Sherman's Food Adventures: Au Petite Cafe

Au Petite Cafe

For only the second time this year, I was able to make it out for golf. Snake reserved a tee time at Langara. Vandelay and Costanza rounded out our foursome. To classify this round of golf as interesting would be a an understatement. On the 11th hole, I ended up breaking my 9-iron on a tree limb with my follow-through. Then, on the 16th, I managed to hit a post that was no wider than 6 inches resulting in the ball ricocheting backwards for negative yardage. I really need to go out and play more, my game is in disarray. Regardless of that, I had plenty of fun, especially with some good company. Naturally, after a round of golf, we were in need of nourishment. After a brief discussion, we all decided on Au Petit Cafe on Main street. Mind you, I not sure why we chose hot Pho on an extremely warm day.

We arrived at Au Petit at around 2:20pm and it was packed. Snake was flabbergasted as to why it would be full in the middle of the afternoon. Luckily for us, a table for 4 was just opening up for us. Upon taking our seats, Snake was inundated with spitting. He glanced over at Vandelay and Costanza ready to retaliate with a horking motion when I stopped him. I pointed up at the leaky air conditioner, averting a full scale war - I felt very much like a Canadian at that point. Vandelay was the only one who had been to Au Petit before and highly recommended the Iced Coffee. I wasn't originally planning to order one; but everyone else got one and I felt left out. Yes, I seemed to succumb to peer pressure quite a bit... Vandelay also suggested we try the Banh Mi. Interestingly, we all ordered one except for Vandelay. I have to say it was darn good Banh Mi. The bread was crunchy and there was ample filling. I had the Banh Mi Dac Biet which, in addition to the usual ingredients, was filled with crushed meatballs.

Costanza was conflicted, he wanted to have the beef stew; but it came with more Banh Mi (minus the filling). He didn't want to have 2 loaves of bread. Ultimately he settled for the Hu Tieu Bo Kho (Beef Stew and Rice Noodle Soup). I tried some and it was fabulous. The broth was rich and a bit sweet without being oily or salty. The beef was oh-so-tender. Snake and I both went for the Pho Tai Nam Bo Vien, which consisted of raw beef, beef meatballs and cooked beef. The broth itself was quite light in flavour and colour; yet it still emanated a strong aroma (a good thing). The portion size wasn't exactly big; but it was enough, especially since we had Banh Mi's already.

I'm not really a coffee drinker; but let's just say if all coffee tasted like the one at Au Petit Cafe, I'll become one. The Cafe Sua Da or Dark French Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk was absolutely to die for. I got some feedback from Costanza since he is a coffee connoisseur and he loved it. The rich coffee taste tempered by the sweet milk was decadent. I could've used another 5 of these; yet I would probably be awake for the next week as a result. If I sound pretty excited over a small Vietnamese restaurant, you would be correct in your assumption. What can I say, the food was good, service was friendly, price was right, coffee was outstanding and Snake got all wet. Perfect meal.

The Good:
- Excellent iced coffee
- Really good Banh Mi
- Delicately prepared and great tasting food
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- It's petit alright, very tight seating
- Not only does the A/C spit, it's not very effective

Au Petit Cafe on Urbanspoon

0 comments:

Search this Site