Chè Liên Đà Nẵng

I was very excited to try the desserts here because I read many positive reviews. I bought two durian desserts, two non-durian desserts, two glutinous rice desserts, one tofu dessert, and one cheese jelly dessert to take home. The durian dessert was very ordinary, nothing special. For the glutinous rice dessert, I don't understand why the broth was sour, and upon closer inspection, they put lychee instead of longan in it! It tasted incredibly weird. If they say that's how the shop cooks it, then maybe it just doesn't suit my taste, but I bought two bags and the other one was longan? The other two items were even worse, so I don't know what else to say 🙃

Chè Liên was one of the places I specifically wanted to try while in Đà Nẵng because of how closely the name is associated with chè sầu in the city. After visiting, I can understand why it has remained such a popular stop for both locals and visitors. The chè sầu was easily the highlight for me. The durian flavour was rich and immediately noticeable, but it worked surprisingly well with the creamy coconut base. I especially liked the combination of soft fruit, chewy jelly, jackfruit, and crushed ice because every spoonful had a different texture. It was definitely sweet and indulgent, but the ice helped keep everything refreshing, especially in Đà Nẵng’s warm weather. What I appreciate about Chè Liên is that it does not try to turn dessert into something unnecessarily complicated. The presentation is simple, the portions are satisfying, and the focus stays on familiar flavours. Besides the famous durian dessert, there are other Vietnamese sweet options available, so it is also worth coming with friends and ordering a few different things to share. The atmosphere is very casual and busy, which honestly feels appropriate for this type of place. People come in, enjoy their dessert, and move on, so it has the energy of a well-known local snack shop rather than a café where you would spend several hours. Service was quick and straightforward during my visit, which was appreciated considering how busy the shop can get. Overall, Chè Liên is absolutely worth trying at least once in Đà Nẵng, particularly if you like durian. The creamy chè sầu, generous textures, affordable casual experience, and long-standing local popularity make it a memorable dessert stop that I would happily visit again.

Back when I went to Da Nang with my colleagues before COVID, the tour guide took me to Lien's dessert shop, praising it endlessly. After eating, I found it wasn't as good as Hue's desserts or countless other Hanoi dessert shops. The seating was also quite run-down, yet so many people liked it! I went back recently and it hadn't improved at all; the service attitude was even worse than in the old days! Who says only Hanoians are tolerant of "insulting noodle and porridge" vendors? 😎

This is a great option to consider when experiencing a food tour in Da Nang. It's convenient to stop by for a meal after watching the Dragon Bridge's fire and water show. The restaurant is old and quite crowded, so they serve food in a unique style: you order and then pick up your own food. The restaurant also has many dishes, but the main one is durian Thai sweet soup. The sweet soup isn't too sweet and is easy to eat.

The food was just average. The milk pudding was soft, but it was a bit disappointing that the longan wasn't pitted. It was more like the original version of the dessert because there were very few toppings. The durian wasn't very fragrant. Or maybe I had too high expectations of the brand, so that's just my personal opinion. The space was reasonably large, the tables were cleared quickly, and the floor wasn't stained by spilled tea. Overall, everything was okay, nothing too amazing.

Nothing delicious, bland. The durian Thai dessert had too much white jelly, it felt like it was being stuffed. Thai desserts usually have a variety of toppings, not just a few meager ones like that. The green and purple jellies were also the same. I went to try it based on a TikTok video and was disappointed.

I went one weekday evening around 7 PM and the experience was quite disappointing. The positive point is the quality. The dessert was refreshing, with just the right amount of sweetness, not overly so. However, - The operation was quite poor and lacked proper procedures. It was chaotic when it was busy; polite customers would proactively yield to those who came first, while impolite customers would order haphazardly. Staff wasted time coordinating customers and were slow to take orders. After ordering, you had to take your order slip to the designated area and wait indefinitely, not knowing when it would be your turn or whether the staff would take the slips from those paying after you. The staff inside were busy packing boxes for wholesale customers, so they were quite distracted. The cleanliness of the shop, bowls, and spoons was only average. Perhaps the shop was confident in its long-standing reputation, the quality of its desserts, and its strong wholesale network, so it didn't invest in or prioritize the dine-in experience. If it was just because it was a long time since I'd been there, I might consider it. If it was because of the taste of the dessert, then ordering via Grab was a better option.

The dessert was slightly sweet, with the durian-infused tapioca pearls melting slowly in your mouth, and it was creamy. The price was cheap compared to the brand name when eaten at the Hoang Dieu branch, 20-25k VND per bowl. Actually, I called it dessert because it was sweet, but it's more like grass jelly or agar jelly with coconut milk and a scoop of durian ice cream. 😍😃