In recent years, Cat Ba has taken on a different look. Sea encroachment urban areas are gradually forming, new streets are brightly lit, and coastal bars and restaurants are bustling all night.
There are colorful street festivals, fireworks nights echoing in the vast sea space, followed by cheers, music and a festive atmosphere no less than any tourist destination. Cat Ba is now not only a resort island, but also a vibrant, modern and attractive entertainment destination.
Cuisine is also more diverse than ever. Visitors can easily find from high-class seafood restaurants, international-style eateries, to familiar Vietnamese dishes that have been upgraded in both form and experience. Night falls, the island is sleepless. Night eateries are brightly lit, serving enough dishes, enough tastes, enough rhythm of life, meeting almost all needs of distant guests.
But among all those changes, there are still things that do not change. Small corners that do not follow the pace of development, people who still maintain the same way of life, and eateries that exist as part of the island's memory.
A small banh cuon shop, without prominent signs, not located on a tourist street, not on any "must-try" list, but it is a special destination for those who truly understand Cat Ba.
The restaurant is open from 0:00 to 12:00 noon, a time frame that sounds paradoxical, but is very "convenient" with the rhythm of life of the people here. When the festival lights gradually go out, when the bustling sound of the coastal city recedes, then in another small corner, the restaurant starts to light up. The customers come here not to "check-in", but to eat, to rest, to chat. Some have just finished their night shift, some have just returned from a sea trip, some simply do not want to sleep yet.
The shop owner is a man with a strong imprint of a long-time seafarer. Sunburnt skin, strong body, comfortable way of speaking, not pretentious. In him there is something very "Cat Ba", very real, very close.
He makes banh chung with the proficiency of someone who has been attached to this job for a lifetime, but is not in a hurry. One hand making banh chung, one hand wrapping filling, his mouth still laughing and talking to customers, as if this is not a restaurant, but a familiar corner of the small neighborhood.
Still a thin, soft layer of cake, rolled with meat filling, wood ear mushrooms, plus fried onions, herbs, dipped in fish sauce. What makes the difference of the banh cuon plate lies in the time and space.
Eating a plate of banh cuon at 1-2 am, when outside is a quiet alley, far away there are still aftertastes of a festival night, occasionally there is the sound of cars passing by, that feeling is both separate and connected. As if you are standing between two worlds: a modern, brilliant Cat Ba and an old, slow Cat Ba.
People can come to Cat Ba to admire the scenery, to have fun, to enjoy new services. But if you want to understand this place a little deeper, perhaps you need a sleepless night, a lost time, and a plate of banh cuon eaten at midnight.
Because sometimes, among the brilliant and noisy things, the quiet things are the ones that stay the longest.
Tue Mo banh cuon restaurant is located near the gate of Cat Ba High School, a familiar late-night address for local people for more than 25 years. The restaurant is open from 0:00 to about 12:00 noon, serving Cat Ba-style shrimp banh cuon, egg banh cuon and vegetarian banh cuon. The special feature of the restaurant is the rich "bone fish sauce" dipping sauce, which is mentioned by many diners as the restaurant's own flavor.
