Treat the Da Lat chill with some Mekong Delta warmth

By Dang Khoa   November 7, 2018 | 06:54 pm PT
For 20 years, a crab soup restaurant has been warming up bellies in a welcome respite from Da Lat’s chilly weather.

The soup, bun rieu, is well known as a Mekong Delta specialty, but this restaurant serves such a delicious bowl that both locals and visitors flock to the place when it opens in the afternoon. 

Located in a small alley near the Da Lat Market in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat, the restaurant opens from 2:00 p.m. and closes at 8:00 p.m. Its peak hour is around 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

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The dish consists of rice vermicelli, crab paste and pork knuckles in tomato-based broth.

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Pham Thi Lan (R), the restaurant owner, hands over a bowl of soup to her son, who will take it to a customer. 

"On average, I can sell around 200 bowls. But during peak season like holidays or the travel season, I can sell up to 500 a day," Lan said.

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Customers can order a special bowl for just VND35,000 ($1.50), which includes crab paste, blood pudding, and pork. The dish is served with chopped vegetables. Da Lat is known for its vegetables and flowers, so the freshest ones are served on the side.

Shrimp sauce, lemon, chilli available on the table for customers to add to fit their taste palette.

Treat the Da Lat chill with some Mekong Delta warmth - 3

Yen Nhi, visitor from Saigon, said that she has known this venue for many years. "I always come here every time I visit Da Lat. The taste of bun rieu here is difficult to find elsewhere.

"The best feeling is when you can enjoy a bowl of bun rieu like this on a rainy day in Da Lat."

 
 
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