Diners in HCM City should check out Bún Cá Lóc Phan Lê, a new restaurant that will surely please lovers of all things fishy. Mỹ  Duyên reports.

Do you sometimes long for your Mekong Delta home and hunger for bún cá lóc Châu Đốc style (snakehead fish soup with rice vermicelli)  when the flood season comes, the time when the fish is especially tasty?

Look no further: you can now find the traditional delicacy at a new restaurant in HCM City.

Located on Cao Thắng Street in District 3, Bún Cá Lóc Phan Lê is renowned for its snakehead fish soup cooked Châu Đốc style and other snakehead fish specialties: fish head, filet and maw.

With a good street view and eye-catching décor, the restaurant is often full of guests sampling its nutritious, affordable dishes.

My recent lunch visit gave me a chance to sample their signature soup and learn more about Mekong Delta cuisine, particularly Châu Đốc-style fish soup with rice vermicelli.

Most delicacies of the Delta, world-renowned for its wealth of freshwater fish, are associated with river fish, particularly snakehead fish.

Preparation of the soup, however, varies from place to place. Cần Thơ City, considered the “capital” of the Mekong Delta, is proud of its own style, while Sóc Trăng Province, Kiên Giang Province and Châu Đốc Township in An Giang Province have their particular versions as well.

The kitchen of  Bún Cá Lóc Phan Lê in HCM City has creatively reinterpreted the soup to match the taste and demand of city diners.

As soon as I stepped into the entrance, I could smell the unique aroma of the fish soup from the restaurant’s open kitchen.

The soups range from bún cá lóc (standard snakehead fish soup with filet) to bún bao tử cá (soup with fish filet and maw), and bún đầu cá lóc (soup with fish head).

However, diners can order a mix of these, along with side dishes, including vegetables.

A standard soup bowl with seasonal vegetables (VNĐ35,000), the most frequently ordered dish, was a great start to my meal, and a colleague of mine tried a vermicelli soup with fish maw and filet (VNĐ45,000).

Despite the different preparations from person to person in Châu Đốc, turmeric is one of the most important spices, and without it, the soup cannot be called Châu Đốc-style fish soup.

Other important elements are dried finely chopped garlic, which eliminates the fishy smell, and fresh chillis, which imparts some heat.

The slow-simmered fish broth, limpid and clear, had a savory umami and pleasing sweetness, and was even more delicious when I added lime juice and fresh chilli.