Quan Hue Ngon: Da Nang BBQ & My Khe Beach
Now the first day of pure rest has finally arrived. Thanks to the poop-making machine in the next bed who wouldn't allow me to sleep in and shook me awake for breakfast, I ate a hearty meal and headed out to the beach. I thought My Khe Beach—known as one of the six most beautiful beaches in the world—was the only beach in Da Nang, but an information sign in the hotel elevator suggested otherwise. We probably won't be able to visit them all, but My Khe Beach is so pretty that you won't regret not going anywhere else.
It felt like a waste to just lie on the beach, and the waves looked perfect for beginners like us, so we decided to rent a surfboard. There's a surfing class run by a European guy (maybe Portuguese?) that's famous among Koreans, but when we got there, the price was ridiculously high compared to the local cost of living, so we just rented a board from a local shop. For less than 10,000 KRW, they rent out a board and a sunbed together. They even watch your bags, which is fantastic. Maybe it's because it's the off-season right now, but there is truly no one around. On the flip side, that means we can comfortably make fools of ourselves surfing without feeling embarrassed.
Today was truly a day of keeping my promise: rolling around the hotel, lounging on the beach, and playing in the water all day. Since we achieved half of our "play and eat" goal, it was time to fulfill the other half. Once again, our guide/nuisance/breakfast master declared that we had to eat charcoal BBQ for dinner tonight and ordered me to call a Grab. The place we went to was Quán Huế Ngon. Some places list it as Quan Com Hue Ngon, and since I have no idea how to pronounce it, calling a Grab is definitely the easiest way to get there.
As soon as you get dropped off nearby, the delicious smell and smoke fill the air, letting you know right away, "Ah, this is the place." There were lots of couples, and I even spotted a foreigner eating alone. Looking at the menu, I had absolutely no idea what to order, but a Vietnamese couple sitting next to us recommended the beef and squid, so we went with that. We added a few more items to suit our own tastes, and it turned out to be a pretty spectacular feast.
Very uniquely, they set up a Japanese-style small grill, and you cook the food yourself. I'm not sure if Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) just became trendy here or if this is a traditional Vietnamese way of eating, but it was fascinating to see a food culture I'm so familiar with right here. Wrapping the meat in lettuce-like leaves is similar to how we do it in Korea, and dipping it in the local sauce (even though it's not our traditional doenjang) is similar too. It's actually so similar yet slightly different, which makes it feel even more exotic. They say nothing cooked over an open fire tastes bad, and sure enough, everything we grilled was delicious. The only downside was that the food felt a bit slow to come out, so we quickly chugged one bottle of beer and ended up drinking a couple more.
After we finished, we headed to Lotte Mart to buy some souvenirs. I knew before coming that there was a Lotte Mart in Da Nang, but it was actually a fascinating place once inside. The merchandise is just slightly more premium, but the funny thing is that all the Vietnamese people are buying Korean and Japanese products, while all the Korean people are buying Vietnamese products. It's a situation where they can sell absolutely everything to everyone. They were really smart about this.
Hmm... I have no idea what the name of this is.