vietexplorer0014

Hue’s magnificent cuisine. Photo by Glen MacDonald. For years, I’ve heard about the delectability of Hue’s food but honestly, I’ve never seen the appeal. As a central location, I thought Hue was missing the heartiness of northern dishes or the spicy flavors of the South. When I first visited there in 2020, I challenged myself to try a strange, white paste, tightly concealed by a banana leaf. The waiters had to run across the restaurant and reprimand me for trying to bite through the dense foliage. In my defense, I thought the dish was Vietnam’s take on the burrito but I was sorely mistaken. It turns out I was eating banh loc, a tapioca dumpling filled with shrimp or pork. While it is beloved by Vietnamese foodies, I found the experience so harrowing that I swore off Hue food for several years. Now, back in the central city, I’ve come to reconcile with the local food. The first night, I went to Madam Thu’s, a well-known restaurant that serves generous platters of Hue cuis...