Well, it was not quite ‘Fine Dining’ as it is understood normally. I mean I was seated on one of the two plastic chairs, set for each of the three plastic tables in rather garish colors.  And the ‘decor’ was not really created by the owner of the restaurant. It was ‘decor’ created’.../ mainly by God, assisted by Man’. The three tables were set on the pavement, facing a highway, and a park across the road, two picturesque bridges and the townscape on the other bank of the river – all this created by Man. Of course the main attraction of the scene was the River – created by God. The ‘restaurant’ was a food-cart bearing a sign which read ‘Banh Xeo’. The cooking-and-serving staff was just the one very efficient-looking, bustling young lady in a jaunty white hat. I was not the only eater. It was House Full with all the three tables occupied. A few feet away from me was an oldish English couple, in the process of finishing their meal with greatly appreciative clucks and totally-satisfied expressions on their faces. Then there was the cart with flames leaping up from the gas stoves. On the other side of the cart were two giggly, smartly jean-clad young ladies – their two-wheeler parked alongside – very busy in loud conversation with much gesturing and a lot of laughter. The food was at that time was an unknown quantity, but the scents-of-food and the Atmosphere, was not just ‘Fine’ but simply ‘Great’.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I was in the smallish – relatively speaking – city of Dong Hai. It is located around 500 km south of Hanoi and further south is Hue, 160 km away. To complete the location-picture, it is on the main highway to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) which is at a distance of around 1200 km.  Dong Hai has signs of human habitation dating back to around 5,000 years and currently has a population of around 160,000. It has the twin-blessings of having a location which has both the South China Sea and a river. It can be quite proud of having 12 km of white silver-sand beach coastline, a number of fine parks, some very friendly people, and much more. Get the picture?

Back to our ‘Fine’ Dining Experience. ‘Banh Xeo’ literally means ‘Sizzling Cake’. Well there was much sizzling in the frying pans set upon three stoves, but the end product would not be called a ‘cake’ by me. But who am I to question the wisdom of the Vietnamese, if they decide to call what I would consider ‘a kind of omelette or a crepe’ a ‘cake’?

The wafting enticing scents made me go and watch the cooking proceedings. A thinnish batter was poured into heavy iron frying pans over a high fire with jumping-leaping flames and started sizzling/bubbling in a very short time. What intrigued me was that this sizzling/bubbling went on for a much, much longer time than it takes to make a normal omelette, without getting burnt. Why? I cannot say. What I can say is that the resultant ‘sizzling cake/omelette/crepe was simply delicious. I had three! And it was still a case of “Dil Mange More” but prudence and a full stomach called a halt.

A bit if research, later, yielded the information that this ‘Fine’ crispy- preparation which sizzled/bubbled for a long time over leaping flames, was made with rice flour, and was stuffed with pieces of fatty pork, shrimps, green onions and bean sprouts. Coconut milk had also been used to prepare the batter. The yellow colour was due to the use of turmeric. I had also detected hints of mint and basil. Recipes for Banh Xeo – like many other popular Vietnamese preparations – differ from region to region. I found what I ate down by the riverside in Dong Hai, absolutely ‘FINE’.

This ‘Fine Dining’ on the pavement, down by the riverside, had a counter-point too. The next day, I had some normal /Fine Dining’ – much, much more expensive indeed. It was in a very well-appointed, decorated to the level of a high-class restaurant, houseboat anchored in the river. The Fried Prawns and Fried Clams were simply superb. But so was the size of the bill! Just the small bottle of local beer cost much, much more than my fine meal of Banh Xeo.

But that is life. One lives and learns. No?

Well, it was not quite ‘Fine Dining’ as it is understood normally. I mean I was seated on one of the two plastic chairs, set for each of the three plastic tables in rather garish colors.  And the ‘decor’ was not really created by the owner of the restaurant. It was ‘decor’ created’.../ mainly by God, a