Hủ Tiếu Mom Vietnamese

Here were are with another new Vietnamese restaurant taking over a former one.  Pho Extreme Xe Lua on Broadway is no more and now we have Hủ Tiếu Mom Vietnamese.  If you know, the name refers to the dry noodle dish that you might know from Phnom Penh.  I should've guessed there was an incoming restaurant at this location because when I dined at Pho Extreme in the Summer, it looked like a bare-bones operation with half of the dining room open and the food was meh.  Well, we got to try this new place and yes, the dish of its namesake too.

Going for some basics, we had some appies in the form of the Chicken Salad Roll and Spring Roll.  These were pretty typical except the chicken salad roll had cilantro in it, which made it more flavourful.  I'm personally not a fan of cilantro, but I can see how this would really provide more herbaceousness.  Nice crunch with the veggies too.  As for the spring rolls, they were crispy and the filing was not mushy.  Pretty solid.

 

Continuing with another appie, we had the Fried Chicken Wings.  These were all flats (or "mid-wings").  As you can see, they were fried golden brown with a thin coating of starch/flour.  They were rather mild-tasting and could've used just a touch more marinade, but it didn't make or break the dish.  Inside, the meat was juicy and had a silky texture.  There was a bit of lettuce and pickled veggies on the plate as well.

 

Okay, we couldn't make a visit here without trying its namesake right?  Yes, we had the Hủ Tiếu in its dry noodle form (it can be had with soup too).  If you've ever been to Phnom Penh (the restaurant) before, you will recognize this.  Atop rice noodles (can be egg noodles too), we found liver, squid, shrimp and pork slices.  The whole thing was dressed in a sweet soy sauce.  Mixed together, this thing sang with sweet salty brininess, aromatic fried shallots and the meatiness of the liver.

 

Of course we had to get their soup version of Hủ Tiếu which was also called House Special Noodle Soup on the menu.  So we essentially got the same ingredients as the dry version except with the addition of quail's eggs in a hot broth.  About that broth, it was clear and clean with a background meatiness and a touch of brininess.  Nice balance of sweet and savoury.  Beyond the tender slices of lean pork, the liver was not overdone and hence, it was still springy.  Good texture on the prawns too.

 

We also got the Bún Bò Huế and it was more or less decent.  The broth had hits of lemongrass, but could've been somewhat stronger.  But the brininess was definitely there and it helped make the broth bolder.  There was some spice, but it was generally mild.  There was no absence of meat as you can see in the picture, however, there was no pork blood nor pork knuckle.  Not a necessity, since many restaurants do not have it either.

 

Moving onto some rice dishes, we had the Beef Rib with Rice as well as the Lemongrass Pork and Meatloaf with Rice.  Served atop broken rice (which was nicely texture being chewy and somewhat dry), there was ample meat on top.  However, the short ribs were sliced rather thin and hence it was more crispy than meaty.  The pork was really good being tender and well-marinated.  There was sufficient char on them too.  The pork meatloaf was a bit stiff, yet was meaty and full of umami.  Overall, the food at Hủ Tiếu Mom Vietnamese is competent presented in good portions at reasonable prices.  I like how they focus on Hủ Tiếu, which is not usually featured at most Vietnamese restaurants.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Large portions

- Reasonable prices

- A bit unique with its focus on Hủ Tiếu

 

The Bad:

- I thought the shortrib was sliced too thin

 

Phở Anh Vu

It seems like there are more and more Northern-style Vietnamese restaurants opening up in the GVRD recently.  It all started with Mr. Red, which has sadly closed its doors.  However, they could be reopening at another location.  Crab Hot Lau, Hanoi Old Quarter and Chen Vietnamese are some examples of more well-known Northern Vietnamese restaurants.  Now we have a massive chain from back East setting up shop in Richmond.  Phở Anh Vu occupies the former location of Dragon Group and is now one of the largest Vietnamese restaurants in town.  We made 2 separate visits to try a variety of dishes.

We began with their Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm Với Xôi or Fish Sauce Fried Chicken Wings with sticky rice.  Really good wings with rendered skin and a firmly crispy exterior.  This was still the case even though it was coated with a considerable amount of caramelized fish sauce.  About that sauce, it was richly sweet with the unmistakable funky brininess of fish sauce.  There was also the aromatics of garlic as well.  Within the wing, the meat was juicy and flavourful.  Really enjoyed the sticky rice on the side as it was moist and not dry while not being wet.

For those who don't already know, Northern-style Phở Dặc Biệt is lighter tasting and less rich than its Sourthern counterpart.  Also, it generally isn't served with sprouts and the sort (although since we are used to it here, they offer it).  Rather, there is the traditional pickled garlic condiment you would normally find at your table.  As expected, the Pho was definitely cleaner and less flavourful than the others found in town.  I did find it a bit too fatty for my liking, but it did add plenty of natural beef essence.  Although a bit more pricey than usual, the large portion size was considerable with lots of al dente noodles and tender meats.  Was nice to see they offered saw leaf herb on the side.

There was one dish on the menu that caught our attention, which was the Bún Chả Hà Nội Chả Giò or Ha Noi Style Vermicelli Noodles w/ Grilled Pork & Spring Rolls.  The only other place we have found this dish locally was at Cô Châu in New West.  That is sadly now closed and we were delighted that Phở Anh Vu has it on their menu.  We thought this version was very close to the Cô Châu dish.  The pork was beautifully grilled exhibiting caramelized flavours as well as smokiness.  It was tender and juicy while the fish sauce was mildly sweet with the usual brininess.  It went really well with the vermicelli noodles on the side as well as the variety of herbs.  The spring rolls were made with rice paper, hence, the outside was crispy and shattered upon every bite.  I found the filling to be a bit dense, but tender with some sweetness and slight pepperiness.

On other visit, we had the grilled pork again, since it was so good.  However, we added the Nem Cua Bể Hải Phòng or Square Crab Spring Roll (only available on weekends).  Of course we were going to compare this with the gold standard in the GVRD, Crab Hot Lau!  I thought it was pretty close with a shattering crispy outer shell while the pork filling was looser than the regular spring roll.  It was just as tender and moist.  There was a decent amount of fluffy and briny crab, but they supplemented it with prawns.  The dish came with lettuce (to wrap the spring roll), herbs and a big bowl of Nước Chấm.

We also had the Bún Bò Huế and opted not to have the Dặc Biệt version.  That one would have more of everything including the pork knuckle.  Instead, this one only had beef, sausage and pork blood.  I really enjoyed the broth as it was flavourful with hits of lemongrass, brininess and measured spice.  One of the better ones I've had lately.  Noodles were plentiful and at their chewy slippery best.  The ample amount of thinly sliced beef was super tender.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our 2 visits to Phở Anh Vu.  The food was well-prepared and presented in large portions.  Prices are indeed on the higher side, but the portion sizes made up for it.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Unique dishes (Northern)

- Good flavours (remember the Phở is lighter in the North)

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher side

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

Viet Time

Whenever we are in the Bay Area, I make it a point to visit my grandparents at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.  Since we were leaving for the airport, it was somewhat nearby.  Afterwards, we were pretty hungry and considered eating at the airport, but you know, it is a ripoff.  Hence, we started Googling some options in the area.  There was the Koi Palace in Daly City, but we hadn't been there in awhile and my aunt said it wasn't very good.  So we settled on something simple in Viet Time in San Bruno.

We weren't expecting too much from the place, but the mom n' pop place was welcoming.  We had both the Phở Bò Viên and Phở Dặc Biệt.  As you can see, the broth was pretty clean and clear.  It was decent with balance sweetness and meatiness.  I think that it could've been a bit more flavorful, but it was definitely acceptable.  As for the meats, the rare beef and brisket were not exactly thin.  However, they were still fairly tender.  I would've liked it thinner personally.

I really wanted the Phở Dặc Biệt but settled on the Bún Riêu instead.  We needed a little variety right?  Yah, my kids ordered the same thing and Viv kinda did the same.  Ugh...  Anyways, this was pretty serviceable with a sweet broth that had some brininess.  Although there were tomatoes present, it wasn't particularly noticeable.  Noodles had a nice bounciness to them and the meats were fair in portion size.  I enjoyed the pork meatballs with egg as they were fluffy and tasty.

So here are the 3 dishes that were almost the same (sigh...) with the first being Grilled Chicken, Pork Chop, Spring Roll and Egg on rice.  The second was the Grilled Chicken with rice.  I had to include the picture of the Grilled Chicken because it featured 2 large pieces and it was only $11.95!  Not only that, the chicken was juicy, well-marinated and beautifully grilled.  The pork chop was also tender and had a nice sear.  Spring roll was a bit average though.  Overall, these 2 plates were more than enough food for one person, if not more.

Lastly, I added a Bánh Mì Dặc Biệt with all the cold cuts.  As you can see, this was heavy on the pickles, especially the carrots.  There was also plenty of meats as well.  I would've liked to see some more pate as that is what make this sandwich in my opinion.  The bread was pretty airy with a soft crunch on the outside.  Overall, the food at Viet Time was respectable and a great value.  The people are super nice and there is lots of parking available.

The Good:

- Serviceable eats

- Well-priced

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Not the best, but for the price, I would go back if I was in the area

+84 Vietnamese Bistro

Hey, another Vietnamese restaurant! - This is not something that usually gets people excited when it comes to new restaurant openings.  However, I recently visited +84 Vietnamese Bistro and I'm pretty excited about the place.  Now, let me be real here, it isn't fine dining, nor is it like another new Vietnamese spot in Madame Danh.  Rather, it is a family-own operation that puts out quality eats in large portions and with reasonable prices.  All of this located right on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver no less.

We paid the place a visit recently and we started with the Grilled +84 Platter consisting of Beef Short Ribs, Sugar Cane Shrimp, Minced Pork, Prawns Skewer and Seafood Spring Roll with vermicelli, lettuce and pickled carrots/daikon.  This was quite a bit of food and was a great value at $34.00.  I enjoyed the all of the items including the one that wasn't listed.  It was a crispy triangle with what seemed like diced squid in it.  Short ribs were tender and nicely charred with sweet caramelization.  Sugar cane shrimp was removed from the sugar cane and it was sweet and bouncy.

Beyond the platter, we had a few more appies in the deep fried Soft Shell Crab as well as the deep fried Chicken Wings.  Featuring 2 large soft shell crabs, the dish was also served with a tamarind sauce.  Dipping the crispy battered crab into it really helped bring it alive with sweet tanginess.  As for the wings, they were crispy with rendered skin.  Meat was still juicy and well-marinated.  The outside was coated in a fish sauce caramel that was equal parts briny, salty and sweet.

On the menu, there are featured dishes as Chef's Special.  We ended up with a few of them including the Chicken Curry and the Flushing Fat Chicken.  The coconut curry was fragrant and pure-tasting.  I would've liked to see a bit more salt used in this, but it was great with the accompanying rice.  The dark meat chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender.  As for the other chicken dish, it sported a chicken leg and a half that was fried until golden brown.  The skin was super crispy and seriously rendered.  The chicken was a touch dry, but still tender and flavourful.  It was served with a delicious fried rice on the side. 

Another chef's special dish was the Sizzling Beef Hot Plate or a version of Bo Ne.  I really enjoyed the rich savoury meat flavour of the "gravy" that was great for dipping the toasted baguette.  Of course the sunny side egg didn't hurt either.  The tender morsels of beef were tender and plenty meaty-tasting with garlic and onion notes.  Somewhat of a "regular dish" was the Grilled Prawn Vermicelli Bowl.  Prawns were briny and sweet with heighten impact due to the grilling.  The spring roll was wrapped with rice paper, which meat it was flaky crispy.  Inside, the pork filling was juicy and well-seasoned.

We got a pair of noodle soups including the Bún Bò Huế and Bún Riêu.  The one I enjoyed most was the crab noodles as the briny sweetness was super concentrated with tanginess.  It was also chock full of sliced fish cake, fried tofu and of course the fluffy crab/pork/egg meatballs.  As for the BBH, it was a close second with a fragrant broth that also had balanced spice.  There was plenty of meat in the form of meatballs, Vietnamese ham and brisket.

We also tried some drinks including the Matcha Coconut, Fresh Lime Soda, Salted Cream Vietnamese Coffee and Jackfruit Smoothie.  My favourite of the bunch was the jackfruit as it featured bits of fruit and was refreshing and just sweet enough.  The lime soda was also refreshing and purposefully sweet.  We ended off with the Spicy Beef Sate Bánh Mi.  This had some good heat to go with the aromatics of the tender beef.  This was all served on a crusty baguette with an airy centre.  On this note, they are offering all Bánh Mi and drinks for 50% off this coming weekend (March 22nd and 23rd) with a limit of 2 per person.  If you can make it in by March 20th, they are offering 20% off your entire bill.  I would take advantage of this if I were you!

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

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Limited seating
- Some refinement on a few dishes needed

Saigon Dish

Sometimes, even while on vacay, you just might want to go basic with something less expensive and also less heavy.  This was the case here when Viv and I decided to just grab some Vietnamese nearby our hotel.  We made our way to the highly-rated Saigon Dish in Lawndale.  I guess we weren't the only ones thinking that as there was an extensive wait list going on.  Instead of giving up, we merely put our name down on the iPad and waited in the car.  Almost 45 minutes later, we were seated.

A bit out-of-character, we decided to order the Shrimp Tempura.  Nope, no spring rolls, no salad rolls and no salad.  Nothing really unusual about this dish as it was what we expected.  It consisted of meaty shrimp that had some rebound texture while coated in a light tempura batter.  The outside was crispy while the batter was slightly greasy.  It came with a sweet chili dip and the whole thing just ate pleasantly.  Not sure if this would be the most interesting thing to order as a starter though.

Viv went for the Phở with lean steak and brisket.  This was a solid bowl of noodles as the broth was clean but had depth.  It wasn't too salty while the natural sweetness of the components did come through.  There was sufficient tender meats, but they could've put a bit more to balance out the amount of al dente noodles.  But really, it was a good value and was more than enough food for Viv.

For myself, I had the Bún Bò Huế.  Unlike many versions out there, this one was legit as there was a large pork knuckle sitting in the fragrant broth.  Unfortunately, there was no pig's blood, but I can understand it may not be a big seller.  Now back to the broth, we could taste the lemongrass for sure, but there could've been more shrimpiness.  The spice was medium where it did add impact.  The noodles were slippery and chewy while the meats were tender (including the pork hock).

Lastly, we added the Bo Luc Lac with rice.  Despite the considerable amount of onions, it really didn't define the dish.  The cubes of beef were super moist and tender.  It had been stir-fried enough to slightly caramelize the onions and hence provide some sweetness.  This complimented the black pepper and soy.  I would've liked to see some peppers added to the mix rather than just onions.  Overall, the food at Saigon Dish was quite good and very reasonably-priced.  That is probably why they are so busy all the time.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Solid eats
- Fairly fair portions

The Bad:
- Pretty busy, you might have to wait (unless you do the online waitlist)
- Seating arrangements are not the most comfortable

Phở Bắc Sup Shop

Meeting up with Lola and Scout in Seattle is always a treat.  If I haven't told the story before, we met them on an Alaskan cruise over 10 years ago.  I was excited to do cruise ship trivia, but could not find a seat at the bar.  However, Lola waived me over and asked if Viv and I wanted to join her and Scout to form a team.  We killed it at that session and subsequent ones on the the 7-day journey.  Since then, we meet up every now and then when we are in Seattle or when they come up to Vancouver!  This time, we met up at a Seattle favorite in Phở Bắc Sup Shop.  They dish up traditional Vietnamese eats with some modern touches as well as offering cocktails.

We started with some fried things including the Pho Fries featuring a dip made of pate pho gravy with minced brisket, herbs, pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapenos and fried shallots.  Oh man this was absolutely delicious.  The uamaminess was so intense with the liver aroma and the sweetness.  Fries were crispy and already good on their own.  We also had the Chinese Donuts that we ended up dipping into the broths of our noodle soups.  They were crispy and not overly dense.

Viv ended up with the Short Rib Pho that featured three bones!  These were so tender as the meat fell off the bone.  There was some delicious meatiness to them and that was filling enough.  But there was still al dente noodles and the broth was fairly clean with the star anise coming through.  We felt maybe the broth was a touch on the lighter side where they didn't overdo it with the salt and rock sugar.  However, there was enough natural flavors from the beef bones already.

For myself, I went for the BBH (or Bun Bo Hue) also sporting a beef rib. This was much more impactful due to the spiciness of the broth.  I wouldn't say it was super spicy, but it definitely lingered.  There was also a bit of brininess and sweetness to the broth.  It cam complete with pork blood cubes and shrimp meatballs.  These meatballs were excellent with a fluffy bounciness to them while being naturally sweet.  The lai fun was slippery and cooked just right.

For Lola, she had the Pho Tron Prawns & Veggies.  This consisted of turmeric noodles tossed in an OG Pho Bac sauce, fried shallots, peanuts and a side of broth.  Those yellow ribbons were the highlight of the dish as they were chewy (in a good way).  Some real earthiness to them and plenty of impact from the sauce.  There was an intoxicating mix of sweet, tangy and briny.  When all mixed together, the prawns and veggies (which were properly cooked) benefited from the awesome sauce too.

For Scout, he went for the Pho Tron with Beef.  This came with the same turmeric ribbons and accompaniments.  There is no soup in this picture because the thought it would be a better shot...  Anyways, the main difference in the protein really changed the dish.  The well-marinated and tender beef provided more punch and depth with salty brininess to already compliment the existing sauce. Overall, we enjoyed the food at Phở Bắc Sup Shop where things were just tweaked enough to create some excitement to the dishes without being completely unfocused.  Loved the industrial vibe of the place and we had some great cocktails too.

The Good:
- Simple and industrial, the dining space worked
- Food was delicious
- Well-planned tweaks to the dishes

The Bad:
- That must be one of the worst parking lots ever
- Gets pretty busy, you might have to wait