Bale Well (Gieng Ba Le) food shop off Tran Hung Dao Street in Hoi An ancient town is where tourists can find some tasty grilled and fried dishes besides some local specialties like cao lau (long yellow noodles served with roast pork, vegetables and some bouillon), mi Quang (Quang Nam-style noodles) and com ga (chicken rice).
The name of the shop originates from the famous well located a few meters away. Local people take water from the well to make the well-known cao lau. Bale Well offers diners a set of four dishes – nem lui (grilled pork satay), thit nuong (grilled pork), banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) and ram cuon (spring-roll) served with fresh vegetables from Tra Que village, fermented vegetables and a special soybean sauce at the price of VND90,000.
Gourmets may not be able to resist the delicious smell and the bright-colored food, from green vegetables to yellow banh xeo and dark brown of a roasting-jack of grilled pork.
Ram cuon from the Central region is cooked in a different way from normal spring rolls found in the North and the South. It is thin and long and made from pork and spring onion. Banh xeo is much smaller compared to the larger one cooked by people in the South and its main ingredients are rice powder, sprouts and shrimp.
Especially, the shop owner Ms. Be greets diners and escorts them to their tables and serves food. She will roll vegetables and food with paper cake and dip it into her special soybean sauce then give it to a diner.
The shop has been located in town for nearly 20 years and is a must-visit for any tourist who wishes to discover the art of gastronomy in Hoi An.