Menu — Thang Long Restaurant

A traditional dish of this goat-raising region, prepared the old way. For guests who already know it.

The classic opener on every Ninh Binh goat table. Thin slices of lightly seared goat tossed with lime, lemongrass, lime leaf and toasted sesame; eaten wrapped in leaves with green banana, star fruit and pickled fig, dipped in fermented soybean sauce.

Goat seared with garlic and shallot, crisp outside and still juicy inside. A good first goat dish if you have never tried it.

Goat stir-fried with lemongrass, shallot and spices — the dish locals order with rice, or poured over crispy rice.

Goat with galangal and fermented rice — the gentle northern sourness that cuts straight through any gaminess.

Steamed with lemongrass, nothing else. If you want to know what Ninh Binh mountain goat actually tastes like — sweet, firm, not gamey — start here.

Goat steamed with perilla leaves in a covered pot opened at your table. The gentlest way to taste real mountain goat.

Goat sausage fried until the skin crackles, soft and rich inside. A standard on the goat platter.

A whole marinated slab of goat grilled over charcoal and sliced at your table. Smoky and crisp at the edges, still tender inside.

Goat grilled on a hot cast-iron plate set in the middle of the table — you cook as you eat, and the meat stays hot all through the meal.

Salt-roasted goat, savoury and crisp outside, tender inside. Usually the first plate emptied at a group table.

Goat cooked slowly in the heat of smouldering rice husk, an old country method that keeps the meat very tender. Please order in advance.

A whole roast goat for a large group or a special occasion. Must be ordered in advance.

Goat spring rolls with fresh herbs — a light introduction for first-time goat eaters, children included. Please order in advance.

Crispy rice with a rich heart-and-kidney sauce — the other half of the com chay pair, and part of almost every group set menu.

The Ninh Binh dish to try: golden fried rice cakes with hot goat sauce ladled over them. Crunchy at first bite, then soaked through and savoury.

A shared hotpot for four to ten people, with a deep goat broth and seasonal greens to dip. Good on a cool evening.

The fullest version of our goat hotpot — a large pot, carefully chosen ingredients, for an occasion that matters.

Hill chicken hotpot with a clear, sweet broth and firm meat. A good end to a long day of sightseeing.

Boiled pork belly, thinly sliced, with Ninh Binh shrimp paste — the salty-sweet flavour this province is known for.

Pork belly sautéed with shrimp paste until the edges caramelise. A salty dish made for eating with rice.

Field carp braised with pickled greens and dill in a gently sour broth. Comforting, and good with hot rice.

Fish braised the long, slow country way until the flesh is firm and fully seasoned. Please order in advance.

Seasonal water spinach, stir-fried with garlic or boiled and dipped in garlic fish sauce — the plate that balances a rich goat table.

Boiled seasonal roots and vegetables with sesame salt. Light, and popular with older guests.

Field crab soup with pickled aubergine — the plain, everyday soup that ends a Vietnamese meal.

Ripe seasonal banana to finish the meal.