We are now moving to food, which is exciting to write about :D I would say food in Vietnam is generally affordable and people who like herbs will definitely enjoy a lot! Without further ado, let's get started!
Restaurants
Address: 124 Phan Đình Phùng, Phường 2, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 11am to 9pm daily
Part restaurant, part art gallery, part music performance hall? Well hidden at an alleyway, Artist Alley Restaurant is a popular, classy restaurant that serves elegant French-Vietnamese fusion food. It wasn't particularly crowded on a Sunday night. I think most people may choose to come during daytime in order to admire the beautiful art pieces under natural light.
Overall, I gave 5 stars for the dining ambiance and high quality of service here, but the food just barely passed. Out of all dishes we ordered, the more satisfying one included avocado salad (key highlight of the day), grilled salmon and pork chop. The steak was overly cooked despite our request for a medium rare. The soup dishes including highly-rated French onion soup were way too greasy.
Overall, I gave 5 stars for the dining ambiance and high quality of service here, but the food just barely passed. Out of all dishes we ordered, the more satisfying one included avocado salad (key highlight of the day), grilled salmon and pork chop. The steak was overly cooked despite our request for a medium rare. The soup dishes including highly-rated French onion soup were way too greasy.
The lighting was too yellowish to capture any good photo.
Le Chalet Cafe
Address: 6 Đường Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 9am to 9pm, Sat and Sun: 7am to 9pm
The cafe is conveniently located just opposite to Crazy House. The cafe welcomes you to get a dose of greenery. The menu highlights healthy meals prepared from fresh local produces. Nonetheless, the prices are at the higher end given the comfy ambiance and prime location.
Address: 6 Đường Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: Mon to Fri: 9am to 9pm, Sat and Sun: 7am to 9pm
The cafe is conveniently located just opposite to Crazy House. The cafe welcomes you to get a dose of greenery. The menu highlights healthy meals prepared from fresh local produces. Nonetheless, the prices are at the higher end given the comfy ambiance and prime location.
Beef noodles that received a thumb up from my cousin.
Crispy spring rolls were yummy but they leaned towards oily side.
Restaurant 33
Address: Multiple branches available. We visited the one at Quan 33 Oc Noit Thit.
For an authentic local experience, head to Restaurant 33! I was kinda worried before stepping in because there was no sight of foreigners at the restaurant. My worry turned out to be excessive as English menu was available and the staff was very helpful thought they only spoke minimal English. Good things aside, the restaurant is always busy and can get very noisy at times. People get drunk and some inconsiderate patrons will smoke inside. The staff might also take a while to attend to your requests. However, for the delicious food at reasonable price, this was still our best meal in Dalat (and it's so much better than our subsequent BBQ meal in Nha Trang).
As we couldn't choose between BBQ and hotpot, we decided to go for both. Too greedy, I know. If I was allowed to select again, BBQ would be a hands-down winner! Don't get me wrong, the steamboat was good, especially the soup base, but it's simply not unique enough. I prefer the experience of grilling your own meat/seafood and making your own little wraps.
Beef to be grilled.
Address: Multiple branches available. We visited the one at Quan 33 Oc Noit Thit.
For an authentic local experience, head to Restaurant 33! I was kinda worried before stepping in because there was no sight of foreigners at the restaurant. My worry turned out to be excessive as English menu was available and the staff was very helpful thought they only spoke minimal English. Good things aside, the restaurant is always busy and can get very noisy at times. People get drunk and some inconsiderate patrons will smoke inside. The staff might also take a while to attend to your requests. However, for the delicious food at reasonable price, this was still our best meal in Dalat (and it's so much better than our subsequent BBQ meal in Nha Trang).
As we couldn't choose between BBQ and hotpot, we decided to go for both. Too greedy, I know. If I was allowed to select again, BBQ would be a hands-down winner! Don't get me wrong, the steamboat was good, especially the soup base, but it's simply not unique enough. I prefer the experience of grilling your own meat/seafood and making your own little wraps.
Meat-stuffed snails. Snail meat was removed, mixed with perfectly seasoned minced pork and lemongrass, stuffed back into the shell and steamed with charcoal fire. The dipping sauce was a perfect match. It's so yummy that I could have finished everything by myself.
Hotpot ingredients.
Place the grilled meat on the rice paper, add some fresh veggies, herbs and special sauce provided, roll into a little wrap and enjoy!
Cafes
Doha Cafe
Address: Phường 1, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Being the symbolic building of Dalat, the outer appearance of Doha Cafe adopts the unique shape of artichoke flower. It is strategically located at the heart of Dalat city, overlooking the beautiful Xuan Huong Lake. You can take a break here after shopping at Big C nearby. We heard that the cafe is glowing even more gorgeously at night, but didn't have the opportunity to return there during night time.
The cafe is spacious, with ample seats available, particularly at second level. However, frankly speaking, the coffee and cakes here were disappointing. The prices are also relatively steep in Vietnamese standard. Skip the cafe unless you are here to take in the laid-back vibe in a cool-looking cafe.
Bonus photo - Iconic Sunflower Dome at Lam Vien Square.
Address: 238 Yersin, Phường 9, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 8am to 9.30pm daily
Judging by the sheer number of cute cafes in Dalat, I could totally tell how much Vietnamese love their coffees. I wish I could have explored more but my body simply cannot take in too much caffeine. Anyway, Co Bong was a pleasant surprise that lighted up our afternoon with its retro-themed decorations and very good Vietnamese coffee. One can easily spend the entire afternoon taking photos with the various photo-ops around the cafe.
We ordered traditional egg foam coffee and coconut coffee. I feel like trying egg coffee from a new shop is taking a big risk because you never know you will get a good one or a really disgusting one. Thankfully, the egg coffee from Co Bong didn't disappoint. The coconut coffee was good too.
Old school treats that will relive your long lost childhood memories.
My favourite Doraemon comic book in Vietnamese version.
I like the vintage-styled packaging, how cute!
Address: Số 8 Triệu Việt Vương, Phường 4, Da Lat.
Opening hours: 6.30am to 9.30pm daily
The cute little cafe located right outside of our villa. With so many cafe options available in Dalat, it might not worth the efforts to pay a visit here. However, for guests staying in Bich Dao Villa, I highly recommend spending some time here, particularly at night. The atmosphere here was extremely comforting with warm lighting and homey decorations.
I believe that I have posted similar photos before but I am just going to do it again.
Hot chocolate at a chilly night.
La Viet Coffee
Address: 200 Nguyễn Công Trứ, Phường 8, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 66000, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Renowned for serving the best coffee in Dalat, the reviews didn't lie. La Viet has its own industrial-styled cafe and roastery located a little bit out of the centre of town. You can even go for a short 10-min tour to view the facility and processes.
The coffees were good and did not require further elaborations. For those who are interested, the shop sells everything connected to coffee, from coffee beans to Vietnamese-style filters. The only minor complaint we had was the waiting time. There were only a few tables occupied during our visit and yet it took almost 30 to 40 mins before the coffee reached us.
Kem Bo Thanh Thao
Address: 76 Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, Phường 2, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Kem Bo Nari
Address: 74c Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, Phường 2, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam.
Opening hours: 8am to 10pm daily
It's a shame to leave Dalat without trying kem bo or avocado ice-cream. The two shops are located next to each other. While our driver highly recommended Kem Bo Nari, we tried both and couldn't really tell the difference. Both served delicious kem bo that will make you craving for more!
Could you recognise that these are actually avocados?
Before I end this post, I just want to give a special mention to famous artichoke tea in Dalat. The tea is served in almost all cafes and restaurants for free. It has a distinct earthy taste that we found enjoyable. We heard that drinking artichoke tea is good for your general health, and the tea bags make good souvenirs for your family and friends.
That's all I would like to share about Dalat and I hope you have a great time reading this series of posts :)
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