Vinh Long *Shrimp and Mushroom Rice Plate*

As most of you may already know, I'm a huge fan of Vinh Long's restaurant here in Nashville. What you may NOT know is that I was born and raised Catholic. What that means is that I observe Lent. If you'd like more information on this religious practice, click here. Basically for those who want to know, Fridays during this period we are prohibited from consuming red meat, along with a couple other things, however this is the big one. That said I strayed from my normal beef and carrot stew... and suffice to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Semi-Touched plate... couldn't resist! ;-)

That aside, this will likely be one of my shorter reviews, but hey it DID take me a while to settle on this menu item. I tell you, squid particularly, which was pretty prevalent on this menu, was not going to be an option.I tell you what, I may in the future try it, but hell ... I can't justify it. As I mentioned a bunch of times before, I won't eat anything that will potentially get me sick, or otherwise nauseate me. Thankfully this dish did not disappoint  and was at a reasonable price point $8.75. I would say that's a bit high for Shrimp and Mushroom Teriyaki. However the sauce, doesn't taste like all the other Teriyaki sauces I've had before, more salty than tangy. It's a great contrast on two or three foods that go good with salt (Rice, Shrimp, and Mushrooms). 

A bit closer in, DIG IN!

That said, if you're looking for a solid alternative, or in my case, disallowed to eat meat on a Friday during Lent, this is a SOLID option. Bottom line, not as good as the beef and carrot stew, but a good change of pace and a solid second place plate. I could see that some people might not be a fan of a more savory dish, but I've never shied away from a good savory dish! Thanks for reading and supporting Bloggers, and my food habit -

Stocky!

Vinh Long *Beef & Carrot Stew* Nashville, TN

Vinh Long Vietnamese / Japanese

Tell you what, this SHOULD be one of the easier reviews I've ever done because this is hands-down the best eastern food experience I've had since a chance encounter on a NYC vacation. This place is much closer to home for me, and you know what... I love it!

When it comes to charm, this place is chock full of it. This is a typical hole-in-the-wall place, that people probably wouldn't go out of the way to get to, but is RARELY not standing room waiting for a seat during lunch. I cannot recall a time when I've not seen someone I know, and we're all probably at this point, considered regulars. I'd say this place seats 30 people TOPS, it's a crowded, yet clean place to sit and eat. Full of charm, trinkets, and a HUGE fish tank (proportionate to the rest of the place). They also only take CASH payment, no ATM/Debit/Credit cards here... so bring cash. There's not a lot to be said, but hey, enjoy my review on one of my most favorite dishes of alllllllllll time!

Now on to the first picture. Mind you, they have a much larger menu than just this one item... speaking of which, my friend always orders the teriaki that comes out sizzling hot! Without further ado, here we go!

Best STEW ever!!!

So anyway what is this 'Stew' of sort? I normally order it as it comes, a nice and full hearty beef dish with noodles mixed in the bowl ... similar to Ramen in a traditional sense. However this is way heartier with HUGE cuts of beef, carrots, onions, and various greens. For garnishing and a bit of a taste, they add crumbled peanuts. The broth is definitely on the 'spicy' side but is a relative term and is ALWAYS different every time I come in. This isn't a bad  thing, and you can ALWAYS tell how hot it'll be due to the amount of red hue. I assume most of this is some sort of chili oil or something similar. Again if someone knows more about the actual 'making' of this please comment below. Honestly I can't put my finger on it, but there is just SOMETHING in this dish that makes it appeal to me, and to a lot of other people too. Again, I'm no culinary genius but, this stew just has it all going on, and it's filling. I always leave really full. This is probably at least partially due to the side of bread they give you, which really rounds off the dish! I don't know if it's fresh baked, but it's certainly yummy!

Anyway I can't say too much more about  this dish without getting incredibly hungry, I may have to even go and eat there today! Bottom line, thank you to my loyal readers and you are a BIG part of why I do these blogs, but please comment and let me know if you want to see more content.

Dig in!

Thanks again,

Stocky!