Victoria Chau Doc – a journey from creative inspiration to delicious flavors.
In the beautiful city of Chau Doc in An Giang province, known for its diverse food offerings, this flaming hot (literally) dish has been enticing diners for decades. An experience not to be missed when dining at Bassac Restaurant at the beautiful Indochina-inspired Victoria Chau Doc Hotel is banana flambée, an exquisite culinary creation of chef Tang Cam Mai.
Crafting the flavors of bananas flambé
For everyone fortunate enough to try the dish, banana flambée is a truly eye-catching and dramatic dessert. But behind its attractive appearance is the skill and talent of female chef Tang Cam Mai.
Having worked at the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel since 1999, Chef Tang Cam Mai noticed that there were often extra areca bananas left over after serving local fruits to hotel guests. With unbridled enthusiasm and a desire to solve the problem of food waste, Chef Mai began exploring, planning, and experimenting.
The result was a way to combine areca bananas, a type of banana commonly grown in Chau Doc, with orange juice, chocolate, and liqueur such as vodka to create a unique dish with a wow factor called banana flambée.
True to its name, Chef Tang Cam Mai makes her twist on banana flambée by putting bananas, orange juice and chocolate into an earthenware pot that’s placed directly on a flame. The resulting steam not only softens the bananas but the heat also finishes the dish.
Once the bananas are tender and have soaked up the orange juice, vodka is added before the whole pot is quickly brought to the table. With the simple act of lighting a fire right in the restaurant kitchen, an appealing banana flambée is served to the guests.
Banana flambée showcases unique local culture
According to chef Tang Cam Mai, the use of an earthenware pot, a utensil very familiar to locals and Vietnamese people in general, to cook the bananas, orange sauce, chocolate, and vodka is the key to her banana flambée.
The combination of the sweetness of the banana and orange juice, along with the distinctive bitterness of chocolate and the warm finish of vodka makes banana flambée a truly alluring dish.
“The strong spirits I have poured,
May you find my banana flambée intoxicating.”
This poetic verse is sometimes heard at Bassac Restaurant, located within the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel, as a way to introduce diners to a dish that not only expresses the flavors and innovation of Vietnamese cuisine but also the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the people of Chau Doc in An Giang Province, a breezy town situated where the Hau River and Chau Doc River meet.
It would not be wrong to say that the flaming hot banana flambée experience at Bassac Restaurant at Victoria Chau Doc Hotel invites diners to enjoy the delicious combination of bananas, orange juice, chocolate, and vodka.
Savoring the taste of chef Tang Cam Mai’s creative dish in this gorgeous Indochina-inspired setting encourages diners to awaken their emotions and taste buds as they sample Chau Doc’s incredible local food culture.
More than a destination for unique culinary experiences, Bassac Restaurant at Victoria Chau Doc Hotel is also an excellent base from which to explore the rustic lifestyle of people who live on and by the river.
Located near attractions such as Nui Sam (Sam Mountain) and the Chau Doc floating market, Bassac Restaurant offers an ideal mix of culinary experiences and insights into local life.
Come to Bassac Restaurant at Victoria Chau Doc Hotel to taste our renowned banana flambée as well as witness the beautiful landscapes along the Hau River in Chau Doc, An Giang province.
