Nem's

[Marco]

Where's my Nem's then? :scratch:

Yum Yum! :)


Mikey, I meant to ask you what that stuff was before I went away but with one thing and another forgot... :doh:

I had a look round but couldn't see anything. What kind of sauce is it and what's it normally used with? I'm intrigued because as a bit of a foodie I normally know what most things are but Nems sauce escapes me. We're going over again towards the end of the year so will get it then :)

Marco.

[Mike]

A 'Nem' is a sort of spring roll - Vietnamese.

Nem sauce is pretty self-explanatory! - It's sauce for Nem's. Comes in a bottle and looks like wee, or in Glasgow parlance, 'Pish'! :lolsign:


You fry the rolls and pop em in the middle of a lettuce leaf with a few fresh mint leaves, roll it all up, dip it in the sauce and scoff. I first found them in a Chinese restaurant in France, hearing Chinese people speak French is weird! :scratch:

Can't seem to get them here in the UK at all. :(

Mrs Shian7 is going to France in September. She will not be allowed home without copious quantities of the little blighter's! :mad:

[Marco]

LOL. I've never heard of Nem, and hence neither Nem sauce, but then as it's a Vietnamese dish, not French, I can perhaps be forgiven for not finding it in French supermarkets! ;)

And particularly as we were in the depths of the countryside, way off the beaten track and miles away from anything 'trendy'...

I usually find that in France, Germany, Italy, etc, the food stock in shops tends to be pretty traditional and reflects local cuisine rather than international, or a mixture of both, as is seen in supermarkets in the UK. Of course in large cities it may be different.

I'm not too au fait either with Vietnamese food, but Nems intrigue me!

Marco.

[Mike]

LOL. I've never heard of Nem, and hence neither Nem sauce, but then as it's a Vietnamese dish, not French, I can perhaps be forgiven for not finding it in French supermarkets! ;)

Most French supermarkets have em, that's were we used to buy them from anyway. Check the fridge's next time your there. The sauce is usually with all the other sauce's, in a bottle about the size of soy sauce.

It's the lettuce/mint/sauce that makes all the difference! :)

[Mike]

http://www.hoteltravelvietnam.com/Vietnam+Travel+News+level/Special+foods/special+food+of+vietnam/

[Steve Toy]

I may be off to the same place as Marco shortly so I'll see what I can do.

[Mike]

Nem stuff moved here. :)

[Marco]

Thanks for the link, Mike. I'll check it out. Is there a big Vietnamese thing going on in France, then? Can't say I've noticed it myself. The only 'foreign' food I've seen eaten in France is kebabs! :eyebrows:

Here's where we were staying (Le Chateau de la Garenne):

www.gite62.com

And where we enjoyed dinner on a few occasions (click on 'Auberge de Moulin' and then 'Restauration'):

http://www.lemoulindaudenfort.com/

Both places are absolutely superb (for a variety of reasons)! :smoking:

Marco.

[Mike]

Is there a big Vietnamese thing going on in France, then?

Dunno mate :confused:

Had Nem's as a starter in a Chinese over there then found them in the supermarkets, ate em several times a week as a sort of 'scooby snack' for the year I was there. I've had a craving for them for about 10 years now as I've not been back since 98. :(

Looks like a nice place you've just been to! :)

[Marco]

Ah... That's why I wouldn't have heard of Nems.

When we're in France we eat French food exclusively, as both Del and I love French food. We wouldn't think of eating Chinese, Indian, or whatever, even if it were available, as it would be a missed opportunity to enjoy some proper local nosh (see menu in the Auberge du Moulin for examples!)

Plus both of us love wine and wine doesn't really go well with Chinese food.

Yep, we had a nice time and the place (and area) was superb - very quiet though, so as long as you're not looking for a 'happening' night life with loads of bars and clubs, etc, you'd be fine. We toured around the area a lot, too, as we had the car with us. We both have busy working lives though so to be honest getting the chance to chill and do nothing in beautiful surroundings whilst enjoying some nice food and wine was sheer bliss :cool:

Marco.

[Mike]

Plus both of us love wine and wine doesn't really go well with Chinese food.

LOL... of course it does. Wine goes with EVERYTHING! :drinking: Errr...especially in France! :eyebrows:

Anyway, it does look like a lovely location, at 45years old I don't really look for clubby type places anymore, must renew my passport.

If you go to France for a year though Marco, you kind of start looking round for alternative cuisine after a while! If you go for a short holibob you're dead right, enjoy the 'locale' and all it's got to offer!

Visited both Chinese and Indian restaurants while I was there, both sound VERY weird speaking French. It is impossible to get a HOT curry (or anything else, for that matter) over there. I think the French, in general, are allergic to chillies !!! I couldn't even find any chilli powder that was actually hot. :scratch:


Cheers,
Mike.

[Mike]

Well....

Cath has just come back from France, with!...... absolutely no Nems whatsoever! :steam::steam::steam:

Grrrrrrr......

[Marco]

You've not trained her properly, Mike! ;)

So what state is your house in? :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Mike]

So what state is your house in? :eyebrows:

Pretty bloody good until the 'Nemless one' came home!

I worked pretty hard to get things tidied up and she's dumped stuff all over the place! :wah:

[Iain Sinclair]

And there was me thinking this thread was about

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/NEMS_shops.jpg