Norris Monson at the wok in the newly operating kitchen at the Jade Fountain, 305 N. Central Ave. Photo by Jim Lundstrom

Fish sauce? On chicken wings?

I admit I was skeptical when I saw Vietnamese Carmelized Fish Sauce Wings on the new menu at Jade Fountain. I’ve got a bottle of fish sauce in my fridge that I bought for a forgotten recipe. I know it’s a staple condiment of southeast Asian cuisine, and that it consists of salted and pressed fish that goes through a fermentation process.

But I never realized the lip-smacking umaminess of fish sauce until I tasted the wings at Jade Fountain.

Ooh, mommy!

The long dormant kitchen at Jade Fountain has been brought back to life by Norris Monson, a Minnesota native who grew up in inner city Minneapolis. After years spent on the West Coast, he recently moved his family from Portland, Oregon, to Duluth, which he describes as “hands-down the most beautiful city in the state.”

Landing at the Jade Fountain to reopen the restaurant was simply a bit of good fortune. Before opening the Jade Fountain as a cocktail loounge in August 2020, Kai Soderberg had lived in Portland. When Monson mentioned to a friend in Portland that he was moving back to Minnesota, particularly Duluth, the friend told him of his friend, Kai Soderberg, a Duluth native who had recently returned. The rest is history.

Monson explained that the fish sauce wings is an idea he brought with him from Portland. Turns out they were the creation of a Vietnamese transplant who worked at a Portland restaurant called Pok Pok. His name is Ich Truong, and his wings went on the menu at Pok Pok’s as Ike’s Vietnamese Chicken Wings. The Pok Pok owner describes them as “food crack” that has helped to pay his mortgage. Others have described them as “chicken candy.”

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish my half order of wings because I also had a bowl of Chao Soi Gai, a rib-sticking northern Thai chicken curry. It was topped with deep-fried won ton strips and cilantro. From small bowls on the side I could add lime, shallots, pickled mustard greens and chili crisp (fried peppers in oil). “The pickled mustard greens cut the richness of the curry sauce,” Monson advised.

The first thing you notice is the enticing aroma of this curry. It’s packed with chunks of chicken and ramen noodles in a luscious curry sauce. Once I started digging into the delicious curry, I couldn’t return to the couple of wings that were left.

For bar snacks, Norris serves fried anchovies served with sweet garlic chili sauce (I look forward to trying them!). You can also order Larb Salad, pork or vegan pork fried rice, Vietnamese Beef or Mock Duck and potatoes, and Pad Kra Pow – ground pork or minced sirloin with garlic, onions, green beans, bird’s eye chilis and topped with a fried egg. The kitchen at Jade Fountain is open Tuesday through Thursday 6-10 pm and Saturday 4-10 pm.