CHÉN Vietnamese Restaurant

Always love new spots opening up and especially in my hood since, even though I drive for food, it makes it a whole lot easier if I drive less!  So when we spotted CHÉN Vietnamese Restaurant opening up where Sushi UOmo used to be, it was at the top of my list to try.  We didn't get to it right away since we were busy getting ready to go to Japan.  Well, that didn't go as planned where Viv broke her leg early on.  That meant we were back in town to try the place out, including Viv.  She was in a bit of discomfort, but made it through the meal!

For those who don't know, CHÉN features Northern Vietnamese cuisine, so many things on the menu may not look familiar or may be a little different.  Take the Crab Spring Rolls for instance.  They looked similar to the regular type, but there was crab and loved to see them use rice paper as the wrapper.  We found these to be good with a nice crunch and a fluffy filling.  There was not too much crab in there, so it wasn't that noticeable.  If I had to compare, I like the ones at Crab Hot Lau more due to their size and big pieces of crab leg meat.

So you might be wondering if there is any difference between North vs South Vietnamese Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội.  Well, there are subtle differences such as less sauces and no butter mayo.  Instead, it is usually just pâté and sometimes, there is Maggi added to it rather than soy sauce.  This one here was minimalist but had all the usual ingredients.  The baguette was crunchy and airy while there was enough pâté to add umaminess.

The same minimalist concept applies to the Phở Tái Bò Viên as well with a lighter broth and only a garlic vinegar condiment on the side.  However, just like at Crab Hot Lau, they also have sriracha and hoisin just to please everyone.  I found the broth clean and actually quite flavourful but not salty nor too sweet.  The amount of noodles was a bit meager but did the job.  The meats were tender, but once again, limited in portion.

We also had the Bún Bò Huế and there was much more meat involved in that bowl.  Furthermore, the broth was tasty with hits of lemongrass, brininess and some spice. Loved that they included pork blood in this as many places do not (understandable since many people do not eat it).  There was no pork knuckle though, but once again, that would only appeal to a small percentage of diners.  A really solid bowl of BBH and I would gladly have it again.

Trying to go for something different, I tried a Hanoi specialty in the Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm which included sliced pork hock, fried young rice pork sausage, fried tofu, rice noodle bundles, herbs and a bowl of fermented shrimp sauce. If you can imagine, that shrimp sauce was the key to this dish.  It was super funky and briny.  This wouldn't be great for novices, but if you are into shrimp sauce, this was super delicious with different textures combined with also the lime, herbs and bird's eye chili.

Finally, onto a defaultish dish in the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with 2 sunny side eggs.  Unfortunately, this was the one dish that could've been better.  The chicken was flavourful and had some nice grill marks, but it was dry and a bit chewy.  Portion size for the dish was good, but a bit more chicken would've been great.  Overall, we thought the food at CHÉN to be solid and a bit different being Northern Vietnamese.  Loved the decor and also the people there!

The Good:

- Something different than the usual Southern Vietnamese

- Generally good quality food

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Pricing is on the higher end

- Seating is a bit tight

Rendezvous Pub

Here we are back at Rendezvous Pub out in Langley, to sample some of their brunch items in addition to their classics.  For those who don't know, Rendezvous Pub has been around since 1983 and it was pretty much a traditional pub until it changed ownership last year.  The menu has gone through some changes and they are modernizing the place a little bit at a time.  We showed up on a Sunday morning and the place was pretty busy.

The reason for this is their brunch menu and the incredibly affordable RP House Special for only $8.00!  This came with 2 eggs, choice of meat, hashbrowns and choice of toast.  As you can see, the eggs were perfectly sunny side up while the toast was lightly brown but still crispy.  The ample side of hashbrowns were fried beautifully where the outside was crispy and seasoned whereas the inside was still fluffy.  The two sausage links had a crispy exterior with a meaty interior.

As much as the eggs in the Triple Meat Omelette were pretty much cooked through, the size of this thing combined with the generous amount of meat inside made this very hearty.  I would find it hard for anyone to actually finish this easily.  Just for good measure, there was a good amount of melted cheese on top too.  Add in the large amount of the same crispy and seasoned hashbrowns, this was a lot of food for $15.50.

The Blackstone Benedict looked great on the menu and at first looked even better when it arrived at our table.  From the properly toasted English muffins to the crispy bacon and fresh tomatoes, this had so much potential.  Yes, we found the same great hashbrowns too.  Creamy and rich, the Hollandaise was solid too.  So what was wrong?  The poached eggs were completely cooked through.  Their kitchen was pretty busy, so maybe just a one-off.

Onto the happy hour menu (it is all day Sunday), we had some of the Wings in both Salt & Pepper and Caribbean Jerk for $12.00 each.  Most places charge $20.00 for wings these days, so this was pretty inexpensive.  These were crispy with rendered skin.  The meat was a little on the dry side, but still ok.  I felt the salt and pepper could've used a bit more pepper.  The jerk was pretty tasty with very mild spice.

Originally, we ordered the Breakfast Poutine, but what came out was the RP's Poutine instead.  No matter, it was pretty good with crispy Cavendish-type fries (the starch-coated kind).  There was a considerable amount of gravy, which was fine by me.  It coated every fry with good viscosity and also a balanced saltiness.  There was also enough cheese curds where most of them were melted.  Yes, most people would prefer some non-melted pieces of cheese curds, but this was still fine.

Also on their happy hour menu, we found a selection of pizzas and of course we went for the Meat Lover's Pizza for $16.00.  This featured a thin crust that was decent, especially for a pub. It was crispy throughout and not cardboard-like.  On top, they didn't skimp with the tomato sauce, meat and cheese.  There was so much pepperoni, bacon and ham, there was not one bite without a mess of it in our mouths.  Tomato sauce was quite good being tangy and a bit sweet.

Going with another classic pub offering, we had the Fish & Chips.  This featured two beer battered pieces of cod and the same crispy starch-covered fries.  This was really good, not only for a pub, but good for even a fish & chips joint.  The fish was moist and flaky while coated with a thin and crispy batter.  It wasn't greasy at all and the batter was nicely salted.  The side of tartar was creamy and tangy while the coleslaw was refreshing being the vinegar version.

Being in a pub, one must also try the burger too, so we got the Southern Dynamic Duo featuring 2 beef patties with double cheddar, jalapenos, onion rings, bacon and BBQ sauce on brioche.  Yah, this was fully loaded and despite the patties being the generic frozen variety, it ate quite well.  The meat was juicy and still had a meaty texture.  This was so loaded with different textures and tastes, it was quite the flavour bomb.  We got some Garlic Parmesan Fries on the side, and they were pretty loaded with parm and came with garlic aioli on the side.

One of our favourite items of the meal was the Rueben.  Yes, this was not complex where it was about construction and the individual components more than anything else.  Well, they had all of the right things including corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and Dijon on marbled rye.  Yes, they didn't put Thousand Island dressing in this, but I prefer the mustard anyways.  Bread was a soft rye and had some nuttiness.  So overall, the food at Rendezvous Pub is pretty good with all things considered.  Pricing is reasonable and portions are large.  Maybe a few items could've used a few tweaks, but the place was pretty packed and I'm sure the kitchen was slammed.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Generally solid food

- Well-priced

- Large portions

The Bad:

- A few things could've been less cooked through