Eating in Da Lat
Tam Nguyen Chicken Restaurant is open from 10 AM to 12 PM. Customers wishing to dine here must reserve a table one day in advance and transfer a deposit. Once the deposit is received, the owner will confirm the meal time, and customers must arrive on time; latecomers will not be allowed to eat. A meal typically includes whole grilled chicken, grilled pork, boiled cabbage, stir-fried zucchini, and sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes.
Rumors about the most "exclusive" restaurant in Da Lat spread by word of mouth. Two friends invited us to try it out. The process was as follows: order food - transfer money - schedule a time - arrive on time - eat and drink.
The owners are an elderly couple who live a slow-paced life with their own set of principles. They treat guests as friends seeking a place to relax and enjoy a meal . The restaurant has no staff; only the couple cooks, serves, and cleans, so they can't accommodate too many customers.
The reason the booking process and meal times seem so difficult for customers is because the bamboo-cooked rice dish, including the soaking time of the rice, takes a total of 8 hours to complete.
For a delicious chicken dish, two factors must be ensured: temperature and time. Whether it's one chicken or five, the same amount of charcoal must be used to maintain the correct temperature. The chicken should be roasted for about three hours to ensure the bones are cooked through, the meat is tender, and the skin is crispy. The art of cooking lies in this meticulous attention to detail.
Carefully prepared dishes should be enjoyed by diners with the most refined senses and at the most appropriate time. If guests arrive too early, the meat may not be cooked through; if they arrive too late, the chicken will dry out or need to be re-grilled, losing its delicious flavor.
We ate by tearing the chicken meat and the bamboo casing apart with our hands. Indeed, the feeling of eating rustic grilled dishes with our hands always brings immense joy. The aroma of the charcoal grill lingers on our fingertips. Not to mention, eating with our hands evokes childhood memories of sneaking into the kitchen to sample freshly cooked food from our grandmothers and mothers.
Roadside eateries in Dak Lak
The second time, during a visit to Buon Ma Thuot, on the way to Dray Nur waterfall, it was around midday. To avoid going to the waterfall in the hot sun, we stopped at a roadside eatery with a sign that said "grilled chicken and sticky rice." The simple eatery was built amidst the trees with a few house pillars and a corrugated iron roof. Inside, there were a few tables and chairs for customers to eat and a few hammocks for guests to relax in.
Having already enjoyed the incredibly delicious grilled chicken with sticky rice in Da Lat, I honestly didn't have high expectations for this simple eatery, even though I knew that grilled chicken with sticky rice is a specialty of the Ede ethnic group in Dak Lak.
However, the dish served on the table was far more delicious than I had imagined. The owners are a couple from the Ede ethnic group, so they prepare this dish in its original form, without changing it to suit the tastes of city customers.
The chicken skin is thin and crispy. The meat has its original flavor without any marinade. The sticky rice is made from fragrant, glutinous rice grains, roasted over a fire inside a bamboo tube tightly sealed with banana leaves.
Reflecting on two memorable experiences with grilled chicken and sticky rice, I realize this dish would be less delicious without the right setting. Proof of this is that besides those two occasions, I've eaten grilled chicken and sticky rice many more times at home or in restaurants specializing in local dishes, and none of them were truly satisfying. I remember those two times, we enjoyed our lunch while gazing at the sky, the plants, and the cool breeze, occasionally hearing the rustling of nature.
Eating traditional dishes in a rustic setting, close to nature or steeped in regional culture, enhances the flavor of the food because it's not just food, but also a part of traditional culture. Enjoying grilled chicken with sticky rice amidst a natural setting creates a truly special and unforgettable culinary experience.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ga-nuong-com-lam-3152653.html
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