Ho Chi Minh Quan Hai San Ut Lien · Local Preferred Seafood Restaurant 乌连海鲜餐厅

Marcus, a Vietnam foodie veteran was full of enthusiasm and eager for us to try out Ut Lien seafood restaurant. Indeed, it is the hyperlocal type of seafood place I would come back for and recommend to others. It serves excellent fresh seafood and prices are reasonable (codeword for not cheap 😄 ).

Ut Lien is a big restaurant but it is a no frills place with spartan utilitarian, sturdy furnishings, and practically no decor. We dined in air con comfort. Most of the customers' money go into quality ingredients and efficient though not warm service.

It's prettier outside where they do a lot of the cooking by grilling over charcoal. There are al fresco seating.

The thick dog eared menu book was in pictures and Vietnamese. I left it to Vietnam veterans Marcus and Aaron to order 🤭

Aaron ordered salted fish fried rice for his little girl. It was surprisingly delightful as the savoury sweet tender fluffy rice had good toasty wok hei and was spiked with nice crispy bits.

Razor clam stir fried with aromatics (like onion), chili and pork lard.

Okay...., I shall not pretend to know the names of all the dishes as I don't 😂 Everything was in Vietnamese - it is a good sign that it is not a tourist trap - it could trap locals as well 🤭

Canadian geoduck clams stir fried with spring onion. Tender crunchy and umami sweet. Nice.

Clams.

All the clams were very fresh and well cleaned. No sand no grit, all natural briny sweetness of the sea in tender spongy crunchy flesh.

Not sure what was this but it was meaty, crunchy and umami savoury sweet. Nice.

Grilled meaty mantis prawns. Mantis prawn meat is slightly softer than prawns like tiger, ang kar and such.

Stir fried noodles with pork loin.

Fried chicken wings.

Grilled octopus. Quite soft, limp, salty savoury.

Cockles. Nice and crunchy with umami and sweet flavours complemented by the taste of spring onion, aromatic oil and crushed toasted nuts.

We paid VND4,135,000 (SGD$225) for our dinner. Six adults and two children. We enjoyed good food, and great company. Thanks Aaron for the treat 🙏

Next time, I shall remind myself to get some snails as well.

Try to alight at the restaurant side as crossing the streets of Ho Chi Minh City needs steady nerves and some getting used to 😂

Restaurant name: Quán Hải Sản Út Liên 2

Address: RM38+MF8, 3C Đ. Phổ Quang, Phường 2, Tân Bình, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Tel: +84 90 364 0183

Hours: 11am - 11pm

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xgxf3XXpM3U27QxN8

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Written by Tony Boey on 31 Mar 2024

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