Rip Off? – Ding Cau Night Market, Phu Quoc, Vietnam. So many choices for food!
Note: This is an independent restaurant review based on my experience.
Restaurant Name: Quan An Mien Trung – Quán Ăn Miền Trung
Address: Dinh Cau Night Market, Võ Thị Sáu, Khu 1, tt. Dương Đông, Tp. Phú Quốc, tỉnh Kiên Giang, Vietnam
For more info about Phu Quoc and the top things to do click the link.
Find out where we stayed ⇒ Guest House.
Of course, when in Asia you must visit the local night market. The problem was, reviews really rip this market to pieces. Words like rip off, tourist trap, expensive and more flood the internet. We decided to check it out and see if it was as bad as they say. Well we found it an ok way to spend an evening and really not any better or worse than many Asian night markets. Also, it gave us the opportunity to eat at Quan An Mien Trung and following is my independent review.
After walking the market twice to see the offerings and prices, we settled on Quan An Mien Trung Restaurant. The very friendly owner is from Da Nang, speaks English a little and understands a lot!
He explained to us, as with most of the restaurants, seafood is sold by the kilogram, both live & frozen. This is very important to know before complaining about prices or ordering blind. The good restaurants will be honest about the freshness and whether it is farmed or not farmed.
We picked out some tiger prawns with a side of steamed white rice and another dish of chicken fried rice. Phu Quoc fish sauce, lime chili sauce and black pepper sauce accompanied it as dips.
The huge tiger prawns were barbecued to perfection and tasted exceptionally good when dipped into the spicy lime chili sauce! The simple local produced fish sauce makes everything taste good as does the incredible fresh black pepper sauce. Seriously, huge difference between supermarket black pepper and Phu Quoc black pepper! Try it and tell me what you think.
Breakdown:
– 7 Tiger Prawns with white rice: 250.000 dong / €9.35 / USD$11.00
– Chicken fried rice: 90.000 dong / €3.35 / USD$4.00
– fresh Cane juice: 15.000 dong / €0.55 / USD$0.65
– 2 Saigon beer: 36.000 dong / €1.35 / USD$1.60
– Coconut cookie type dessert: 0 / €0 / USD$0
Total Cost for 2 people: 391.000 dong / €14.65 / USD$17.20
The owner chatted amiably with us while we waited for our meal as well as later when he proudly brought out the treats. He was super friendly, had lots of information tips and a great sense of humour. We will definitely be visiting this gem again!
Note: Yes, slightly more expensive than some Vietnamese restaurants, but way cheaper than at home! Think Fresh!
Links of Possible Interest:
→ Phu Quoc Island / Photos
…..⇒ Extreme Budget Tips – $10/day Phu Quoc
.….⇒ Stay: Gia Thanh Guest House
…..⇒ Eat: AceroLa Bar and Restaurant
…..⇒ Eat: Bia Ruou Restaurant & Micro brewery
…..⇒ Eat: Bun Cha Ha Noi / Bún Chả Hà Nội
…..⇒ Eat / Bar: Langchia Hostel & Bar
…..⇒ Eat: Quan Oc Binh Dan Restaurant
…..⇒ Eat: Quan Ra Koi / Quán Ra Khơi
…..⇒ Eat / Bar: Rory’s Beach Bar
…..⇒ Eat: Thu Phuong Restaurant
Location: Asia > Southeast Asia > Vietnam > tỉnh Kiên Giang > Phu Quoc > Duong Dong > Dinh Cau Night Market > Quan An Mien Trung > Quán Ăn Miền Trung
