As most of us know, Vietnam is renowned for its food. Fresh, tasty, and authentic.
The Vietnamese people celebrate food and treat it as a time to get together with friends and family to share plates of delicious food, cooked with love and care. We experienced this feeling of love and care in the food and drinks we were served at “Em, Comfort Food.”
Em, the restaurant, is located in an elegant golden plaster double-story building on the corner of a timeless alleyway. 54/2 Phan Châu Trinh, Minh An, Hội An to be exact.
Chef and owner, Nghia has ensured the uniquely designed, sparse, but welcoming interior, furnished with beautifully built wooden tables and chairs, clean lines, and with typical flair; sky blue French-style shutter windows; offers plenty of room for singles, couples, or groups. An outdoor patio facing the alleyway, adorned with charming ornaments and a small lily pond, is available for al fresco dining.
We enjoyed dining on the spacious concrete patio, where we watched people pass by and stop to inspect the menu.
Nghia has curated one of the most delicious menus we have ever tasted. The food is beautifully and thoughtfully blended with the care of a fine craftsman.
Nghia delights in introducing his diners to sumptuous food with a twist of unusual. His ingredients are all bought on the day at the local market.
Have you ever tried jellyfish? Nghia served a sublime salad with market jellyfish, onion, local herbs, and soy sauce. Simple and tasty, it certainly piqued the taste buds. We didn’t stop with the jellyfish dish – we went on to try many more of his beautiful dishes.
Nghia very kindly taste tested a couple of new dishes on us and also introduced us to his (secret ingredient) take on an Irish coffee and to his daytime coffees he also serves.
We felt like kings – the restaurant was quiet – we were always early – but he looked after us as if we were the most important people in the world. That Vietnamese hospitality was front and centre whenever we visited Em. Which was often, during our five day stay, making it our firm favourite eating spot in Hoi An.
For more about Em and the unforgettable culinary experience Nghia provides, please have a look at the pictorial story,(below), of his early life, up to and including the birth of Em.
It is a charmingly written story, combining his words with the dishes – becoming Em’s picturesque menu.
Further information on Em. Doi Moi
Please contact janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz if you would like further information on this story
Disclaimer – Neither MTR nor Jane Daniell received any monetary or other forms of payment for this story.
