Mai Fish

“At Mai Fish, we are passionate about freshness, cleanliness, and friendliness. We only use local, fresh, organically grown ingredients, which we buy from small farms and local people.”

Locally caught red snapper in lemongrass; grilled squid with chilli ginger fish sauce, mint, and cucumber; and Hoi An’s famous chilli paste with a pineapple tomato sauce.

In a handsome riverside colonial-style house with a shaded courtyard, Mai Fish is the traditional Vietnamese restaurant of chef Tran Thanh Duc, who built a reputation for Vietnamese fusion at his restaurants Mango Mango and Mango Rooms.

At Mai Fish, the chef and his team of mostly women cooks stick to classics based on family recipes, made from 100 per cent local ingredients. They use wild ocean-caught fish and seafood and buy directly from local growers, where organic produce, freerange poultry and eggs are plentiful. Hero suppliers include Cam Thanh Organic Farm, Cua Khe Fish Sauce, and Dien Phuong’s ducks.

Mai Fish contributes to Hoi An’s efforts to become a greener, cleaner city. Food waste is donated to farmers for feed and compost, drinks come with sugarcane sticks as stirrers and baguettes are wrapped in banana leaves to reduce plastic. The chef has a small farm where he grows seasonal produce, which he introduced to the International School where his children go with plans to engage the students in an organic farming project.