Hello everyone, today I want to share a really memorable food experience during my recent beach trip to Hai Tien (in Thanh Hoa city). This is not a fancy restaurant or a famous place online, but a local eatery with no name, yet the food made me fall in love so much that I had to write this long review 😚
The place I visited is right near the beach, in the middle of a row of busy food stalls in Hai Tien tourist area. The first impression is that the shop has no name, only a simple red signboard, looks quite plain. But that simplicity made me curious. Especially when I saw many locals and regulars coming in, I decided to try.
The first dish I ordered was seafood vermicelli. The bowl came out hot, with steam rising and a delicious smell that made my stomach rumble.
What impressed me right away was that the seafood in the bowl was all fresh, not frozen or old. Because this is a seaside area, we should eat seafood as it's very fresh here. The squid eggs were plump, round, fatty and soft, not chewy. The shrimp was fresh, peeled, firm and sweet. But my favorite part in the bowl was the special seafood patty – made from ground crab and squid, mixed together, shaped into small patties and fried until golden. Biting into it, I could feel the sweetness of crab meat, the aroma of squid, and a little fatty taste – really different from regular fish cakes.
The broth was clear, naturally sweet, not heavy with MSG. The noodles were soft, not broken, eaten with a bit of raw vegetables and lemon slices – enough to leave me impressed.
If the seafood noodles made me satisfied, then the clam porridge made me... fall in love.
At first glance, the porridge looked simple: white porridge with some green onions, fried shallots and black pepper on top. But when I scooped the first spoonful, I found a lot of clam meat underneath – cleaned carefully, no sand, no bad smell. According to the owner, the clams were cleaned thoroughly, removing all the dirty parts and sand inside.
The porridge was cooked with chicken bone broth, not just clam water like many other places. That’s why the taste was deep and rich, very warm and comforting. The porridge was a bit runny, not too thick – just the way I like it. When eating, I mixed the shallots and pepper into the porridge, ate it hot – it was so fragrant and tasty, really addictive.
What surprised me was the price: only 100,000 VND for one bowl of seafood noodles and one bowl of clam porridge – about 4 US dollars.
Maybe because the shop doesn’t spend money on signage, ads, or fancy decor, they can save costs. Instead, they focus on the food quality.
The place has a spacious area, stainless steel tables, simple wooden chairs but strong. Even though it was hot at noon, sitting there still felt cool thanks to the sea breeze. They also serve fresh fruit juices, very suitable to drink after the meal.
The shop doesn’t have air conditioning, no special decoration, but the rustic and cozy feeling made me feel relaxed and comfortable.
This Hai Tien trip, I didn’t expect much about food, but unexpectedly found a place that satisfied me so much. Even though it has no brand, no fame online, this “nameless” seafood noodle and clam porridge shop gave me a more memorable taste experience than many big restaurants.
If you like exploring local food, especially fresh seafood, then you definitely should not miss this place when visiting Hai Tien. Ask local people about the seafood noodle shop with a red sign near the beach – they will surely show you the way.
This article has images and content 100% from me @a-alice!!
See you in the next post