Morning Glory Signature — Restaurant in Hội An

It was towards the end on my stay in Hoi An that this restaurant’s name kept appearing in my radar so I went for lunch to try it out. This is the taste of Vietnamese food I had been craving from previous trips to Vietnam.

The food was impeccably served in the appropriate dishes to showcase the presentations. The flavours of all their unique herbs and culinary expertise gave each entre a new and exciting orgasmic taste explosion leaving this foodie not wanting the experience to end.

The waiter we had was professional and obviously skilled at fine dining procedures. It was lovely to be dining at tables set with nice linens once again setting a tasteful more elegant ambience.

Being on the balcony overlooking the canal the sentinel buildings of Old Town was the perfect back drop setting the stage of a magical wonderland. The profusion of light from the multicoloured silk lanterns in the dark became the dazzling jewellery on and off the water as cell phone cameras captured recorded the glorious memories.

Yes, I did send a floating candle lantern on the water with a wish to return to Hoi An for a third time and stay long enough to try more on this tantalizing menu. However, given the opportunity I have a feeling that if anyone asked me which one was my favourite, from what I’ve already experienced, I’d have to answer the same as when someone asks me what my favourite colour is? to which I always reply, “Rainbow”!

If my opinion counts for anything I would urge you to see for yourself should you travel to Hoi An.

Sincerely, Val Phelps from British...

We loved Morning Glory Signature so much that we came back twice. The 10% discount with the receipt was a nice touch too. Personally, we found the cooking at their Mother’s Kitchen venue (a few minutes’ walk away) a little more refined, but Signature has the same menu plus many more options — so you really can’t go wrong.

The food is outstanding: • All three duck dishes are ridiculously good. The duck breast with tangerine and sticky rice — a Vietnamese take on French duck à l’orange — is to die for. Order this! • The chicken and ginger dumplings are also excellent, packed with flavor. • The kitchen is fast and the service is efficient — exactly how it should be.

⚠️ A word of caution (not about the restaurant itself): we made the mistake of sitting at the front row of outside tables to soak in the Hoi An atmosphere. A street hawker selling pop-up books became aggressive when we declined, shouting obscenities at us and other tables, right in front of our kids. The restaurant host handled it well, photographing the man and notifying the police, but he returned later to intimidate us.

👉 Pro tip for future diners in Hoi An: avoid sitting at the street-front tables anywhere in the Old Town. Sit inside or upstairs, enjoy your meal in peace, and don’t engage with hawkers.

This incident unfortunately soured our view of Hoi An’s over-tourism vs. poverty issues, but it is no reflection on Morning Glory Signature, which remains one of the best dining experiences...

I had the mango salad and egg rolls for the appetizers. Roasted duck breast for the entree. The duck was immersed in a gravy like sauce, sprinkled with oranges, then oven roasted with a dash of whole black pepper. The duck skin was fatty which balanced out the chewy texture of the breast, and that was expected.

The main dish was paired with a coconut or papaya filled rice cake. I was quite apprehensive about the presentation of the dish, as the rice appeared to be hard coated and feuded against the unspoken rules of an Asian rice dish. But, as soon I reached the center of the cake, I was delightfully greeted with a sweet, string-like fruit that substantiated a unique flavor profile to a centuries long Asian staple, all while balancing out the fattiness of the duck.

The experience has been eye opening to say the least and brought light to the underground flavors of Vietnamese cuisine. These past two weeks of my backpacking travel in Vietnam were supplied with your average (an understatement) street food. This restaurant experience has brought light to the depth of food culture which I did not know even existed. I leave the restaurant with an elevated appreciation for the Vietnamese culture, and I commend Ms Vy for the delightful evening this restaurant...