Cao Lau & Crispy Pancakes in Central Vietnam

I wound up in the central Vietnamese town of Hoi An last week. The town is a major draw on the heavily pounded, unimaginative tourist trail along the length of Vietnam's coast. For such a popular tourist hang, it's surprising to find a town bereft of gourmet grub. There are virtually no quality restaurants in town. Everybody serves the same tired menu and caters to the lowest, cheapest tourists that come to Vietnam. Like the shoddy, tenth rate tailoring the town has become infamous for, the food here is decidedly lacklustre.

There are two exceptions. The first is the dish above - Cao Lau. It's the best of the three local specialities that plague every restaurant billboard in town. The others being White Rose and Won Ton dumplings. This rendition of Cao Lau is from Fukien at 28 Tran Phu Street. It costs 6,000VD. It's a noodle, herb, beansprout and pork sliver dish. Hoi Anans (is there such a word?) will tell you the dish cannot be replicated outside of town because the water used in the dish must be drawn from a well in the nearby Ba Le well which is down an alley opposite 35 Phan Chau Trinh Street. The pork is fried in a marinade and then roasted for 1 hour. Chuck in some fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, salt & pepper, thin crispy croutons add the noodles and herbs and you're done. Mix it up and dig in. It's simple, spice tinged and yummtastic.

Each chef adds his or her own amounts of each ingredient - that's the only discernible difference from one restaurant to another. Someone somewhere in this town with a bit of brains could easily make a bundle by opening up a high end, classy restaurant serving quality food, but it hasn't happened yet. My feeling is the restauranteurs here have gotten lazy. New blood and new ideas are what is needed.

The second food highlight (no photos for this joint, so just trust me) is Kimijan cafe at 30 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street run by Ms. Kim Lien, a French Viet Kieu who is one of the few folk in town who seems to know her grub. Very, very few people nip in here. I think it's the mosquito netting on the windows that puts people off as it doesn't allow them a look inside. But, it's definitely the best cafe/restaurant in town. Not on the menu, but she'll serve it if you ask, is an excellent Banh xeo. This version of the southern crispy pancake standard comes with a hefty herb side plate in which you will find six different leaves including a watercress type chap called cai con. It is found nowhere else in Vietnam. She also serves some stomach teasing French desserts. The Tarte tatin & Tart au citron meringue were both effortlessly eatable and had pieman loosening his belt buckle in appreciation. I didn't sample the three different scrummy crepes on offer, but I hear from reliable stomachs they are also quite exquisite.

Comments

[Reid]

This looks really good! I love a good noodle dish, but I haven't seen this on any Vietnamese restaurant menus here in Hawaii. =( I guess I have to keep hunting!

[pieman]

No, I've never seen it anywhere outside Hoi An. As I mention the locals really emphasise the local water element. I' m inclined to dismiss it as a myth, but maybe there is something in it after all.

[Hakan Bexelius]

The author of this article must be a very negative person that havent travelled around Vietnam at all.
Hoi An has superb food, vietnamese, indian, chinese........just name it.
You will be served superb food at a low cost at almost every place.
Try it and you will like it !!

[Benn]

Mmm... Cao Lau. :)

[anchoi]

Cao Lau is a bastardized version of Mi Quang which is a popular noodle dish of Da Nang. Cao Lau uses a unique noodle that is made only in Hoi An. Since Hoi An is an ancient Fukian town, this dish probably hasn't changed much for over 100 years.

[MOojuice]

Perhaps this persons taste buds are dead or this assessment in from the 1950's. Try Miss Ly's Grilled Pork Special, Van Lu's fried wontons, the Mermaids White Rose, and Cargo Clubs desserts, then get back to me.

[Taro]

Did you really visit Hoi An? The food there was exceptional in many restaurants I visited. And as for upscale restaurants.. did you visit Brother's Cafe? (27 Pham Boi Chau St) The restaurant is one of the best I've been to EVER. It's situated in a beautiful garden by the river. The food and service was exceptional. Gourmet Vietnamese food at it's best. 5 star in every sense.

[stickyfingers]

Ok I know I've come to this post years after it was written, but I agree with the last comment - we had some great eats from hawkers and cafes alike, but Brothers Cafe was exceptionally good - especially the crab - and some of the beachside restaurants are surprisingly yummy too. Perhaps things have changed for the better now.

I suppose it is easy to be cynical about a town where tourists abound and the shops cater extensively to them, but look below the surface and see the history, spirituality and hospitality, served up with a cheeky spirit and a genuine pride in their town. Eat beyond the old town tourist traps and take a cooking lesson at The Red Bridge School to get a fair perspective.

[qtn]

we just got back and our FAVORITE meals were in Hoi An!! Bale well - we still crave it! Mind you, we were not looking for the "tourist" restaurants and went on recommendations of the locals.