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Today we are having lunch at the Mermaid Restaurant in Hoi An. This is a very famous restaurant
in town and that is because it has two very special secret recipes, so we are going to
be trying those two dishes today.
The first dish that we are going to be introducing you to is called White Rose. As you can see
over here it is a shrimp dumpling made using a translucent dough and it was named 'White
Rose' when the French came because they thought it looked like a flower the way it is all
bunched up together.
It is a secret recipe unique to Hoi An and supplied by one family to the rest of the
town.
I'm going to pick this one up as you can see it looks like a little rose. How does it taste?
It is really tasty. It has a nice shrimp paste and it also has some roasted garlic on top,
so it has a really nice flavor.
The next dish that we're going to be trying is called Cao Lau. It consists of noodles,
pork and greens. It is also unique to Hoi An.
The Cao Lau gets its special flavor from the water that comes from a well outside of the
town. Or this distinct taste could just be from its spice caramelized broth.
Delicious noodles. They remind me a lot of the Japanese Udon noodles.
The meat is really chewy and flavorful and you can tell it has been sitting in the broth
for a little while.
This meal came to about five US Dollars which is a bit pricey for a local dish but then
again we are eating at a famous restaurant with two secret recipes so that is what you
pay.