Bánh canh: a dish that every province in central Vietnam cooks a different way, with no one willing to concede to the others

Bánh canh" is the clearest example of how the same name can refer to completely different dishes depending on the region. Bánh canh noodles can be made from rice flour (soft, cloudy) or tapioca flour (translucent, chewy) — just this detail alone already splits people into two camps. The broth varies by region: crab bánh canh is cooked with crab roe and tomatoes, giving it a reddish-orange color; snakehead fish bánh canh has a clear and delicately sweet broth; while Central Vietnamese-style fish cake bánh canh includes both fried and steamed fish cakes added into the bowl. In Da Nang, the most common dishes you'll come across are fish cake banh canh and crab banh canh (thick noodle soup). What they have in common is that they're eaten hot, sprinkled with plenty of scallions and pepper, with a squeeze of lime and some extra chili. What's distinctive about a bowl of banh canh is that the broth is thick rather than watery — because starch from the noodles dissolves into the water as it cooks. If you like clear broth, order bún or phở instead—don't order bánh canh and then complain it's cloudy. Prices typically range from 25,000 to 45,000 VND. We're open both morning and evening, but evenings are when we're busiest.