There are so many spectacular dishes at Minh’s, the unassuming Vietnamese restaurant in Clarendon, VA but I am particularly fond of the roasted quail. The bird is lacquered in a sweet glaze and accompanied by a peppery lemon dipping sauce. Whenever I’m sucking the succulent meat off the little bones I find myself transported to a roadside grill in Southeast Asia — and that, is a very good thing.
I can’t deny that another reason why I love this quail so much is because when I hold the tiny legs and wings in my hand I feel like a hungry giant instead of the petite Asian girl that I am.
Persimmons & Chestnuts 
Had to laugh at the picture of the bones – good eating Sharon-san. I love quail too (especially prepared Japanese style, a little yuzu-koshou on the skin mmmm) but I’m always surprised at how difficult it can be to get a good roasted bird of any kind – most recently, I was extremely disappointed with a roasted chicken I got at a bistro in Paris. How hard can it be to roast a bird?!
I’m with you on the yuzu-koshou. Amazing. Bummer about the chicken in Paris. It’s actually tricky to roast a bird just right. That’s why when done correctly it’s almost surprising. Sad right? (That being said, if you cook at a restaurant you should know how to handle a bird!)
mmmm quail… ive had a craving for it lately. i would have cleaned those bones up a lot better than that! do you know anywhere in Taiwan that serves it? i might have to go for pigeon instead.
Rob
True, I probably could’ve done a better job at sucking the cartilage and chewy bits off the bones but there was a lovely family sitting next to me and they looked a little horrified by the carnage.
I don’t know where to get this in Taiwan. Do they still grill little birds on the side of the street on the way to Kenting?
haha no they dont. actually its against the law to catch those baby birds. some people get hold of them however and do it for mid autumn festival or whatever. i was horrified when i first saw that in 1993. now, i love them. theyre delicious.