Cha Gio for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Cha Gio for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The clean and deeply savoury profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced fish sauce used that way before.

Vietnamese cuisine shows French colonial influence alongside traditional Southeast Asian techniques. I explained the a street banh mi counter context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. Vietnamese iced coffee was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.