Mekong serves
great food in a pleasant place
Article by Jody
Rathgeb
Richmond
Kitty Yorty knew there would be plenty of cultural differences when
she married a Vietnamese man, but soup was an unexpected one.
Having grown up
in Pennsylvania Dutch country, Kitty had a fairly casual attitude toward
soup. "I figure, soup's soup," she said. "You put everything
in a pot and let it simmer. But he spends all day in the kitchen, making
each thing seperately...It does make a difference. Everything in the
soup has it's own taste."
I remember her comments
recently when I took my first taste of the Eel hot Pot at Mekong Restaurant.
The direct spiciness of the hot-and-sour broth was it's most powerful
flavor, but as I ate I realized that I could indeed taste each crisp
bean sprout and piece of celery and lemongrass, each slice of eel.
(Time out: For all
those who have never had the nerve to order eel, it's not slimy and
nothing like squid or octopus. It has a firm flesh with a strong flavor
- not unlike fresh tuna or salmon - and each slice looks like a tiny
swordfish steak. Eat around the center bone for a succulent treat.)
The Eel Hot Pot
was just part of a wonderful restaurant experience at Mekong, and it's
only one of many menu choices. Appetizers and soups include spring rolls,
dumplings, Fish Ball Soup and Vietnamese Yellow Pancake ($1.25-$4.95).
There are also noodle soups ($4.95-$5.95); rice noodles and broken rice
entrees ($5.25-6.95); seafood, chicken, beef and vegetarian entrees
($6.50-$9.95); barbecue platters ($10.95-$11.95) and the chef's specialties
($9.95-$12.95), which include several types of hot pot, soft shell crabs,
flounder with ginger sauce and stir-fried squid.
In addition to my
eel, we ordered Vietnamese Crispy Spring Roll ($1.35), Crab-meat Asparagus
Soup ($1.75) and Spicy Chicken with Lemongrass ($7.75).
Nothing was disappointing.
Tom's soup was a bit light on asparagus. But more than made up for that
with big chunks of crab in thick sweet and sour broth. My spring roll
was so full of tasty ground meat and vegetables that I hardly needed
the accompanying peanut sauce. The chicken and lemongrass, served in
a red sauce, was not as direct in it's spiciness as the hot pot, but
had a more subtle, delayed warmth redolent of ginger.
It was a cold, rainy
night when we visited Mekong, so the spicy dishes were welcome - and
so were the suggestions of some hot tea as we took our seats. Service
was efficient, friendly and helpful (especially for a first time eel
eater), and the atmosphere as welcoming as the people. Mekong is decorated
in pink, white and a light blue-green for a fresh look, with the Asian
touch coming from artwork, flower arrangements and bonsai.
As I sat in this
pleasant place eating great food, I marveled at the changes of time.
In my youth, I never would have thought that I'd ever experience more
of Vietnam than those awful images on my television set. Our world has
changed - and if Mekong is any indication, it's for the better.