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Liam Hetherington
Liam Hetherington
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3 out of 5
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12) Dalat - North (enden) Vietnam

12) Dalat - North (enden) Vietnam

Vietnam - 03/03/09

Imagine my delight to spot a Vietnamese restaurant in Northenden!

It had been a while since I had headed south down Palatine Road from where I live. However I was in rehearsals for a play in Northenden, and coming straight from work I found I had arrived very early. It was then that I spotted a new restaurant. Its sign stated that it served Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Needing to take shelter from the rain and with 40 minutes to kill, I entered.

Dalat could in no way be described as the largest restaurant in the world. Essentially the front room of a blocky retail unit it could only have space for 25 diners at a push. Decor inside is functional. Behind the bar there was a little Buddhist shrine however. Plinky-plonky gamelan-style music played. At first I thought "Ooh, how atmospheric". This soon turned to "Hmm, how annoying!".

As a 'Thai and Viet' restaurant, the menu is mostly Thai. It ranges from starters (eg Thai Dimsum or Chicken Satay, £3.95), through Tom Yum and Tom Kha soups (£3.95), curries all the colours of the traffic lights (£4.95), stir-fries and noodle dishes like Phad Thai (£4.95), up to meals based around duck, rib-eye steak, squid or seabass (£8.95). For the majority of meals (eg curries, noodles and stir-fries) you have the option of having it made with chicken, beef, pork or beancurd - or for £1.00 extra, with prawn. Including starters there were some 50 Thai dishes on offer.

In comparison there were only seven Vietnamese dishes on the menu. However, that was seven more than I had seen anywhere else. A pot of green tea appeared for me, as did some prawn crackers while I chose. There were two types of spring roll (Cha Nem and Bo Bia) for £3.95. The other dishes were £4.95 - Mi Xao Hai San (seafood noodles), Goi Du Du (papaya, prawn, pork & peanuts), Bun Cha Nem Thit Nuong (barbecue pork with noodles), and Nem Nuong (pork, fish & prawns with salad). But the most characteristic Vietnamese dish that I knew of (and which the waitress suggested I have if I wanted an introduction to Vietnamese food) was the famous soup Pho. Given the choice of either beef or chicken I opted for the former, and waited.

I didn't have to wait long. I had been concerned that a mere bowl of soup would not fill me up; the waitress had told me not to worry. I shouldn't have. A large bowl was produced, heaped high with noodles. These were topped with sliced sping onions, shreds of lemongrass, crisp-fried onions, and numerous thin slices of beef. In all it looked a lot bigger than was expecting for £4.95. It came with chopsticks and a wooden ladle for eating. And for seasoning there came a slice of lemon, a bowl of crushed and dried chili peppers, and a bottle of glutinous Vietnamese chili sauce. Now I quite like spicy food, but I soon found that with this sauce a little certainly went a long way! Combined with the piping hot broth it proved to be the perfect antidote to a cold and drizzly evening

As I slurped away at my soup, alternating with cups of the sharp green tea, a sort of zen came upon me. I retreated into my own little world where the plinky-plonky music combined with the hypnotic sound of car tyres slicing through the dark rain-slick streets of south Manchester to bring a little moment of peace to me. I came too with a start when I hit the bottom of the bowl. I loked up. The Buddha behind the bar was smiling at me.

The total bill came to around £7.00 - eminently reasonable. As this is the only Vietnamese restaurant I know of in Manchester (though I saw loads while down in London in February) - and as it is almost next door to one of the drama societies I frequent - I feel it is quite likely that I will return and try some more of their Vietnamese dishes.

From journal Around the World in 80 Meals! (part 2)

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