Jasmine IPA, Pasteur Street’s flagship beer, on tap at Fatfish
Meet Fatfish Da Nang
Its location on 439 Tran Hung Dao makes Fatfish Da Nang among the first of soon-to-be-many restaurants on the ‘other’ riverfront as the Da Nang development boom continues. The building is beautiful inside and out. Skillful design using all-glass walls and doors means the distinction between the two environments is often blurred. The food is Mediterranean/Vietnamese fusion, with a menu featuring items like smoked duck (from their in-house smoker), seafood and an assortment of pizzas.
Aside from their food, Fatfish has made a name for itself by being the first bar in Da Nang to carry craft beer from Pasteur Street Brewing Company. At the time of opening, they carried the flagship Jasmine IPA and the Spice Island Saison, and now also carry the Passionfruit Wheat. On April 29th, Fatfish and Pasteur Street put on a collaboration 4-course beer pairing dinner which was totally awesome.
first appetizer: snapper carpaccio and octopus pate paired with Pasionfruit Wheat Ale
Fatfish Craft Beer Pairing
The dinner event featured 4 unique dishes created in the Fatfish kitchen, each paired with a different Pasteur Street beer. Before each course, the head brewer Dave got up to talk about the beer selection, which awards it’s won and what flavors you’ll discover in that delicious glass besides just ‘beer’. In between servings, it was pretty much free flow in terms of beer and conversation. The food was tasty, which was no surprise considering the venue. If pressed to pick a favorite dish, I’d go with the snapper. It was just so fresh and zesty, and the dryness of the Passionfruit Wheat complimented it perfectly. In fact, the two friends I came with aren’t big seafood eaters, so I ended up happily gorging myself on their portions. All the pairings were good as basic beer logic prevailed: lighter wheat beers with fish, dark roasty beers with dessert. They really nailed the balance between being informative about the food and beer without being pretentious.
main course: smoked duck, handmade pasta with tomato sauce and garlic roasted veggies paired with Spice Island Saison
My Take
By the end of the event I was very satisfied (quite full and pretty buzzed), having eaten and imbibed such a variety of flavors. But you know what, I would have loved to see even more variety. I’m talking about a brown ale, red ale, Dunkel, something in between Saison and Stout. Throughout the meal, we ascended nicely in terms of ABV and IBU. But when it was time for dessert, we sort of got tossed into the malt deep end. Now, I don’t want to be the guy who has to choose between the Jasmine IPA and the Saison, because both are great. Is it too greedy to ask for a fifth course so we could try one more beer style? It was just so good that I wanted more.
dessert: beer tiramisu paired with Cyclo Imperial Chocolate Stout
Of course I did get greedy, and my greed was rewarded. Those who stayed till the very end got to try the double IPA and the *gasp* triple IPA. We also had the chance rub shoulders with Dave and Fatfish Da Nang’s Matt at their table. All in all a great event, so keep an eye out for the next one because you definitely won’t want to miss it.
In the meantime, if you’re in Da Nang and want to check out some local-style food spots, why not come one on of our food tours?
