Sing for your
Supper
Style Weekly
Feb. 15 2000
by Davis Morton
Mekong builds on
it's successful formula for Vietnamese dining with an expanded dining
room and karaoke.
Vietnamese food
seems to have won a following in the Richmond area, as well it should,
for we are lucky to have several good restaurants that specialize in
this delicious cuisine. Mekong Restaurant is a prime example. Unlike
many Asian restaurants where bare-bone budgets reflect in comfort and
ambiance if not always the food, Mekong is comfortable-the lighting
is good, the ambiance is inviting. And with success,they have added
an additional dining room in the rear, adjacent to the bar and nonsmoking
area, with a large screen and Vietnamese Karaoke.
Mekong is popular
with young professionals and grad students, who often handle their chopsticks
as easily as a fork, as well as with a diverse sampling of the rest
of us. And you'll find a fair number of Vietnamese here, also.
Like all cuisine's,
the Vietnamese have absorbed form those with whom they share their borders
as well as those welcome and unwelcome, who penetrated the borders.
It makes for an interesting mix of flavors from subtle to spicy. Some
seem distinctly Thai or Chinese; others seem to suggest a touch of French
influence. Much Vietnamese food is wonderfully light and nutritionally
correct. And those wonderful Vietnamese noodle soups can be as comforting
as and maybe even tastier than Mom's.
The menu, recently
revised can be somewhat daunting-almost 150 items. Obviously it takes
more than one visit to get a fair estimate of the flavors. Since the
restaurant opened five years ago, I've sampled several and have rarely
been disappointed.
Mekong is also open
for lunch and has almost two-dozen inexpensive ($4.95-$5.95) combinations
which include a cup of soup, a spring roll and an entree. That's a good
deal.
The appetizer sampler (Mon An Choi) for two ($5.95) is a good
place to start if you don't yet have a favorite. The fresh spring roll
($1.35) is sometimes too heavy with rice noodles but can't fault the
crispy ones ($1.35). The crepes ($2.95) -- a bit of French influence
-- are interesting, but perhaps my favorite is the yellow pancake (Banh
Xeo) ($5.95), filled with shrimp, pork, onion, scallions, bean sprouts
and fresh vegetables.
Soups are the staple of Vietnamese cooking, eaten all through the day.
Those who know Asian food will be familiar with the appetizer soups
($1.50-$1.75). At Mekong, a cup of wonton soup is loaded with wontons,
and a cup of vegetable soup is imply refreshing julienne of vegetables
with hot broth poured over them -- a dieter's dream. But there are also
serious pho or noodle soups ($4.95-$5.95), almost two dozen,
which are really a light meal.
Having often sampled
the rice noodle and broken rice platters ($5.25-$7.95) and the roll-your-own
grilled platters ($11.50-$11.95), on a recent visit we went for heartier
fare to suit our winter appetites.
The chef's specials
($9.95-$13.95) number more than a dozen and range from hot pots (in
broth) to stir-frys with a multitude of ingredients. My clay-pot (stir-fry)
combination was chock-full of shrimp (almost a dozen), pork, beef and
chicken, along with fresh vegetables in a mild but interesting sauce.
(Some sauces are designated "spicy" but that is a relative
term-- those we've had here are zesty but not palate-numbering.)
Jumbo shrimp in
a sauce with ginger and scallions ($11.95) is complex in flavor and
interesting in texture. And the jasmine rice is a wonderful foil. Of
course, there are a dozen other seafood choices, and as many for seafood
with chicken. Beef gets its fair share-- the curried beef suggest Thailand
across the border. And the vegetables alone are dealt with in a dozen
different ways.
We weren't offered
dessert, which we would have turned down anyway. A fortune cookie and
a mint are just enough. As usual, the service was courteous, professional
and prompt.
Mekong has the right
ingredients for a pleasant dining experience. It serves good food at
a good value. And with its new karaoke machine, you might also get inspired
to sing with your supper.