It definitely hasn’t been the easiest to find halal restaurants in Vietnam. Whilst I’m very happy to settle with vegetarian and seafood options (they’re still incredibly delicious!), I must say I was ecstatic to have found Thien Ly Da Nang Style, a halal Vietnamese restaurant in the heart of Da Nang city in Vietnam.
Vietnamese cuisine, especially in the halal food scene, is very much underrepresented in the UK. Those who claim to be serving Vietnamese pho are a far cry from the real deal and a short trip to Vietnam has fully confirmed that. If anything, it highlighted even more of the discrepancies of how the UK halal food scene misinterpreted the beautiful cuisine of Vietnam. Encountering Thien Ly Da Nang Style restaurant, to me, felt like an absolute dream to experience a true and authentic taste of Vietnamese flavours.
Thien Ly: Family-Run Halal Vietnamese Restaurant in Da Nang
The foodie in me made sure Thien Ly restaurant is my first stop after arriving at Da Nang from Hoi An. Shortly after dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we immediately went over to the restaurant for lunch. It’s a very humble spot tucked in a quiet street, with a cute garden-style set-up. Thien Ly restaurant’s menu mainly focuses on southern Vietnamese cuisine, with inclusivity in mind and caters to a variety of dietary requirements including halal, vegan, gluten-free, etc.
The Food at Thien Ly Restaurant (what we ordered)
Date of visit: September 2019
Fried Beef Spring Rolls (VND 80,000)
Though I’m Cantonese where spring rolls are a dim sum staple, I’ve got to say I enjoy Vietnamese spring rolls the most! And these fried spring rolls proved why as they were an absolute delight to savour. Each of these spring rolls had been stuffed with a generous amount of meat filling and was packed with flavour. Each bite oozed meaty umami and was extremely satisfying to savour.
Banh Xeo (VND 90,000)
Here comes a pancake that’s bigger than our heads! The Banh Xeo (Vietnamese pancake) comes in 12 inches big and you get to choose from different stuffing options. We went for the prawn one, but there’s also beef, mushroom, or a mix of all three. It is also served alongside a basket of lettuce, assorted herbs, and rice papers. The pancake was beautifully crispy on the outside and enveloped a generous amount of fresh prawns inside. You simply grab a piece of the rice paper, top it with lettuce and any other herb you like, then wrap it around the pancake and dip it into the refreshing Nuoc Cham sauce to taste.
Salad Summer Roll (VND 35,000)
With the tropical weather in Vietnam, these Salad Summer Rolls are the perfect bite to cope with the heat. Neatly wrapped in rice paper, and packed with vegetables and vermicelli, these rolls were as refreshing to taste as you can imagine. The fresh cucumber and variety of herbs took centre stage when it comes to flavour and they were light but filling to taste.
Beef Pho (VND 70,000)
I’ve been anticipating a taste of real beef pho since the very second I got my flight ticket to Vietnam. And thanks to Thien Ly Restaurant, I finally managed to taste a real authentic bowl of beef pho. As much as I have enjoyed all the seafood and vegetarian options on this trip, you just can’t beat a proper beef pho!
A good pho is all about the broth which takes hours and hours to finesse. This bowl of pho featured an extraordinary depth of flavours and a savoury & earthy touch that opens up the palate. It seriously doesn’t get any more satisfying than this.
Restaurant Review Summary
We have been absolutely full of praise about Thien Ly Restaurant and adored every single dish we had there. If we were staying longer in Da Nang, you bet we’ll be visiting this restaurant again and again! Not only was the food great, but they also have the friendliest staff who made the meal so much more enjoyable. It’s such a pleasant first meal to welcome us to the city and I’m so glad to have discovered this halal restaurant to feast out. Vietnam might not have a huge amount of halal options, but this one visit to Thien Ly Restaurant definitely makes up for it all!
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Halal Status
Fully halal
Tel: +84 236 3689 005
Website: https://www.thienlydnstyle.com/