Sailing Club, Nha Trang, Vietnam - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Western, Indian and Vietnamese
Location: Nha Trang
Price: ££
Style Points: 5/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Overall: 4/5

The cool and comfy sofa beds that line the walk way up to Sailing Club

The Story

Sailing Club is a long established venue in Nha Trang that is THE destination for beach parties every night of the week with resident DJs and live bands from all over the world. The beach club/restaurant/bar was first set up by an entrepreneurial Australian backpacker who started selling beers on the beach to other backpackers before building a beach bar that soon became so popular that it eventually turned into a large development boasting three kitchens, a dance floor and four bars.

This year Sailing Club is celebrating its 25th year and is still one of the must visit beach clubs the coastal city has to offer. Entering from the main road, the space is beautifully lit with rows of lounge beds along the sides with a narrow pool in the middle and chill-out house and trance music enticing you to enter and dance the night away. Yet I was here to sample some of the various cuisines being cooked from the three kitchens. With an ever growing selection of tourists from around the world visiting Nha Trang and Vietnam as a whole, I could see the appeal of offering multiple cuisines to meet the demand but the proof, of course, is in the eating. Let’s find out.

The beautiful exterior beach front of Sailing Club

The Food?

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the very friendly General Manager of Sailing Club, the uniquely named Cable. Hailing from South Africa, Cable had been at Sailing Club for just over two years and was very much the driving force of change behind Sailing Club’s rebranding and menu design. Under Cable’s recommendations, we started with the BBQ Chicken Wings and the Chicken Nachos.

The meaty chicken wings were served with a nice blue cheese dressing and deep-fried and coated in a lovely tangy homemade BBQ Sauce that was super moreish. There was about four or five on the plate but could definitely have done with a few more. Nachos are always a crowd favourite and these did not disappoint. The big handful of nachos were freshly fried and smothered with an array of nacho staples including sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, spicy sriracha and of course a mound of grated cheese.

Delicious cocktails enjoyed right by the sea

To wash down our starters we chose a couple of cocktails created at the bar by Sailing Club’s professional mixologists. We tried the Sailing Tiki and Sailing X Winking Seal Bellini. The former was served in a tall tiki glass and decorated with fresh pineapple and exotic flowers. The main components were white rum, Bianco Martini, pineapple syrup, ginger beer, honey, bitters and freshly squeezed lime juice. It was a great rum-based cocktail and the kind of cocktail that is best enjoyed on the beach. The bellini included champagne, Cointreau, passion fruit puree and cream ale from Vietnam’s own Winking Seal Brewery. It was a very refreshing cocktail with just the right amount of bubbly to make you feel you are having something quite elegant and refined.

For our main course, we tried the Teriyaki Glazed Salmon and the Sailing Classic Burger. The salmon was cooked with a delicate touch and brushed with a beautifully sweet teriyaki glaze and was served atop a cacophony of soba noodles and stir fried vegetable that gave the dish some much needed crunch. The wasabi ice cream was more like a sauce and wasn’t as fiery as I’d expected. To be honest, it wasn’t really needed for the dish and I would have much preferred more of the wonderful teriyaki sauce to pour on the noodles.

The burger was served with a reasonable amount of French fries and served typically on a wooden chopping board. The Angus and Wagyu blended beef patty was very thick yet very juicy and moist and on top was bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese and a wonderful smoky roasted garlic sauce inside a sweet butter bun. It was a very good burger and they had got all the components right to make it a proper classic.

For dessert, I tried the Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream and we also had from the Specials Menu the Beetroot and Red Bean Cake with Taro Ice Cream. The fondant had the all important hot runny centre with oozing chocolate and tasted divine with the fresh vanilla ice cream. The sponge itself was a little hard for my liking but I was willing to forgive that for the runny centre it produced.

The beautifully plated Beetroot and Red Bean Cake with Taro Ice Cream — The beautifully plated **Beetroot and Red Bean Cake with Taro Ice Cream**

The cake, which was the chef’s creation, was very good and really highlighted the natural sweetness of the beetroot and red bean. It was also plated beautifully and would not look out of place at any fine dining restaurant.

The Price?

Sailing Club is located right on the beach and is very popular with tourists and locals alike so you have to expect the prices to be premium.

The starters of BBQ Chicken Wings and the Chicken Nachos cost 185,000 Dong (£6.36/$7.96) and 350,000 Dong (£12/$15.) The price of the chicken wings is fair enough for the portion but I think the nachos were too steep for the amount you receive. It’s probably big enough for two to share and for me it’s too small and too ordinary to justify the high price.

The mains of Teriyaki Glazed Salmon and the Sailing Classic Burger cost 380,000 Dong (£13.08/$16.36) and 285,000 Dong (£9.08/$12.27.) These prices reflect the quality of the food you receive and the portion size. It is of course more than what you’d expect to pay elsewhere in Nha Trang but they aren’t extortionate and the food itself was delicious and satisfying. The desserts of Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream and the Beetroot and Red Bean Cake with Taro Ice Cream were priced at 135,000 Dong (£4.64/$5.81.) Again like the mains, a good portion size and very good dishes that provide a fitting end to a memorable meal.

The cocktails were Sailing Tiki and Sailing X Winking Seal Bellini were 160,000 Dong (£5.50/$6.89) and 180,000 Dong (£6.19/$7.75.) Considering this is a well established beach club with professional mixologists I was surprised at how cheap the cocktails were. If you don’t stay for dinner than a few cocktails by the beach side is a must. Overall, our dinner for two cost 1.8M Dong (£61.90/$77.45.) As I mentioned, you have to expect more premium prices here but having said that this was not expensive by any stretch of the imagination. For the ambience, location and quality of the food it’s pretty good value for money. Just stay away from the nachos, perhaps.

Overall?

Sailing Club offers everything - breakfast by the sea, relaxed lunches and dinners with fabulous views, and live music, DJ sets and fire shows to entertain you long into the night. We had a fabulous time having dinner here but would have loved to have stayed to watch the fire show and see the restaurant transform into a dance floor had we not had an early start the next day. It is a must-visit place if you’re in Nha Trang and will continue to be the ultimate beach party destination in the coastal city for many years to come.