Nhu Y 8 Courses of Fish

While many of you may have a Vietnamese culinary experience called 7 courses of beef (Bò 7 Món, 8 courses of fish (Ca 8 Món may be a little less unknown. In fact, I had heard pieces and pieces about this kind of meal for a few years, but could not get the name of the restaurant. Finally, between Chowhound and a few Vietnamese friends show me in the right direction, I found Restaurant Nhu Y in Fountain Valley. As fast as I could, I made a trip to see what it was about. When I went into a wealth of mainly Vietnamese diners, my group of 16 really turned out for mixed backgrounds and I think that is why the manager took us under his wing. At first he helped us to determine the number of orders of the 8 fish courses we should have for our two tables. Apparently an order per person is actually too much food unless you have a great appetite. Secondly, he even had one of his waiting staff give us a lesson how to properly roll the food in the rice packs a little later in the meal. Since we waited for the food to arrive, some of us ordered drinks. My drink was the Durian Shake. For many, Durian is definitely a sought-after taste. Some cannot pass the smell, let alone have a taste of something that is quite sharp and not for the weak heart. But I grew up and will enjoy whether it is as ice cream, as sweetness, as milkshake or even fresh. This special Durian Shake was thick, tasty, met all the right flavors and was already a great start to my meal. Speaking of meal, the first course was the Fish Salad that came with big fish or shrimp chips. I'm not sure what. Regardless of this, the fish salad itself was delicious. The fish itself was cut into strips and slightly fried. I enjoyed the crispy cabbage and carrots and the sweet vine flavors of dressing to the point. The second course was the Fish Spring Rolls. Alone they were a bit dry, although I know that the greens that were part of the filling were fresh. They really had to be immersed in the fish sauce for some moisture and taste. For our third course we had the Sizzling Fish Filet on Hot Plate. The fish was tender and ate well with the onions and topped with the peanuts. Earlier we also have a plate of green, rice wrappers and bowl of a thick peanut sauce, but we did nothing with them until the next four courses all arrived on a plate after the Sizzling Fish Filet. These 4 dishes from Fish Egg Rolls, Fish Wrapped in Hawaiian Lot Leaf, Wrapped BBQ Fish and Fried Fish Strips with Tamarind Sauce. Before we broke in, we got a lesson in rice packaging from one of the waiting staff. The main thing to remember is to skip your rice package in a bowl with hot water, but don't let it soak or otherwise it becomes sticky. Once the rice wrapper is steamed, put it flat on your plate. Add your green and herbs first. Make sure to strip the mint leaves from its hard stem before adding it to your wrapper. Add your noodles if you are so inclined. Then add either the Fish Wrapped in Hawaiian Lot Leaf, the Wrapped BBQ Fish or the Fried Fish Strips and Top with either the thick peanut sauce or the fish sauce before you like a burrito and a bite. It was definitely a fun hand on eating experience. Our last fish course of the night was the Fish Rice Porridge, who was actually one of my favorite dishes of the night. It was a simple dish with just a little roasted ginger and chopped herbs for taste, but it was so good. The rice was creamy and it reminded me when my mom Arroz Caldo, a Filipino rice soup, but with fish instead. I could have eaten it honestly as a duck soup and would have been very happy. To finish the meal, some of us chose ice cream. I just went for the Taro/ube ice while others ran for the Pandaneis. It was a colorful and sweet way to finish the meal. Overall, I really enjoyed the 8 courses of fish. One thing I found interesting was that the courses that stood on my own (e.g. fish salad, sizzling fillet, fish rice pulp, etc. were quite delicious without adding anything. The three items that we used as a filling for the rice envelopes, however, already lubricated well. They really needed the taste stratification of the green, herbs and sauces for them to have any kind of yum factor. In the end, I had a wonderful meal at the restaurant Nhu Y and for those of you who have never tried 8 courses of fish, check this place for another kind of culinary experience.

Ordered the cat fish for the family. The cat fish was absolutely delicious.

I'm not a fan of fish but this baked catfish did slap me in the face. The crispy and the color of its skin is perfect! I love it. The calamari is good

The staff and checkout / order technology has been upgraded to modern times, but the food, decor and everything else is still stuck in the 80s.