Sso and Sam are a couple from South Korea who have been to many countries, including Turkey and Thailand. Most recently, they had a long trip to Da Nang, considered the most livable city in Vietnam, where they spent most of their time discovering local food.

The couple visited a restaurant on My An street in Ngu Hanh Son district to enjoy eel congee. They revealed that the dish was suggested by a Vietnamese who commented on a video posted on her personal YouTube channel.

Sso said she was excited to taste eel congee, because eel is considered healthy. Eel is also popular in South Korea but some Koreans do not like its fishy smell.

The couple arrived at 7 am and were surprised as all the tables were occupied. 

After considering the menu, she decided to order dried eel congee and eel vermicelli to get a better taste of this typical Korean energy-boosting food.

The couple just had to wait several minutes when the first dish was served – dried eel vermicelli, a mixture of vermicelli and eel, with the broth and sauce in a separate small bowl.

To help the dinners have better experience, a worker at the restaurant explained how to enjoy it. 

“First, you need to add the soaked onions and mix well. If the vermicelli seems a bit dry, you can add more broth as desired,” she said.

When trying the broth, Sso noted that it was just like Japan’s udon soup. After that, she tried vermicelli and eel and liked the attractive aroma. She thought the aromatic leaves served with the dish helped cut the fishy taste of the eel.

“Koreans often eat eel with flavorful herbs like perilla and ginger. This dish was better than I expected, without any fishy taste. It was really great,” Sso said.

The second dish the couple tasted was hot eel congee. Like other diners at the restaurant, she squeezed some lemon juice into the congee and said the flavor became better.

Thao Trinh