Is the taste of the food from that one long-ago Vietnam trip still on your tongue? Don't worry. You won't have to travel far for another sampling. JW Marriott is having a nine-day long Vietnamese Food Festival and we have all the details for you.
They have flown down - from Vietnam - Chef Ly who started off her cooking career at the age of 18 with inspiration from her mother, and has worked across many renowned luxury hotels. She is currently working with Sheraton Grand Danang Resort, Vietnam. Ly says she enjoys mixing various cooking techniques that she has picked up from different platforms and creating new things.
She is the mastermind behind the entire menu for this festival. Her own specialty, which is the Braised Fish With Ginger & Caramel Sauce, is also included in the menu. The dish is out of this world so it's good to know that she will be around for the entire duration of the festival, overlooking the making of the dishes.
The dishes on the menu feel like they've been brought down to you right from a Vietnamese kitchen. It includes options for appetisers, soups, entree and dessert. Equally divided between vegetarian and non-vegetarian, the dishes include Vegetable Soup and Young Tofu Soup, Avocado Spring Rolls, Crispy Sticky Rice with Mushroom and Peanut Sauce, Black Moss Prawn Soup, Braised Fish with Ginger, Chili and Caramel Sauce, Beef Pho and more. For dessert, they have Coconut Agar Agar and Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Cake Sweet Soup.
As far as our favorites go, you should definitely not give a miss to the Black Moss Prawn Soup: the subtlety of flavors make us forget every other soup we've ever had. The Stir Fried Vegetables with Coconut and Lemongrass and the Summer Fresh Spring Roll Chicken with light Chili Sauce made it right to the top of our lists. Of course, the dessert was our favorite part of the meal! The Coconut Agar Agar had layers of coconut water, coconut milk and jelly and we want it for every meal!
The festival has begun and will go on till December 16. You need to plan a trip asap, because this is one meal that cannot be missed!