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Restaurant Reviews

Hot Plate

The shrimp and pork crepe ($8.95) at Dalat Vietnamese Bistro (3241 Southwest Freeway, 669-9375) is a piece of work any way you cut it. And believe me, you'll do a lot of cutting. Crepes don't come much bigger than this. No, it's not as large as a breadbox. It's more the size of a hand towel, and seeing it for the first time, I thought, this is too big even for me. But I hadn't counted on how delicious it is. The crepe is made with a batter using rice flour -- saffron and curry powder are added to give it color -- and filled, not just with shrimp and pork, but with onions, green peppers and bean sprouts as well. The best way to tackle this thing is to cut it into small portions, wrap them in lettuce and dip them in fish sauce. For all its size, it's very light, so don't be surprised if you find yourself ordering another.

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Eric Lawlor