Fish House Nha Trang

Japanese scallops hit a hot pan just long enough to caramelise the edges and leave the centre sweet, finished with roasted bell pepper and almond sauce.

Local clams steamed open in white wine, then spooned over with pesto — bread is the point here.

A whole local squid over the flame until it chars at the tips, cut open and dressed with chimichurri.

Local mussels grilled in the shell, your choice of bacon-and-BBQ sauce or a sharp herb chimichurri.

Nha Trang squid in a light batter, fried until the coating shatters and the rings stay tender.

Shrimps fried crisp right through, with tartar sauce on the side for dipping.

Cá mai — the slim, near-translucent Nha Trang fish — fried whole and eaten bones and all.

Bite-sized shrimps fried and tossed in Cajun spice — the one you keep reaching for over a beer.

Local tuna in a breadcrumb coat, fried katsu-style so the crust crunches and the fish stays just cooked.

Salmon rolled into balls, coated in panko and fried — crisp shell, soft and creamy inside.

Mashed potato and minced meat croquettes, Japanese-style: thin crunchy crust, fluffy middle.

Squid braised slowly in tomato with potato until it turns tender and the sauce thickens around it.

Nha Trang sea bass, shrimps, clams and mussels stewed in tomato broth — a bowl deep enough to share.

A mixed fry the Italian way: Nha Trang shrimps, squid, fish and vegetables in one light batter, straight out of the pan.

Salmon seared skin-side down for a crisp edge, served on creamed spinach with roasted potatoes.

Local tuna cut thick and cooked like a steak, with pesto, salad and bread alongside.

Nha Trang sea bass with romesco — the Catalan pepper-and-almond sauce — plus baby tomatoes and roasted potatoes.

Five kinds off the grill: one fish of your choice — salmon, tuna or sea bass — with grilled shrimps, grilled squid, BBQ mussels, steamed clams and a small salad.

Soft ricotta dumplings with baked pumpkin and green beans — a gentle, milky plate rather than a heavy one.

Potato gnocchi, your pick of the slow-simmered Bolognese meat ragù or a carbonara that clings to every dumpling.

The traditional Bolognese: meat ragù simmered down slowly until it turns dense and sweet, folded through pasta.

Bacon, egg and parmesan whipped into a sauce by the heat of the pasta alone — no cream anywhere near it.

Basil pesto with shrimps and clams — the herb keeps it green and fresh instead of rich.

Smoked salmon stirred into a cream sauce with spinach — salty, silky, and quick to finish.

Tomato loosened with cream, pan-seared shrimps and bacon — the sweet-and-smoky middle ground between the two.

Shrimps and squid with the chilli turned up — the plate to order when you want heat with your pasta.

Basil pesto with zucchini, toasted pumpkin seeds and parmesan — meat-free, and the seeds give it crunch.

Spanish rice cooked in seafood stock with shrimps, squid and mussels until the base catches. Order it ahead — the kitchen makes it to order only.

For the table that can't decide: a steak alongside grilled shrimps, grilled squid, BBQ mussels and salad.

A 200-gram striploin with pepper or mushroom sauce — say which — and roasted potatoes.

A4-grade Japanese wagyu, plated simply — baby tomato salad, grana cheese and olives — so the marbling does the talking.

Crisp-fried chicken baked under tomato sauce and cheese, with salad and fried potatoes.

Warm seared salmon over leaves, with a honey-mustard dressing that plays sweet against the fish.

Shrimps off the grill with Caesar dressing — smoke meeting salt and anchovy.

Fried chicken kept crisp on top of the leaves, Caesar dressing underneath.

Cold smoked salmon with a fermented chilli-bean dressing — the savoury, faintly funky note behind the fish.

Cherry tomatoes with feta and roasted almonds — salty crumbs and crunch against the sweet burst.

Tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, capers, olives and parsley, dressed with pesto — the greenest thing on the menu.

Coffee-soaked sponge under whipped mascarpone, dusted with cocoa — cold, soft, gone in four spoons.

Not a sausage: dark chocolate set with broken biscuit, rolled into a log and sliced into rounds.

Set cream that wobbles when the plate moves, topped with fresh mango or strawberries — say which.

A butter cake from Cantabria in northern Spain — dense, buttery, meant to be eaten with coffee.

The house red — Sangiovese with Merlot from Romagna in northern Italy. Available by the glass, so you can try it before committing to the bottle.

The house white — Trebbiano with Chardonnay from Romagna. By the glass or the bottle; the default pour with the clams and the fritto.

Montepulciano grapes from Abruzzo, on Italy's Adriatic coast — a soft, dark-fruited red that sits well next to the meat ragù.

The one Spaniard on the red list: Tempranillo blended with Cabernet Sauvignon from Castilla-La Mancha.

Sicily's own grape, Nero d'Avola, under the island's DOC — sun-grown and full-bodied, the red for the steaks.

Negroamaro from Puglia, the heel of Italy — the biggest red on the list, and the one to open for the wagyu.

Malvasia and Sauvignon from Puglia — aromatic and dry, a white with enough scent to stand up to pesto.

Vermentino from the Montecucco hills of Tuscany — the most serious white here, crisp and saline, made for the raw-edged seafood.

Prosecco DOC from Glera grapes in the small gold bottle — 200 ml, which is one glass and a top-up, no commitment.

Extra Dry sparkling under the Romagna DOC — a touch rounder than a brut, which makes it the easy aperitivo bottle.

Bottega's "wine of the poets" — a full-bottle Prosecco DOC brut, the driest of the three sparklings and the one for a toast.

Rum, lime and mint pressed together over ice — the one people order twice.

The classic with passion fruit stirred through — sharper, and the seeds stay in the glass.

Red wine steeped with apple, orange and lemon. The jug is what a table of four orders and keeps refilling.

The lighter sangria: white wine with apple, orange, lemon and strawberries — better in the heat than the red.

Made with Aperol or Campari — say which. Aperol is the softer, orange one; Campari bites back.

Vodka and lime lengthened with ginger beer — the spiciest cold drink on the list.

Italian grape brandy, distilled from what's left after the pressing. Drunk neat after dinner, in a small pour.

The house pour — one price whichever of the four you ask for.

Australian brewed ginger — no alcohol despite the name, and hot enough with real ginger that you sip it slowly.

Apple, orange and beetroot pressed together — the beetroot is what turns it deep red and gives it the earthy edge.

Watermelon and passion fruit — sweet and watery meets sharp and seedy, best over a lot of ice.

Robusta dripped through a phin filter — thick, bitter and strong. Hot or over ice, your call.

The same phin coffee over sweetened condensed milk — stir it up from the bottom before the first sip.

An espresso "corrected" with grappa — the Italian way to close a long dinner.

A full pot for the table — Earl Grey, camomile, black or green. Say which when you order.

One cup, same choice of leaves — Earl Grey, camomile, black or green.