Old-Time Vietnam – Sizzling at Hue Ngon, Danang
What’s with me and unmetered taxi’s? The guy came up to me at the airport and quoted đ200,000. I thought that included the airport tax but it was an extra đ70,000. I simply did not have the guts to bargain. On arrival at the hostel I learned that taxi rides from the airport should be đ150,000 before 10pm, and after 10pm it would be đ200,000. I knew I paid more than I should, but that extra đ50,000 would have made someone extra happy.
The hostel gave me a coupon for a welcome drink. I debated whether to have that drink. I was very hungry when I checked in, and dinner would have been most appreciated. However, I did decide to have the welcome drink. It was free, so why not? And the aloe vera with kum quat juice was awesome. It was incredibly refreshing and distinctively Southeast Asian. The best of it all, it was non-alcoholic. The café up on 4th floor had an amazing ambiance too.
After the drink it was time for dinner. Hue Ngon was the destination. It was just about 10 minutes away from the hostel. Even from afar I sensed the party atmosphere at the restaurant. Its bright lights and the sizzling aroma of char-grilled food were wonderful indication to me. People hovered around small tables on very short stools, drinking beer and having a good time.
The waitress there knew a little bit of Cantonese. She was patient in showing me how to pronounce the food in Vietnamese. Needless to say, the food on other diners’ tables was the best proof of this restaurant’s repute. Yet the warmth of its staff was a pleasant surprise. I went all out as a result: beef, pork, squid, okra, wok-fried veggies, you name it, I had it. They came in small portions with sauces, condiments, salad, and generous servings of leaf wraps.
Which people in the world know grilled meat better than the Koreans? At Hue Ngon, a funny video played on its wide-screen TV, showing two plump Korean women having a mouthwatering barbeque at the restaurant. I had no idea what they were actually saying, but point taken as I savored my own share of barbeque. Their animated expressions were hilarious.
Back at the hostel, I could not resist and went back up to the café to have a second drink. The pear, ginger and lemon grass juice was yet another unlikely mix of characters that kept me refreshed. The girl there asked me why I had a British accent. I told her that I came from the colonial era in Hong Kong, which, to her, probably was not a familiar history.
All in all, this one-night transit in Danang was the perfect beginning of my trip. I would be heading out to the imperial city of Hue on the train the next day.
Hue Ngon Restaurant’s address is 65 Tran Quoc Toan St., Danang City, Vietnam. Telephone: 0905-309-799.