Location: Mekon Delta
Date: March 23, 2014
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Rating: Crispy Elephant Ear fish!
Hundreds of miles of snaking river was like a circuit cable plugged straight into…
A good meal.
Low and behold, after snaking up the (now) bucolic byways of the Mekon delta, we come across (well, our guide takes us to) this lovely little luncheon (and a low water table, good thing its not mosquito season).
We got the special lunch.
The specialty here is the crispy Elephant Ear Fish. I’ve never quite seen this prep, pinioned up for display.
Like the fish we get at the good Vietnamese place back in LA, and much of Vietnamese cuisine in general, it’s intended to be eatern wrapped in rice paper with various condiments: basil, mint, baby banana, onions, etc.
You take this, roll it up tight, and dip it in fish sauce.
The fish might look like a piranha, but the human piranhas sure got to it.
The soft rice paper rolls are filled with crispy pork skin and the meat is a delicious roast pork. Awesome.
On the left are Vietnamese tater tots, or more specifically, fried sticky rice balls. On the right are fish balls (like gefilte fish) coated in puffed rice.
Special soup, which is a simple broth with fish balls.
And one adds these fresh noodles.
For dessert, a small local breed of banana.
Overall, an unexpected (and delicious find deep in the jungle).
For more Vietnam dining reviews, click here.
