Mia Resort Nha Trang
Mia Resort Nha Trang is situated just 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Nha Trang, set in beautifully manicured gardens and edged by a rocky cliff face and a beautiful ocean. There’s a private beach, incredible sea views and an Executive Chef who not only cooks, but thinks outside of the box and creates vegan magic.
We knew we were in for a treat when we were offered a vegan panna cotta at check in; these guys definitely know how to welcome their vegan guests.
The sea views at Mia Resort are something to write home about; whether we were right next to the ocean with our toes in the sand or higher up enjoying a drink at Mojitos (the resort bar) we found ourselves gazing out to sea on more than one occasion.
There’s a great atmosphere at this resort, created by the friendly staff team whose service is laid back but efficient. But did they fill us with confidence that they could manage our dietary requirements?
They certainly did.
At breakfast we were presented with our very own vegan menu FULL of things we wanted to try. There was a scrambled tofu burrito, a vegan quiche, traditional banh xeo vietnamese pancakes and strawberry pancakes amongst other dishes to choose from; excitement levels got pretty high at our breakfast table.
In addition to our special menu, we could help ourselves to the rest of the breakfast buffet with fresh tropical fruits, soya milk, juices and the most amazing sourdough bread (there were other breads to choose from but the sourdough was particularly good and particularly irresistible).
After breakfast, the vegan food got even better with vegan options including laid back Mexican fusion food to top class fine dining. Executive Chef Emile Fortuin has a gift for creating bold flavour combinations that on paper should never work but in reality are a smile inducing combination of surprising, intriguing and downright delicious.
Expect to sample dishes like ‘Corn and Chickpea Medley’ filled tacos where chickpeas and fresh sweetcorn have been combined with coconut cream and seasonings to create a hearty and creamy filling to go inside the locally made fresh tacos. Add lightly whipped guacamole, a spicy kimchi pickle and a tart, fresh tomato, onion and corn salsa and you’ll begin to see what we mean when we talk about those flavour combinations.
Continue on this fusion food adventure and you might try a truffled pea quesadilla with pesto, salsa, guacamole and peppers. Your brain will be asking you how these flavours can possibly go together but your taste buds won’t care as you delve into the garlic rich pesto, the sweet soft peppers, the flaky quesadilla wrap (again made locally) and the wonderful truffle flavours floating about in the background.
Every dish we were served seemed to have a talking point, like sweet candied walnuts and salt baked beetroot with cumin mixed with a compressed Vietnamese apple salad in this beetroot lovers’ salad. Or the roasted artichokes with their sharp, tart, dressing combined with the salty basil pesto, the warm peppery watercress flavours and soft sweet essence of yellow pepper. This dish was a treat to look at but a heart winning dish to eat.
Traditional Vietnamese dishes were also transformed; the braised eggplant was soft, smokey, spicy and garlicky, with little salted spring onions garnishing those delicate, melt in the mouth fillets. Eggplant is a tricky vegetable to cook; oil drenched or strangely leathery chewy chunks from undercooking are etched into our bad food memories. But at Mia Resort Nha Trang, Chef Lin’s eggplant dish is food to be cherished.
It should come as no surprise that dessert was something that we are still talking about, weeks after we ate it.
A centrepiece of a carrot which had been dry roasted for nearly 6 hours, served with a carrot salsa, sunflower seeds that had been poached in lemongrass and ginger syrup, juicy segments of local oranges, caramelised breadfruit and a breadfruit and orange sorbet that was delightfully light yet creamy and rich at the same time. Finished with drops of mango gel that added a fruity sweet dimension; this indeed was a dessert worth talking about.
The food was not only exceptional because of it’s creativity, but because it was all brought together by a team of people working to make sure that there were no animal products included; the respect for our vegan diet was evident and the passion for the challenge to create high quality plant based dishes for their vegan guests really shone though.
It was a great reminder to always tell a resort or hotel that you’re vegan before you arrive, so the team really gets to put their skills to the test and create their best vegan dishes for you.
The Vegan Essentials
Non-Feather pillows were already on our bed and the amenities were in refillable containers (great for the environment) but we couldn’t tell if they were vegan so we just happily used our own.
There is a spa on site with plenty of vegan treatments available including massages and body scrubs (the scrubs are homemade on site so you can check which natural indredients have been used to make the scrub you want). Facials use Ingrid Millet products (not vegan) and the nail varnish used with manicures is by Opi (not vegan) so ask for no polish.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Check into Mia Resort Nha Trang for a vegan food packed stay full of beach views, friendly staff and adventurous, delicious creations from Chef Emile and his team.
Eat vegan fusion food and Vietnamese classics, relax by the pool and enjoy being in a luxury resort where they are well equipped to deal with vegan guests.
We were guests of Mia Resort Nha Trang but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views
Mia Resort Nha Trang
3 Khuc Thua Du
Phuong Phuoc Long
Nha Trang
Vietnam
Telephone: +84 (0) 583 989 666
Email: info@mianhatrang.com
Cost From: £180 / $270 per night (Oct 2015)