Doing it their Hue means skill, balance
Set on the fertile banks of the Perfume River, named for the fragrant blooms that fall from the trees to float downstream as summer slips into autumn, Hue is the Vietnamese artist's muse: a city of scenic beauty, seasonal extremes and distinctive landscapes and architecture that have inspired poetry, songs and stories of forbidden love since Nguyen Phuc Anh, who later became Emperor Gia Long, first chose the valley as the new seat of Vietnam's ruling dynasty in 1802.
The Nguyen kings prized diversity and perfection in all things, and while Hue dishes traditionally balanced tastes and ingredients with colours and designs, the royal kitchens took culinary adornment to the extreme. Elegantly and artfully presented, dishes were meant to impress and amuse - braised carp and chicken might be adorned with foil fins, scales and tails, and lacquered bamboo horn to take the form of a dragon or phoenix - and were often served in lavish, 30-dish banquets.
However, a meal in the royal palace could also be as simple as that found on any commoner's dinner table. Today you can find both 'royal' and more humble cooking at Hue's innumerable restaurants, and as Hue people love to eat as diversely and often as possible, the city offers innumerable opportunities to snack between the World Heritage-listed citadel and the monument complex.
The Kim Long area of the city is as famous for great places to eat as its nha vuon, or garden houses, built by former court mandarins. Several have been well preserved, and Tha Om is one example, owned by culinary expert and descendent of the royal family, Huyen Ton Nu Cam Tu. Tu is happy to offer informal cooking classes on request and wholesome, home-style imperial-era meals, such as lantern-shaped pork and vegetable spring rolls, creamy pumpkin soup, saut?ed river fish and grilled beef filet, in her peaceful, well-manicured garden.
In an adjacent alley, the Jade Lake and Golden Dragon restaurants offer a more regal experience as a guest of the imperial court. Tables are arranged around jackfruit pillars decorated with elaborately carved wooden tablets inlaid with mother of pearl; plates are decorated with dragons, fish and birds crafted from vegetables, making a meal here a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
Chefs serve up dishes such as chicken soup with black mushroom and lotus seeds; tender snapper stewed in a sweet, citrus 'royal sauce', and banh khoai - half-moon pancakes with a crispy, lightly browned outside and moist interior stuffed with boiled prawns, sliced pork flank and crunchy bean sprouts, served with a sweet yet salty peanut dipping sauce.