Touring the Mekong DeltaVietnam’s most fertile region, the Mekong’s riverine environment is simultaneously unique and beautiful. From Vinh Long, travel by sampan along narrow canals to tropical fruit orchards and bonsai gardens; sample freshly-picked fruits and the local delicacy, fried elephant ear fish; and navigate though the waterborne bustle of the area’s famed floating markets.
Travellers' Report about Hanoi Restaurant!CA KHO is one of those Vietnamese dishes that is so simple to prepare that it poses a challenge to chefs who want to make it uniquely their own. After all, it's just fish braised in a clay pot. But therein lies the challenge: What kind of fish? How sweet, how salty, how runny should the caramel-and-fish-sauce braising liquid be? How much black pepper is too much? It's a debate that has as many wrong answers as right ones, and that, as far as I'm concerned, rarely yields a dish that could ever be called memorable.
Which is why, on a recent visit to Hanoi — my first since 1997 — I was amazed to taste a ca kho that refused to fade into the background. The fish was soft and actually fish-flavored, and the braising liquid had a depth and richness that had me drizzling sticky russet juices over my rice bowl all night. I can't make any claim to encyclopedic knowledge of ca kho in Vietnam, but it was the best I'd eaten in a long, long time.