So yesterday wasn't the best day that I've had since moving to Da Nang. It started out nicely enough because I woke up early without a hangover (amazing how that works) and got a lot of things done before noon. Because I didn't really have a time table for the rest of the afternoon I figured today would be a good day to figure out the bus system, even if "figuring it out" means doing it wrong.
Now granted I was only on the bus for about 10 minutes or so because my stop wasn't very far away but I was the only person on the bus. The driver was there of course as was the money collector, but no one else. No one got on or off the bus in the time I was on it either.
This is a city of a million people including the metropolitan area. So, where the hell is everyone? Maybe the Corvid thing has everyone avoiding public transport.
Well, anyway, I would later end up getting on the incorrect bus on the way home and it ended up taking 1.5 hours for me to get home. At least it was air conditioned and because I went the wrong way I got to see some scary looking police vehicles, which are always fun
I don't know for certain but I think the police was so hardcore on this particular day because there are some USA VIP's visiting and they have stepped up the security. It was attracting a bunch of attention though and I was a little nervous just taking photos of it. However, they don't seem to be as concerned about people snapping a photo here as they were in Thailand so no one really cared. Obviously I would have stopped if they had asked me to.
So even though I was technically lost as I went all the way to the other side of town on a bus in the wrong direction it wasn't so bad, it was just time-consuming. Later when I got back I went to what was definitely the worst dining experience I've had in Vietnam and probably top 20 for anywhere in the world.
The place is called "Hannah's" and they claim to have Mexican food.
This is called "enchiladas" and apparently the staff / ownership at Hannah's either don't actually know what an enchilada is or they don't care or a little bit of both. The cheese was mozzarella, and i swear to gawd that that is ketchup on the exterior of the tortillas. The stuff on the inside was just as disgusting as I encountered even more ketchup but this time mixed with vegetables... yummy! I was going to try to drown out these horrible flavors with sour cream only to discover the sour cream was actually mayonnaise with lime.
The worst part wasn't the horrible food, you expect this from time to time from places who attempt to specialize in a foreign food they don't actually know anything about. The worst part was the staff who as it turns out (was told to me later) is actually the owner. I was first ignored, then treated as though I was interrupting her table where everyone was drinking and smoking,later my food was slammed on the table in front of me, although I had been polite as can be when I came in, then later I could have left without paying because no one paid me any mind the entire time I was there.
If you don't want customers I have a really good idea for you, lady. Don't open. When I told the few friends that I know here that I went to Hannah's they all said the same thing. That place has a reputation for being awful.
So if you are ever in Da Nang go eat literally anywhere else other than Hannah's. It's terrible and obviously the management cares as little about that fact as the kitchen staff do.
Do not eat at Hannah's even if the alternative is to not eat at all
Overall it was a pretty good day that ended on a bad note. Thinking I am getting enchiladas and then getting a tortilla filled with pig slop mixed with ketchup which is covered in more ketchup and then mozzarella cheese kind of puts me in a foul mood.
At least Nadi was happy to see me when I got back to my condo, that always cheers me up :)
Sounds like an eventful day! If you don't mind to share where did you live prior to going out to Vietnam?
I lived in Thailand for over a decade. I am new to life here, but despite my rants I like most of what I encounter here. Hannahs was just an anomaly that probably could have been fixed if the owners cared.
That is horrible! It is an absolute affront and sacrilege to Mexican food everywhere. It actually doesn't even look like a tortilla. It almost looks like an egg roll wrapper or something. Plus it looks like the deep fried it so even then it would be more of a chimichanga as opposed to a enchilada. It sounds like they had everything wrong on every level for this place. That sucks. At least you got to see some different parts of the city!
Yeah Hannahs actually inspired me to blow the dust off of my trip adviser account. I hate bashing businesses because i used to own a small restaurant but when your entire business model is one of basically not giving a damn, I think people should know about that. I only wrote my online rants once I talked to others who have lived here longer than me and found out that the general consensus is that Hannah's sucks.
Yikes! I guess I don't really blame you based on what you said. Should be time for a HHH post soon right?
i tried to organize a run for this weekend but people are now using Corvid as a reason to not go running in the jungle where there are no people. It seems a lost cause over here.
Don't feel bad, it is getting crazy everywhere. Just found out this morning that all schools in our state are closed until April 5th.
Mayonnaise with lime juice is new. Where do they get these ideas and why not see if it works first? I was waiting for your Vietnamese Mexican experience and new it wouldn't take you long lol.
i have been to 3 mexican restaurants here and honestly they are all pretty bad. Perhaps it is a business idea for someone but I would imagine that a great deal of the problem stems from not being able to find the ingredients. That being said: Ketchup is NEVER a good alternative for anything really.
Good to see you doing bad restaurant reviews like me..., there's generally more bad ones than good!
Hey, welcome to Vietnam!
If you want to come on down to Hoi An for a drink or coffee, hit me up yo.
Also, just a heads up. I believe it is against the law to take photos of Miltary here or army bases. So, just be careful if you are doing such. If they wanted to, they could use that as grounds for deportation or drop some fines on you. ;)
I had a similar enchilada experience in Minnesota one time when driving across the country. At least yours is sort of enchilada shaped. Mine came out as a weird pile of mush. I wish I had a photo!
Howdy gooddream! Very interesting day, the police look highly militarized but that may have been special units because of the VIP visits.
I had to laugh at that slop in the restaurant, my god! lol. Plus the way they ignored you is unreal. I guess they didn't earn any tips did they? lol.