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

Hanoi Old Quarter

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

Mr. Red (Broadway)

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