Mekong - Richmond, Virginia

I love discovering hidden foodie towns. It's like finding $20 in the pocket of a jacket you rarely wear, or someone in the checkout insisting you go before them. So nice! Keith and I recently took a trip to Richmond, Virginia to see Christmas lights. Unexpectedly, Richmond turned out to be quite fond of great food.

I don't normally like taking the advice of the tourist mag you find in hotel rooms. They're always full of crappy restaurants that charge a boatload of money for less than average food. Because you're a tourist, how are you to know? But, for lack of a tour guide, we opted to research all the suggestions and decide who looked the least deceptive. After reading one food critic say if they could they would eat at Mekong every single day of their life, we had to give it a try.

Dining at Mekong, we hit pay dirt!

Situated in a very nondescript almost shady looking strip mall, we just about rolled right past this beloved Vietnamese restaurant. As we pulled up into the parking lot it was full and clearly getting fuller. A good sign.

Although we had to fight our way past the hordes of family outings, we got a table for two quickly. Three good sized dining rooms and one larger ballroom were packed to the gills with an amazingly diverse crowd. Tables of 10 were the norm throughout. I especially loved the 5-foot tall owner who bounded from table to table chatting it up with the regulars. He was precious.

We started with an appetizer sampler that offered some familiar and new treats. A rice paper wrapped shrimp spring roll (Goi Cuon), crispy spring roll (Cha Gio), deep fried shrimp wrapped in rice paper called 'Rocket Shrimp' and toasted shrimp. Everything was well executed and tasted flavorful and steamy hot throughout. The toasted shrimp, however, was fantastic and unexpected. Toast points enveloping a paste of salty shrimp, deep fried until uber crispy caramel brown then dipped in sesame seeds. I wanted a whole plate of the toasted shrimp. One dunk in the garlicky, salty, sweet nuoc cham that came with and I was in heaven.

For the entree we selected an exquisite dish of chicken thighs sauteed in Kaffir lime leaves over jasmine rice. It arrived still sizzling and with an intoxicating limey scent emanating from an industrial looking aluminum pot. I found it odd they julienned the normally bark-like Kaffir lime leaves, but whatever mojo they did on this dish rendered the leaves tender and delicious. We also opted for a House Grill Platter that sported grilled chicken, beef, shrimp and pork. Basically the Vietnamese equivalent of burritos, you take the grilled meat, paired with pickled carrots, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, mint, Thai basil and rice noodles, then wrap it all up in damp and very sticky rice paper (Bahn Trang). Once you manage successful burrito wrapping, dip it in the very subtle peanut sauce or, my favorite, traditional fish sauce (nuoc mam). Mmmmmmm. Just like my adopted Mom Mai used to make.

While Keith was waiting in line to pay the bill, I noticed that the welcome podium was missing a vinyl letter "L" in their "Welcome to Mekong" sign. Ironically enough, "we come to Mekong" seem to fit perfectly.

Out of 5 forks, I give Mekong a solid 4.5 forks. Not only was the food unforgettable, but I am trying to find a reason to get back to Richmond. Yes... we do come to Mekong. And we're coming back as soon as we possibly can.

 

Comments

[Lori]

What a great review Robin! Love your foodie blogs-they are funny and entertaining.

[Pat]

mmmm...that viet food looks delicious. If ever we find ourselves in Richmond, we'll definitely have to add this to our places to eat!