A lot of potential for the future, but just not quite there yet: Restaurant Nén Danang (27. December 2023)

Sometimes, your expectations are high, and, hence, you’re really looking forward to something. Last time I’ve visited a The World’s 50 Best – Discovery (Restaurant Contraste in Milan), I was mind-blown. Hence, given this was another The World’s 50 Best – Discovery, I was quite keen to visit this place and when you walk in, it all looks quite lovely and amazing.

And it all started so amazingly. When you’re inside and you’re seated in the welcome area …

… you are served a first starter to get your flavours going. The “Shot of brass liquor with a skewer with green ambarella” was simple, sure, but it was also absolutely tasty!

Then, you’re moved into the dining hall, which is absolutely appealing in terms of design and you feel make comfortable there. Modern and appealing design, just wow!

Once the you have chosen the “full experience menu – Winter Edition” (2’270’000 VND) …

… and the respective “Alcohol Pairing” (1’600’000 VND) …

… they will come by with a try of all the ingredients, which will be used in the menu and they are explained in detail.

The ‘extensive’ explanation was due to our choice of the “Conversation Pairing”. You can basically pick, how much you want them to tell you when serving food and/or alcohol, and frankly, that is quite an amazing idea I haven’t seen like that before. Up until this moment, I was like “okay, wow,” this is going to be amazing!”. The concept is so well thought through that you really feel like this is superb!

And that kind of continued when the first course was served … as each of the courses basically comes with a drawing of what you eat …

… and the respective description!

The first course consisted of three elements, i.e., the “bittermelon (dry-aged chicken, sarsi leaf, bittermelon)”, which was a nice starter to get your palate moving.

The “wild chestnut & squid’s teeth (wild chestnut, squid’s teeth, tomato & gac leather)” was definitely interesting in terms of how it was built, and the fact that you get to eat squid’s teeth, which is something one doesn’t really eat in Europe, but the flavour profile wasn’t quite up there with the first bite.

The “slipper lobster (slipper lobster, tamarind sauce, crystal bread)” on the other hand kind of gave me hope again for the rest.

Then it was time for the next illustration …

… and description …

… which made me wonder if I would like the “Y beef tendon & ambarella & luffa soup”. Frankly, the flavour profile was amazing. However, I had my reservations when it comes to eating beef tendon, but in all fairness, this was actually exquiste. Despite the specific texture to which you definitely have to get used to, the bite was amazing. Worth trying!

Then, it was time for another illustration …

… and description …

… which was the “wel fish & tofu (grilled eel fish, dried fish, melting cheese, fluffly tofu and rice powder)”, which looked lovely. Personally, though, I found the bite not as great as the previous dishes, which was a bit of a disappointment.

With the next illustration came a whole process …

… which was made a bit clearer by the description …

… but it was still surprising when they served two slices of “red snapper” like that on the table …

… and started covering it in hot bee’s wax to cook. You would have to wait until the wax had hardened, then you were allowed to touch it, and ultimately, they would use these slices to prepare your dish (in terms of timing, the bee’s wax was prepared prior to the previous dish, but in terms of story telling it’s much easier to do it at this point in time).

Finally, the “beeswax, buddha’s hand and gandaria (Nen root, Buddha’s hand kosho, fermented honey & gandaria sauce, red snapper)” was served, and it looked lovely, and just like in the illustration, however, the fish was relatively boring in terms of flavour profile.

Then, it was time for a palate cleanser, namely, “Vietnamese cherry and red dragon fruit; water coconut mousse; sugar powder” and while it was not the typical palate cleanser like sorbet, it was enjoyable and definitely worked well for me.

Another illustration …

… and another description …

… led to the “abalone, rice & herbs (grilled abalone, lime foam, Mi Quang in Viet pesto sauce)”, which looked simple, and it was, but it was actually absolutely great. The pasta was lovely, and the pesto on top of the pasta worked wonders as well, as well as the grilled abalone. Personally, so far, it felt like the food was decent, but it was just somewhat missing that little extra. Plus, personally, compared to other experiences in Vietnam, pricing-wise it’s definitely way too high.

Another illustration …

… and another description …

… being the “mitten crab (mitten crab roe ‘glass’, mitten crab roe gel, its bisque, its meat)” …

… with its cracker. If you combined the two, it was a good combination of different textures. However, in terms of flavour, I found it a bit disappointing for a crab dish, since they are usually so flavourful and intense, that you could really expect more.

Then, it was time for the main course illustration …

… and its description …

… being the “Siamese duck & purple rice, Viet stew mash”. Interestingly enough, the single ingredients were somewhat boring, but the combination of the three different ingredients worked quite well. In any case, though, the way the duck was prepared was a bit disappointing compared to other ducks enjoyed during this trip.

Last but not least, it was time for the dessert illustration …

… and description …

… and the “wax apple leaf & star apple (wax apple leaf ice cream, mulberry, star apple, wax apple)” looked quite lovely. I especially liked that the layer of apple over the ice cream looked like ham slices, but of course the whole dish was sweet, and it worked well together. Not overly well, i.e., there was still a bit something missing (I found), but it looked nice (and tasted less great than it looked).

Last but not least, you would get a feedback form …

… which is a good sign, since it shows they want to improve. The staff is friendly, they are attentive, but they are also not entirely on top of it.

In all fairness, if it would cost less, I would probably say, go try the Restaurant Nén in Da Nang. Given, it costs what it costs, I found it overpriced and, hence, the performance is not at the level it should be, especially compared to other restaurants, which serve more interesting dishes and charge less. Give it a bit of time, then it might be worth visiting again.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Nén Danang

16 đường Mỹ Đa Tây 2

Khuê Mỹ, Ngũ Hành Sơn

550000 Đà Nẵng (VN)

Tel.: +84 847 148 866

E-Mail: nendanang@restaurantnen.com

Homepage: http://www.restaurantnen.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.