Da Nang now has 11 Japanese restaurants which are popular with the around 300 Japanese expatriates living in the city, and anyone else who loves the Japanese culinary culture. 

According to the Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mai Dang Hieu, Japanese cuisine is not attractive to the majority of local residents because they are afraid of eating the raw ingredients.  However, this kind of food is one of the most addictive cuisines for local gourmets and visitors.

Japanese dishes are simple but very subtle, and they are able to awaken not only the diners’ taste buds, but also their visual, auditory and olfactory senses.  For this reason, apart from their more-ish tastes, Japanese dishes are often displayed in an elegant and eye-catching manner. 

Amongst Japanese dishes, sushi is considered to be the peak of ingenuity and the crystallisation of Japanese culinary art.  This dish requires the chefs to be meticulous, ingenious and dedicated in their preparation of the fresh ingredients, which all together bring the depth of subtle flavours for the diners.

Sushi made by Chef Cheujin Chun

In addition to ensuring the quality of the ingredients, Japanese chefs always pay special attention to safety and hygiene. 

The Ban Jiro Japanese Restaurant, which is located at 23 Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, is a typical example.  The restaurant’s main chef, Cheujin Chun, is the only Japanese chef in the city, and he always keep his kitchen clean and tidy.  He said that Japanese food chefs must make every effort to improve their taste sensitivity, as well as their ability to distinguish between the various flavours.

Teppanyaki table grill at the Vi Bien Restaurant

The Vi Bien Restaurant at 10 Phan Boi Chau Street is also a good place for Japanese food lovers.  When visiting the venue, customers not only have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh ingredients, but also to observe the dish-preparing process at the teppanyaki table grill.  Apart from ingredients which are imported directly from Japan, such as salmon and kobe beef, the restaurant mainly uses locally-caught seafood to make its delicious dishes.  The restaurant’s main chef, Nguyen Quoc Dung, says that his restaurant always pay a lot of attention to ensuring the quality of the ingredients used to prepare dishes for its customers.