Exploring Flavor, Gathering from Three Regions - Venture to Kiến for a Taste Adventure

For adventure enthusiasts, if the trails of the Northwest have all become must-visit journeys, then for drinking enthusiasts, Kiến has also become a must-visit spot.

More than just a typical drinking establishment, Kiến offers an experience, a culinary challenge not for the faint-hearted.

Discovering Treasures Along the Culinary Journey

The offerings here encompass not only delectable dishes and specialty wines but also embrace the essence of adventure tucked away in every nook and cranny of the space.

Guests are tantalized by the unique and intriguing menu offerings that beckon exploration.

The initial impression for anyone stepping into Kiến at 100 Tuệ Tĩnh is a space that is simultaneously unfamiliar yet familiar, enticing, and always inviting exploration. By day, visitors encounter a Kiến that is intimate and unassuming. Stepping into Kiến feels like stepping into a cozy wooden-floored cottage adorned with wooden walls, tables, chairs, or sitting cross-legged with friends in a warm atmosphere.

The daytime ambiance at Kiến is cozy and unpretentious.

However, experiencing Kiến at night unveils a whole new fascinating adventure, both enthralling and slightly eerie with its modern yet rustic décor, leaving one intrigued and compelled to return for more.

Kiến in the evening exudes an even more captivating allure than during the day.

Regular patrons here, acquainted with the intriguing backstory behind Kiến's inception, know that every dish and every fruit wine served here is either sourced from or inspired by the most unique corners of Vietnam's terrain, along the winding roads less traveled that many may have never even heard of.

Kiến – A drinking haven not meant for the faint-hearted.

Those who have ventured to Kiến will undoubtedly be astonished by the 'monstrous' menu and the array of exotic dishes: grilled picky chicken, buffalo skin salad, adventurous soups, ant egg sticky rice, crickets, silkworms, crispy fried scorpions...

Many young women bring their boyfriends here to 'test' them with dishes that merely their sight can send shivers down one's spine, like crispy fried scorpions, lemon grass crickets...

Dishes that challenge the bravest of taste buds

Crispy fried scorpions

'Roach on the table' featuring Roasted Roaches with Lemon Leaves

Salt-roasted Ants

Ant Egg Sticky Rice – Specialty of the Northern mountainous and midland region

Only those who have visited the Tay ethnic regions in spring, stayed with a local family, and were treated as honored guests would have the chance to taste ant egg sticky rice. Ant eggs, sometimes requiring a whole day's journey to collect 1-2 kilograms, are a delicacy with a rich, creamy flavor found only in certain ant species.

Tiny ant eggs, resembling morning dew drops, are served with warm water to drain excess moisture, then marinated with soup powder, dried onions, and fat until they emit a fragrant aroma. The ant eggs are then carefully wrapped in banana leaves, preserving their aromatic essence.

The main ingredient of ant egg sticky rice is ant eggs

After that, the cook kindles the fire, cooks sticky rice, removes it from the pot, wraps it with ant eggs, sprinkles them on top, then gently mixes them together on a plate before serving hot.

Upon arrival at Kiến, the server presents a small plate adorned with ant egg sticky rice. The enticing aroma of glutinous rice blends with ant eggs and rich, savory fried fat, irresistibly tantalizing the taste buds of everyone present. Taking a bite, the delicate crunch of ant eggs harmonizes with the fragrant rice, the creamy texture of the eggs, and even the unique aroma of banana leaves used to preserve the ant eggs. It's a testament to the host's hospitality towards guests.

There's nothing more fitting than enjoying ant egg sticky rice at Kiến

Chicken wrapped in mắc khén leaves - the soulful cuisine of Ban flower land

At Kiến, alongside ant egg sticky rice, another exquisite dish known as mọ stands out. Meticulously prepared with unique ingredients from the Northwest region such as Northwest 'running' chicken and, notably, mắc khén leaves - a type of leaf found only in the land of Ban flowers.

After marinating the chicken thoroughly, it is wrapped into small parcels, then cooked. In Thai ethnic villages, they typically steam the chicken, but nowadays it can be prepared more quickly by grilling or steaming. Grilled or steamed chicken wrapped in mắc khén leaves is best enjoyed when it's just cooked through. As the staff presents it, guests shouldn't rush to devour the dish, but rather savor each bite slowly to fully appreciate the exquisite flavor of the 'essence of the Northwest skies and earth'.'

 Nowadays, there's no need to trek all the way to the remote Northwest to enjoy 'mọ gà'.

Delicious dishes require a touch of 'pre-tasting'

Visiting Kiến without trying the unique fruit wines here would be a waste. Since ancient times, rumors have circulated about hidden 'pre-tasting' spots on high peaks in the Northwest and Northeast. Many have had to trek through mountains and cross streams to indulge, but now, a visit to Kiến is all it takes.

Order bottles of apricot wine, cat apple wine, ant egg wine, corn wine, glutinous rice wine, red sticky rice wine, or chrysanthemum wine, priced from only 58,000 to 150,000 VND per bottle.

A gentle buzz of alcohol, a cozy atmosphere, and delicious snacks - what else is worth getting tipsy for?

As October rolls around again, travelers are itching to head to the mountains to enjoy the ripe rice fields, where fragrant rice grains are ripe and golden, or to admire the blooming buckwheat flowers and soon-to-bloom wild sunflowers. And you, if you're still caught up in work or tangled in the 'dust of life', what are you waiting for? Come to Kiến and spend a few hours letting loose with Kiến.

Address:

Kiến Restaurant – 100 Tuệ Tĩnh Street, Hai Bà Trưng District