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My very last meal eating out at a restaurant before the shutdowns was with Jacqueline at Hanoi Old Quarter. For those who are unaware, they are part of the same group as the ever-so-popular Mr. Red Cafe. Hence, the menu at Hanoi Old Quarter serves up some of the same goodies with a Northern Vietnamese flair. This location used to be Happy Man Restaurant which was a HK-style cafe. Some subtle renovations have given it a Vietnamese look but the overall layout stayed the same meaning seating is on the tighter side. Loved how the staff were so welcoming and pleasant throughout our meal.
Getting to the food, we had the outstanding Crab Spring Rolls. Exactly like the ones you'd find at Mr. Red, these were bursting with filling including a generous amount of fluffy crab. Beyond that, there was also a good mix of sweetness, brininess and umami elements. This was all encased in a legit thin and crispy rice paper wrapper. One of the best things to eat in town period. Next up, we had the Banh Cuon with minced pork with a side of Vietnamese ham. These rice noodle rolls were super thin and buttery soft. At the same time, there was a pleasing elasticity to them. Loved the moisture content as it was just enough without being wet, and not overly dry either. There could've been a touch more pork and wood ear mushroom, but that wasn't a huge deal. This was topped with aromatic and crispy fried shallots.
Onto some bigger dishes, we had the Beef Stew in Clay Pot served with a baguette. Although it didn't look very big, there was plenty of tender beef slices nestled within the flavourful stewing liquid. Along with a hint of curry, the onions and five spice really came through. I personally love it with bread rather than noodles, so I like how this is the way they serve it. Lastly, we tried the Vermicelli Noodle Soup with egg, chicken, prawn, ham and herbs. As you can see, this was a bevy of ingredients that totally hid the noodles. Very filling bowl of noodles despite the "light" ingredients. The broth itself was clean and sweet with some of the flavours from the ingredients blending in. I found the noodles to be perfect being slippery with a chew. Although there could be a variety of meals as my last before I stopped going out (this was mid-March), this was both satisfying and delicious.
The Good:
- Love those crab spring rolls
- Nice people
- Different than the usual Southern Vietnamese spots in town
The Bad:
- Seating is tight
I would say that of all the neighbourhoods in the Vancouver proper, Kits is one of those places I never think of traveling to eat unless there was some planned in advance. It probably correlates with the fact I don't drive towards and away from UBC very often. However, Grace needed to head out there to get a dog carrier and I tagged along knowing there would be eats in the future. We stopped by one of the few spots that serve North Vietnamese eats in the Broadway location of the popular Mr. Red.
At Grace's suggestion, we had the Bánh Bột Lọc Lá Chuối or steamed pork & shrimp tapioca dumplings wrapped in banana leaves. These were on point with buttery soft tapioca and tender pork that had an appealing rebound texture. It was well-seasoned where the salty brininess of the shrimp came through. The accompanying fish sauce dip added another layer of saltiness as well. My choice of dish was the Xôi Xéo Hà Nội or sticky rice with mung bean and fried shallots. As simple of a dish this might be, I loved the soft glutinous rice topped with crumbled mung bean and aromatic crispy shallots. For me at least, adding some of the chili garlic vinegar made the dish sing.
Another appie of sorts was the Cánh Gà Chiên Mật Ong or spicy fried chicken wings with honey and butter. Despite the seemingly wet appearance, the wings were actually really crispy and not soggy at all. There was impactful flavours to be had including an initial hit of sweetness then tempered by a muted spiciness. Onto a larger item, we had the Bun Bò Lá Lốt or grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves served with vermicelli, cucumber, sprouts, cilantro and mint. This was our favourite dish of the meal since it was both impactful and texturally on point. I liked how the beef was juicy and tender with a rebound while naturally sweet and seasoned with fish sauce.
Our last item was the Phở Sốt Vang Hà Nội or Hanoi Beef Stew Noodle Soup. I found the taste to be subtle yet still meaty and flavourful at the same time. There was a rich beef quality to the broth while the anise, cloves and cinnamon were totally detectable. The slices of beef shank were tender while not becoming over soft from the braise. Slippery and chewy, the rice noodles were on point as well. So as you can clearly see, we enjoyed our meal where the food was on point and delicious. It's nice to see the Broadway location has kept the consistency of the original one on Hastings.
The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- On point flavours
- Decent service
The Bad:
- We didn't order the Pho because the other dishes are better
Posts
My very last meal eating out at a restaurant before the shutdowns was with Jacqueline at Hanoi Old Quarter. For those who are unaware, they are part of the same group as the ever-so-popular Mr. Red Cafe. Hence, the menu at Hanoi Old Quarter serves up some of the same goodies with a Northern Vietnamese flair. This location used to be Happy Man Restaurant which was a HK-style cafe. Some subtle renovations have given it a Vietnamese look but the overall layout stayed the same meaning seating is on the tighter side. Loved how the staff were so welcoming and pleasant throughout our meal.
Getting to the food, we had the outstanding Crab Spring Rolls. Exactly like the ones you'd find at Mr. Red, these were bursting with filling including a generous amount of fluffy crab. Beyond that, there was also a good mix of sweetness, brininess and umami elements. This was all encased in a legit thin and crispy rice paper wrapper. One of the best things to eat in town period. Next up, we had the Banh Cuon with minced pork with a side of Vietnamese ham. These rice noodle rolls were super thin and buttery soft. At the same time, there was a pleasing elasticity to them. Loved the moisture content as it was just enough without being wet, and not overly dry either. There could've been a touch more pork and wood ear mushroom, but that wasn't a huge deal. This was topped with aromatic and crispy fried shallots.
Onto some bigger dishes, we had the Beef Stew in Clay Pot served with a baguette. Although it didn't look very big, there was plenty of tender beef slices nestled within the flavourful stewing liquid. Along with a hint of curry, the onions and five spice really came through. I personally love it with bread rather than noodles, so I like how this is the way they serve it. Lastly, we tried the Vermicelli Noodle Soup with egg, chicken, prawn, ham and herbs. As you can see, this was a bevy of ingredients that totally hid the noodles. Very filling bowl of noodles despite the "light" ingredients. The broth itself was clean and sweet with some of the flavours from the ingredients blending in. I found the noodles to be perfect being slippery with a chew. Although there could be a variety of meals as my last before I stopped going out (this was mid-March), this was both satisfying and delicious.
