The Hillstation: A little bit of Sapa comes to Hoi An

If you’ve ever visited Sapa, you may have visited one of the two Hillstation Restaurants - started by a Hmong lady, her Danish husband and a third Dane. They’re great little places - one serving local Hmong cuisine and another cafe and deli serving cold cuts, paninis, gourmet sandwiches and wines. I was delighted to discover yesterday that they’ve brought their cafe and deli concept to Hoi An - and located it in a favourite old colonial era villa that’s been crying out for a sympathetic tenant for years. Finally it has one. The place only opened last week so it’s brand new. And the owners brought two of their Hmong staff from Sapa, Thanh and his wife Xa, to watch over the operation during its first few weeks. It was great to see the Hmong couple hard at work in Hoi An. If you’re looking for some familiar flavours or a glass of wine in Hoi An, swing by Hillstation at 321 Nguyen Duy Hieu St.