Ta Van's set menu hits the spot

Restful decor: Ta Van Restaurant has a charming smell of lemongrass oil and its central fireplace provides necessary comfort on a cool Sa Pa evening. — VNS Photos Thanh Ha Delightful: Green papaya salad with a shrimp lemongrass skewer looks mouthwatering at first sight. Perfect: Mushroom soup at Ta Van Restaurant. The white mushrooms had a strong smell. Ta Van Restaurant Add: Xuan Vien Street, Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871522 Price: from VND145,000 Hour: 6am-10pm Comment: Warm decor with live ethnic minority people providing music and dance.

A group of friends and I were invited to enjoy a set menu dinner at Ta Van, which is named after a beautiful valley in the area.

We sat down at a table by the fireplace, the first I have seen in a restaurant in Viet Nam, and really necessary during the cold weather in Sa Pa, especially in the evening.

The room was lit by yellow bulbs on a chandelier which added to the warm feel.

As we took our seats, a waiter appeared with a basket of warm face-cloths smelling of lemongrass oil made especially for Ta Van Restaurant.

The oil refreshed us after the 40km journey from Lao Cai Railway Station and a few minutes later a hot bowl of mushroom soup arrived, made with vegetables in chicken broth, coconut milk, a pinch of curry powder and decorated with coriander and mint.

The white mushrooms had a strong smell. Our group agreed the soup was perfect.

Second on the menu was a beautifully decorated green papaya salad with marinated shrimp. We spent several minutes photographing the dish, highlighted with slices of carrot on lettuce in a small bamboo basket, together with the shrimp lemongrass skewer, dusted with ground roasted peanut.

However, the salad was rather salty and did not measure up to the presentation, having lacked the familiar tang we had grown to expect in the dish.

I had to ask the waiter to bring me some lime juice to remix the salad so it was sour and sweet and no longer too salty.

The main course was sauteed duck breast with ginger and wheat noodles.

This dish was not well-presented, with long, brown slices of duck breast arranged on yellowish noodles, served on a white plate.

My friends again called the waiter, this time for some mint, coriander and hot chilly, and we did the decorating ourselves to make it more appetising.

It turned out to be the best dish of the night. The marinated duck breast was medium cooked, still sweet with the fatty skin included, but the typical smell of duck had vanished thanks to slices of ginger.

Meanwhile the homemade pasta was mixed with a little butter and only when I looked at it carefully could I see tiny green onion slices within.

I am sure our group were the most difficult customers on the night because we again asked for more spices, this time tabasco to make the dish more sour and peppery.

To some of the group the noodles were too heavy but I found them to my taste.

The dessert – sago in coconut milk with diced mango and mint – received a thumbs-up for its mixed taste of sweet milk and sour mango. Then, in the typical Vietnamese style, we ended our dinner with a cup of green tea while enjoying ethnic minority music played by a local artist who performs there from 7-10pm each night. (Mong and Thai performers sometimes entertain with traditional dances on Saturday from 8-9pm.)

Our set-menu dinner was more expensive than in Ha Noi but in some ways it was worth it because of the willing and smiling staff and the charming music.

When we left the restaurant it was suggested we return another day to try the cheese fondue with three different kinds of cheese from Switzerland, together with garlic, white wine and schnapps.

The fondue, served with pickled baby cucumbers, baby onions and boiled potatoes, costs VND1 million (US$50) for two, which seems expensive but I hope to try it when I visit Sa Pa next time. — VNS

Ta Van's set menu hits the spot

Restful decor: Ta Van Restaurant has a charming smell of lemongrass oil and its central fireplace provides necessary comfort on a cool Sa Pa evening. — VNS Photos Thanh Ha Delightful: Green papaya salad with a shrimp lemongrass skewer looks mouthwatering at first sight. Perfect: Mushroom soup at Ta Van Restaurant. The white mushrooms had a strong smell. Ta Van Restaurant Add: Xuan Vien Street, Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai Province Tel: (020) 3871522 Price: from VND145,000 Hour: 6am-10pm Comment: Warm decor with live ethnic minority people providing music and dance.

A group of friends and I were invited to enjoy a set menu dinner at Ta Van, which is named after a beautiful valley in the area.

We sat down at a table by the fireplace, the first I have seen in a restaurant in Viet Nam, and really necessary during the cold weather in Sa Pa, especially in the evening.

The room was lit by yellow bulbs on a chandelier which added to the warm feel.

As we took our seats, a waiter appeared with a basket of warm face-cloths smelling of lemongrass oil made especially for Ta Van Restaurant.

The oil refreshed us after the 40km journey from Lao Cai Railway Station and a few minutes later a hot bowl of mushroom soup arrived, made with vegetables in chicken broth, coconut milk, a pinch of curry powder and decorated with coriander and mint.

The white mushrooms had a strong smell. Our group agreed the soup was perfect.

Second on the menu was a beautifully decorated green papaya salad with marinated shrimp. We spent several minutes photographing the dish, highlighted with slices of carrot on lettuce in a small bamboo basket, together with the shrimp lemongrass skewer, dusted with ground roasted peanut.

However, the salad was rather salty and did not measure up to the presentation, having lacked the familiar tang we had grown to expect in the dish.

I had to ask the waiter to bring me some lime juice to remix the salad so it was sour and sweet and no longer too salty.

The main course was sauteed duck breast with ginger and wheat noodles.

This dish was not well-presented, with long, brown slices of duck breast arranged on yellowish noodles, served on a white plate.

My friends again called the waiter, this time for some mint, coriander and hot chilly, and we did the decorating ourselves to make it more appetising.

It turned out to be the best dish of the night. The marinated duck breast was medium cooked, still sweet with the fatty skin included, but the typical smell of duck had vanished thanks to slices of ginger.

Meanwhile the homemade pasta was mixed with a little butter and only when I looked at it carefully could I see tiny green onion slices within.

I am sure our group were the most difficult customers on the night because we again asked for more spices, this time tabasco to make the dish more sour and peppery.

To some of the group the noodles were too heavy but I found them to my taste.

The dessert – sago in coconut milk with diced mango and mint – received a thumbs-up for its mixed taste of sweet milk and sour mango. Then, in the typical Vietnamese style, we ended our dinner with a cup of green tea while enjoying ethnic minority music played by a local artist who performs there from 7-10pm each night. (Mong and Thai performers sometimes entertain with traditional dances on Saturday from 8-9pm.)

Our set-menu dinner was more expensive than in Ha Noi but in some ways it was worth it because of the willing and smiling staff and the charming music.

When we left the restaurant it was suggested we return another day to try the cheese fondue with three different kinds of cheese from Switzerland, together with garlic, white wine and schnapps.

The fondue, served with pickled baby cucumbers, baby onions and boiled potatoes, costs VND1 million (US$50) for two, which seems expensive but I hope to try it when I visit Sa Pa next time. — VNS