Salad Da Lat
Salad is obviously something you can get literally anywhere. But if you’re looking for the best, then Da Lat is where it’s at. As the soil and climate in Da Lat are perfect for growing temperate plants and vegetables, such as salad leaves and tomato, you will get the best ingredients here.
Locals usually eat this daily. When you go to any shop or restaurant that sell rice, they will always give you a free dish of salad as a side-just like kimchi in Korea! A simple salad can have your typical ingredients such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onions, half boiled eggs, and comes seasoned with vinegar. You can also add some beef or other meat in some places. Last but not least, if you have always dreamt of sitting in a huge fridge while eating greens, Da Lat is “the fridge” that you are looking for. Granted it’s not as cold as other places in the world, but it is cold for Vietnam!
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sausage – Nem nuong
It would be a pity if you leave Da Lat without trying the tasty Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sausage! Some people say that it originated from Hue, while others say it’s from Nha Trang. But who cares about the origin? That’s the last thing you’ll be thinking about as you munch down on one of those babies.
Last year, a staff member at the hostel I stayed in told me to try the nem nuong at a shop nearby. My pride as a gourmand didn’t allow me to say no to any food suggestion or invitation. So I went there, tried it and fell in love! How can people come up with such a great combination of rice paper, grilled pork sausage, fresh salad, cucumber, starfruit, herbs and fried rice paper? I do not know.
The star of this delicious food is actually the thick peanut sauce. Don’t forget to add a little bit of dried chili so that the spice will warm you up in cold weather. To eat nem nuong, first you need to grab a piece of rice paper, wet it a little bit with water, then add the greens, pork and everything else in it, wrap it up next, and finally dip it into the sauce. Then you go to town!
Mini Pancake – Banh can
This dish is a popular breakfast in Da Lat. It may have originated in Binh Thuan province, but after making its way to Da Lat, it became a part of the food culture here. To me, sitting next to a stove in a cold morning, watching the banh can lady pour the white mixture of rice powder in a pottery pancake pan, fill it with egg, shrimp or squid and frying it until the pancake is burned slightly, is a nostalgic sight. To you, it may be unique. Normally, a dish of mini pancake have 10 – 12 pieces, and it is served with a bowl of broth, made of fish sauce, green onions, and meatballs. All you have to do is dip the cake in the broth and enjoy the harmony of flavors in your mouth.
Vietnamese Pizza – Banh trang nuong
Maybe it is the cool weather of Da Lat that makes any dish cooked on the coal stove become superstars. And Vietnamese Pizza is not an exception. People will put some other ingredients such as pork, green onions, quail eggs and dried shrimps on rice paper. Then they grill it and rotate it on the coal stove until done. Finally, they will cut it into small triangle pieces and serve with chili sauces. You can also choose to add cheese and sausage to your Vietnamese pizza. This is an addictive snack that you should try when you are in Da Lat.
“Shaken” strawberry – Dau lac
The cool climate of Da Lat is perfect for growing strawberries. You can literally find strawberries everywhere in the world, but only in Da Lat can you find it being served in a unique way – seasoned and shaken. The seller will put a cup of strawberry in a jar. Next, they add shrimp salt, fish sauce, and sugar into the cup and shake it for about 1-2 minutes. Lastly, they put everything back to the cup and hand to you. Besides the sweet and sour signature savory flavor, the seasoned strawberry is also a bit salty, which makes this snack even more interesting. Don’t miss shaking strawberry when you are in Da Lat!
Avocado Ice-cream
Congratulation to the avocado addicts Welcome to avocado paradise! Together with strawberries, Da Lat is where you can find the freshest avocado in Vietnam. Avocado ice-cream of Da Lat is seen as a legendary dessert. That’s why you shouldn’t miss it when you are visiting this city. The way to make avocado ice-cream is also simple. The server chooses the best avocado to blend, and then adds a scoop of coconut ice-cream into the glass and really, that’s all. The dish is a fantastic harmony of avocado and coconut swirled together in a glass of happiness. I’m sure you will love it!
Sweet soup – Che
This is a food gift for the sweet tooth who is looking for something sweet that is not a cake. On a cool evening, a bowl of hot sweet soup for dessert is super welcome. There are many flavors you can choose, such as beans, corn, pomelo, banana and many more. Sweet soup is also another popular Vietnamese dessert which you will miss after leaving Vietnam.
