Le Petit Saigon

Having gone to Au Petit Cafe earlier this month, I decided to make it complete by going to Le Petit Saigon as well. Once again, it was burning hot and we decided to go for hot Pho. That probably explained why Le Petit wasn't really busy. They had a couple of fans going; but it was a bit warm. One thing that struck me while we strolled in from the back entrance was how clean it was. I mean, the washrooms were so pristine, I would be comfortable eating in there. Of course I didn't really mean that; but it sounded good. The same could be said about the rest of the place, it was practically spotless. This was indeed a pleasant surprise for a Vietnamese restaurant.

While we were waiting for our orders, I decided to run across Hastings to get a shot of the front. I think some people were wondering what the heck I was doing. I tried to look as natural doing as I could; but I'm sure it really didn't help. Settling back into my seat, the first few dishes were arriving. Rich Guy ordered the Lemongrass Chicken and it was presented on a long, modern looking plate. I love it when restaurants go the extra mile and think about food presentation. It may seem like a small detail; but we eat with our eyes and noses too! I sampled some of the chicken. It was both moist and flavourful without being salty. For once, I didn't get to sample Viv's food because we were too busy attending to the kiddies. She had the Skewered Beef with Spring Roll Vermicelli Bowl. It looked to be a decent amount of food. She indicated that everything was pretty much how it should be.

Since I was sweating just sitting there, I opted not to go for the Pho. Instead, I decided to try the Seafood Dry Noodles. There was actually quite a bit of seafood resting on a modest bed of noodles. The shrimp were perfect, crunchy and sweet. I wasn't a big fan of the imitation crab sticks though, they were a bit cold and lifeless. In the end, we did get a bowl of Chicken Pho for the kiddies. I've actually never ordered chicken pho before and it's not bad. The soup base here was not salty at all; in fact, a bit on the sweet side. I ended up finishing the Pho that the kiddies didn't eat.

By now I was quite warm. Maybe they wanted to create the atmosphere of being in Vietnam? Whatever the case, the service was very friendly and efficient. Despite the lack of A/C, the restaurant itself was quite comfortable, unlike the other little hole-in-the-wall Pho joints. Add that with overall cleanliness, pretty good food and free parking at the back, it was a good experience.

The Good:
- Carefully made and presented food
- Friendly staff
- Clean and spacious restaurant

The Bad:
- No A/C, it's a sweatfest while eating hot Pho