The day I arrived in Quy Nhon, this already supremely chilled out seaside town was in the process of shutting down for the New Year celebrations, meaning that the vibe was so laid-back it was almost horizontal. Almost nothing was open, nearly everyone was at home with the family, and one's options for eating and drinking were severely limited. So thank god that, as I arrived in town on the back of a motorbike taxi, I glimpsed the Kim Dinh through the palm trees on the seafront.

Though nothing more than an open-front unit with chairs and tables on the pavement out the front, something about the place immediately appealed to me, and sure enough, it became my default hangout for the duration of my stay in Quy Nhon.

Like all the best cafes in Vietnam, the Kim Dinh does not make a song and dance over its operation. The only things sold here are coffee, tea, sinh to, and the classic central-coast region snack, banh beo. All of which were done to perfection.

The banh beo, above, came bathed in a unctuous, vinegary (in a good way) sauce, which worked wonderfully with the glutinous chewy texture of the pancakes. Great with an iced coffee, but even better with the Kim Dinh's signature sinh to, which, like the amazing sinh to that made up The Best Breakfast of my Life, was a combination of fruits rather than just one or two, including avocados, papayas, and dragon fruit, among others.

What took this sinh to to even greater heights, however, was that the fruits were not blended as is usual with sinh to, but arrived at my table roughly chopped, along with crushed ice and - oh my - a generous dollop of condensed milk.

The photo above is of the many glasses of the fruit, minus the ice and milk, which the Kim Dinh staff prepare in advance for when there's a rush of customers (because almost EVERYONE orders the sinh to). The opening photo is of after the whole lot has been mixed together into a delicious mess and is waiting patiently for me to devour it.

Just the thing before a stroll along the seafront at sunset.

Kim Dinh
18a Nguyen Hue,
Quy Nhon,
Vietnam.

Snack food in Vietnam...what can I say? Words cannot describe how good it is. Available everywhere, at almost every time of the day...I never went hungry. Ever.

It almost seemed that the snacks I ate in Vietnam were trying to outdo each other in deliciousness, having themselves a little competition of Vietnamese snacks. So, I hereby present to you the competitors in this epic battle; I never decided which one I loved the most, so will let you decide for yourselves who should be the winner.

Though the north and Hanoi were of course also excellent snack purveyors, the competition really started to hot up once I got to Hue, the old imperial capital on the central coast. Here, as I explored the morning market, I came across a lady with a bamboo pole - at one end of which was a kind of cabinet:

and at the other, a kind of bucket.

Immediately my curiosity was peaked - what could she possibly be selling? - so I hung around to see the product - which, it turned out, was tofu. First, the bucket lid was lifted,

and then the vendor would carefully scoop out flat slices of the fresh beancurd into an awaiting bowl.

Then, from the cabinet, a quarter of lime was produced, and a spoonful of sugar, the two would be stirred into the tofu...and that was it. So, so simple, but I cannot begin to overstate how wonderful this snack was - sweet, sour and beautifully calming on a morning stomach. I lapped up every slippery morsel.

After Hue, the next stop on my snack tour of Vietnam was Hoian, which provided the next two competitors in the battle. First was the snack you see in the opening photo and above - banh beo, small steamed rice pancakes, with a variety of toppings.

This particular banh beo was accompanied by an orange, tomato-y sauce, fried shallots in oil, chilies, and some more mysterious crispy things. Sooooooo good, and with wonderfully contrasting textures. And a friendly vendor.

The second wonderful snack I ate in Hoian was along the riverfront - an area filled with expensive restaurants and boutiques, and so not a place where you'd expect great streetfood. Nonetheless, among the delights on offer here were BBQ corn, cau lau, and this lady and her stall:

who served up this:

I have to say I'm rather proud of this shot - the colours, I think, are particularly gorgeous. As the sign says, this was simply a sweet black sesame soup - but my, how moreish it was. So moreish, in fact, I almost had a second bowl, a decision against which I am still regretting.

Finally, the seaside town of Quy Nhon provides the last two contenders in this battle of the snacks. Again, as I wandered the morning market, I sampled two fantastic breakfast-time snacks - the first, another example of banh bot loc,

served at a stall which also had lovely looking banh beo,

but which I achewed in favour of this:

banh khot, more rice pancakes, this time fried in a special pan rather like that for poaching eggs, and served with a simple chilli sauce. Again, great texture, and great for a sore stomach.

So, what do you think? Who will triumph in the Vietnam Battle of the Snacks?

Some people like to know what they're putting in their mouth. Not me. I relish trying unknown foods, and many things I've eaten remain a mystery.

Not this beautiful plate though, which I devoured in Da Nang the other day. Thanks to my wonderful local friend Kent (more on whom coming soon), I learnt that the dumplings on the right and back of the plate are called banh bot loc, a recipe for which you can find at this marvelous blog. With the pink and grey dumplings on the left (which I guess are both kinds of cha lua, Vietnamese ham), the blob of chilli jam in the middle, and the chilli powder and fresh coriander sprinkled on top, it made the most delectable snack to satisfy the mid-afternoon munchies.

Banh bot loc vendor
Bach Dang street, near the market
Da Nang

I never learn. Whenever I'm tired, hot and hungry, I always go for the easiest option - which, surprise surprise, often turns out to be the worst option.

So it was this afternoon when, after 15 minutes walking around under the midday sun in uncomfortable new shoes, I stupidly chose to eat at a place directly opposite my hotel and was duly disappointed. Still, the lackluster omelet and baguette did at least give me enough energy to go looking for something to fill me up properly, and on this mission I am happy to report I did succeed.

Not 5 minutes walk away I found a lady with a freezer, painted on the side of which was 'Kem', aka. ice cream. Thinking I'd perhaps be lucky enough to get a Magnum or Cornetto, you can imagine my surprise and delight to see it filled with cute little tubs and bags of what looked like homemade kem. Encouraged by the friendliness of the lady, I chose the 3 that you see in the opening photo, and this time, I was certainly not disappointed.

The yellow-ish square on the left turned out to be some kind of frozen banana and coconut cake - chewey, sweet and gorgeously cooling; the tub was yogurt, sweet and refreshing, but the absolute winner of the three was the green stuff in the bag - frozen sinh to bo, the avocado smoothie for which Vietnam is famous. This last kem was a perfect balance of sweet and savory, and oh so satisfying when sucked straight out of the bag.

I can see an addiction developing.

Kem vendor
Thai Phien Street, Hoi An.

Banh Cuon, the classic Vietnamese breakfast dish, is not, as the above picture shows, a great food to photograph. But as so often in Asian cuisine, it is usually made right in front of one's eyes, and it's the making that is rather more photogenic.

The set-up at this Banh Cuon joint in Son La was particularly rough and ready - the steamed pancakes were made on what looked like old oil drums, and the dipping sauce kept in a saucepan on the floor...

...but though this was my first Banh Cuon in Vietnam, it's gonna take some beating. The balance between pancake and filling was perfect, the fried shallots sweet and moreish, and the dipping sauce a beguiling combination of flavours. What a great way to start the day.

Banh Cuon restaurant, main street, Son La.