generation Hoianese and while his shopfront may not look like too much, his Mum dishes out great bowls of cau lau -- which we vote as being the best in town -- and super white rose. He also runs very reasonably-priced cooking classes, but Mum's white rose recipe remains a family secret.

One of the flashest bars in Hoi An, the stunningly restored Tam Tam Cafe on Bach Dang lures an evening crowd with a comprehensive cocktail list and very cheery service. Try the local rum, flavoured with aniseed and mandarin, displayed in large jars -- if you ask nicely you may get the first one free. It's a shame they've decided to mount a huge TV in the centre of the bar, which seriously detracts from what is otherwise a very stylish ambience. They've expanded the place to a location on Tran Phu Street that goes by the name Tam Tam Garden, but they both connect via the upstairs seating. The menu here is upscale Western style -- we had a good steak here, and pasta and the like are available as well. They also have close to the best desserts in town, and are reasonably priced, too. They're renowned for their ice cream, but the flavours they offer are fairly dull -- try the superb strawberry chocolate mousse cake instead.

Treats Cafe has expanded to two locations on Tran Hung Dao, but the original is a two-storey place that jars the senses as much as the upstairs hanging lanterns jar your head when you stand or sit down at the riverview tables. Comfortable and very popular, its loud music and boisterous staff make it seem somewhat out of place in this sleepy corner of Hoi An. The Western food is average, though no complaints about the Vietnamese options. Treats 'Same Same But Better' Cafe on the corner of Tran Hung Dao and Hai Ba Trung is also popular, mostly because of its proximity to the backpacker quarters. They have a pool table and a good atmosphere for a drink, but we found the food here lacklustre -- the pizza was overly sweet and greasy.

For pizza and pasta, head to Good Morning Vietnam on Le Loi. The food is great, though the place has become a victim of its own success -- you may find patrons waiting outside, breathing down your neck for a table on any given night, and a lot of people walk away before being seated. Call ahead for a reservation. Owner Massimo keeps things lively -- on the night we visited he got into a fight with one of the staff and cursed him in Italian. The pumpkin panzarotti comes recommended.

There is really only one place in town to eat Indian food: Shree Ganesh, and luckily it's excellent. The young and dashing Indian owner offers up the standard curries, masalas and whatnot, but the quality is high and some people find themselves eating here every night. If you see another restaurant in town with 'Indian Food' on the menu, avoid it and wait until you come here. We learned that the hard way.

Mango Rooms is another place spanning Bach Dang and Tran Phu Streets -- it's done up in colourful, Carribean-style decor with Turkish-style cushion seating and a Latin-influenced fusion menu. It's a bit pricey but a great place to hang out -- go for a pitcher of Sangria with some friends.

Brother's Cafe, east of the Cam Nam bridge on the Hoi An side, is a much celebrated, classy dining option. The garden atmosphere and riverside seating cannot be beat -- it's one of the most beautiful restaurants in town. We've heard complaints that the food here isn't up to snuff, and at US$9 per entree, it should be. If you do enjoy the food, however, they offer private cooking classes for $25.

If you're really going to sink a wad on a posh meal, check out the Victoria Resort along Cua Dai beach. The head chef, Gustav, hails from Austria and serves up world-class fare -- be sure to ask to speak to him about what he recommends on any given day.

As you're heading out to Cua Dai beach, don't pass up an opportunity to stop at Karma Waters, which serves excellent vegetarian meals. You can order a la carte or get a set meal for 80,000 VND. Even diehard meaters give the place high marks -- the food is just that good. The English owner Paul is a vegan who was raised as a vegetarian, and he runs the place a lot like the vegetarian restaurants you find near temples all around Southeast Asia -- that is, if you're hungry and you're broke, they'll feed you for 5,000 VND. Check out Karma Waters for its eco-tours as well. It's in a gorgeous spot on the confluence of two rivers. The beer here is ice cold, making it an ideal spot for an evening drink.

Cam Nam Island

Development is spreading across the river to Cam Nam Island, which is accessible via the Cam Nam Bridge -- find Hoang Dieu Street in town and head south to find the bridge. All of these places are also easily accessible by a free ferry that runs from 07:00 to 21:00 all day from the pier on Bach Dang just east of the market.

The Lighthouse Restaurant is an upscale dining option under Dutch ownership -- despite the anglo name, the food here is mostly Vietnamese, though you may find cheese sneaking in here and there, and non-Vietnamese desserts like apple cake. The Lighthouse technically runs the boat from Hoi An to Cam Nam, but you can also use it to get to The Sleepy Gecko Chillout Lounge just up the street. It's run by a colourful Aussie named Steve -- and, as the name implies, it's a great place to hang out. There's plenty of comfortable seating, a pool table, and the beer is always ice cold. Food is available, but a lot depends on what Steve happens to find in the kitchen -- we had a delicious burger on our visit, and then were chastised by some locals for eating the last of the paddies. Steve plays a great selection of classic rock on the sound system, and if you ask him nicely, he might load up your iPod for a small fee. Local expats have made this place their home away from home and swear by the English breakfasts, though don't show up much before 10:00 if you expect to find someone awake and ready to cook. It's a great place to sit and watch the sunset from the second floor balcony -- get there at around 17:00. Also enquire here about cycle tours of Cam Kim Island, and don't forget to pay a visit to Randy's Books just up the street.

Nightlife

If you love the nightlife and you like to boogie, two spots in town seem to alternate nights in drawing crowds for marathon, all-night revelry. Zero Seamile, located at the Hoi An Beach Club, holds white nights every Wednesday from 19:00 to 04:00, where women get a free white Russian if they wear a white dress. Women also drink free from 21:00 to 22:00 every night (if they stick to vodka). Monday from 21:00 to 04:00 is 'Pool Party' night, featuring pool games, limbo dancing, and beer diving. Saturdays from 16:00 to 04:00 is a Beach Party -- arrive before 22:00 and get a free bucket of Red Bull and vodka and enjoy the bonfire. King Kong is a funky little hole-in-the-wall bar where things start up at midnight and continue until 000. It tends to do well on nights when Zero Sea Mile isn't the main attraction. When the town is full, the place is packed and absolute madness may ensue.

To get to Zero Seamile, head to the beach along Cua Dai road, and take a right when you get there. Up to the right there is an access road along the beach -- look for the signs. On party nights, they start running a free shuttle to the beach at 20:00 making stops at all the major hotels, and a shuttle back starts at 03:00. Otherwise, a ride to the beach should cost 10 to 20,000 VND depending on time of night and a ride back can be as much as 100,000 VND since otherwise you're stuck.

King Kong is walking distance from the old town -- sometimes the taxi drivers will try to take you to Zero Seamile instead (they pay them off) but that seems to be changing. Moto-taxi drivers wait outside King Kong when it's hopping until the place closes, trolling for fares, so you should have no problem getting back.

The Banana Split Cafe: 55 Hoang Dieu, Hoi An. T: (0510) 862 353, (0905) 112 119. http://www.peacecafe.com
Brother's Cafe: 27-29 Phan Boi Chau, Hoi An. T: (051) 914 150, F: 90510) 923. http://www.brothercafehoian.com.vn
Cafe Des Amis: 52 Bach Dang, Hoi An. T: (510) 861 616
Cargo Club: 107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. T: (0510) 910 489. http://www.haoianhospitality.com
Good Morning Vietnam: 35 Le Loi, Hoi An. T: (0510) 910 227.
Faifoo Restaurant: 104 Tran Phu, Hoi An. T: (0510) 861 548.
Hai Scout Cafe: 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. T: (051) 863 210, (091) 345 7029. http://www.visithoian.com
Karma Waters: 47 Cua Dai, Hoi An. T: (0510) 927 632, (0905) 141 771, F: (0510) 927 632. http://www.karmawaters.com
Lighthouse Cafe and Restaurant: To 5 Thon Xuyen Trung, Cam Nam Island, Hoi An. T: (0914) 136 477, (0510) 936 235, (0510) 241 503. http://www.lighthousecafehoian.com
Mango Rooms: 111 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. T: (0510) 910 839
Mermaid: 2 Tran Phu, Hoi An. T: (0510) 861 527. http://www.hoianhospitality.com
Restaurant & Bar Riverside (formerly Rendezvous): 58 Bach Dang, Hoi An. T: (0510) 861 385, (0905) 163 557.
Red Bridge: Thon 4, Cam Thanh, Hoi An. T: (0510) 933 222, (091) 345 7029. http://www.visithoian.com
Restaurant Cafe 96: 96 Bach Dang St, Hoi An. T: (510) 910 441, (0914) 082 390.
Sleepy Gecko Chillout Lounge: Cam Nam Island, Hoi An. T: (0908) 426 349.
Shree Ganesh (formerly Omar's): 25 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An. T: (0510) 864 538
Tam Tam Cafe: 110 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An (Alternate entrance at 121 Tran Phu). T: (0510) 862 212, F: (0510) 862 207
Treat's 'Same Same' Cafe: 13 Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An. T: (0510) 910 527, (0903) 595 707.
Van Loc: 27 Tran Phu, Hoi An. T: (0510) 661 212.