+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

Madame Danh

You know how I feel about modern restaurants that feature what we have historically seen as "cheap eats".  I actually like them and appreciate the different perspective and elevation of the cuisine.  Sure, we have to pay more, but we are typically getting more refined food and superior ambiance and service.  For those who don't see it the same way as I do, that is fine because the less expensive spots still do exist and really, I enjoy those as well.  My belief is that you can't compare apples to oranges and all restaurants serve different purposes.  This brings me to the newest modern Vietnamese restaurant in Madame Danh out in the Fraserhood.

One look at the menu and it is clear that they are not merely going for the value conscious crowd.  They are appealing to those who seek something unique and more refine that they are willing to pay for.  That was pretty clear with the Bone Marrow.  You normally do not see this other than possibly fine dining, so it gives you a sense of what the restaurant is all about.  These were some pretty big bones with plenty of buttery and well-salted bone marrow.  Loved the smokiness and the overall richness.  This was served with crunchy crostinis with a side of pickled veg to lighten things up.

Next, we also had the Pork Liver Pâté served with the same grilled baguette slices.  This was classic French with a smooth texture, yet at the same time, had some meatiness left.  It had an initial sweetness then gave way to umami savouriness.  There was definitely the aromatics of shallots and also slight background liquor finish.  The dish would not be out of place in a French bistro or even higher end establishment.  If you look at it from this perspective, $15.00 is plenty reasonable.  On the side, it once again had the pickled veg which helped add crunch and acidity.

Staying with composed dishes, we had the Tender Charred Octopus with zesty chili sauce.  Once again, we had another dish that would look very much at home at a fancier restaurant or even Spanish tapas.  No one would blink at paying $17.00 for this plate.  It was especially true since the octopus was on point.  Each piece was tender but was still appealingly chewy.  There was a nice smokiness to it and the seasoning was on point.  However, the thing that put it over the top was the side of chili sauce.  It didn't look it, but there was considerable spice to compliment the brightness and that worked beautifully. 

Okay, moving over to some more traditional dishes, we had the Vietnamese Spring Rolls.  Honestly, I do think for this one, it could probably be priced a little less than $14.00.  Compared the previous 3 dishes, it wasn't particularly different that any other version I've had.  On the other hand, that didn't mean it wasn't good though.  In fact, it was one of the better ones I've tried lately.  The best thing about it was the thin and crispy outer wrapper.  Due to the lack of multiple layers, it lead directly to the delicious and light filling.

We also had the Caramel Garlic Wings which were fantastic.  These large flats were super crispy with fairly rendered skin.  Beyond that, the meat itself was juicy, tender and well-seasoned.  I really appreciated that the outside was firmly crispy, but wasn't hard at the same time.  This gave a real textural contrast to the tender meat.  As for the flavour, it was a good combination of sweetness, aromatics and slight brininess.  

We had one item that was not on the menu yet, but based on how much we enjoyed it, I'm confident it will be a permanent item soon enough.  This as the Beef Salad with basil and fried taro sticks.  First and foremost, the thing that made this dish was the considerable amount of tender beef.  We could really tell it was high-quality and in fact it was AAA.  It was prepared slightly rare and was buttery and soft.  The acidity of the marinade combined with the fish sauce provided a sweet tangy brininess.  The salad had it all, meatiness, herbaceousness and crunch.  Delicious.

Onto the bigger items, we had the Pho Bo with AAA rare beef, brisket and beef short plate.  Once again, they were not shy with the amount of meat they loaded into the bowl.   As with the beef salad, the rare beef was super buttery and required very little chewing.  As for the brisket, it was surprisingly soft despite being a thicker cut.  It had appealing marbling.  This made it buttery and also flavourful.  The short plate was also excellent being tender.  As for the broth, it was meaty with background aromatics.  I would say it was on the lighter side, but that also meant that it wasn't overly salty either.

I really enjoyed the Squid Ink Fried Rice as the texture was perfect.  Each grain of rice was discernible with a perfect al dente chewiness.  There was the nuttiness and caramelization from the stir-fry while being easy on the greasiness.  I found the dish to be properly seasoned with a touch of brininess from the ample amount of dried scallop as well as the dollop of tobiko on top.  Add in the usual egg and the fried rice had body and texture (other than the rice itself).  Lastly, the bits of squid were buttery with a nice bounce texture.

Our last savoury item was the Crispy Duck Noodles that featured a large duck leg confit on top.  It featured uniformly crispy skin that was fairly well-rendered.  It was nicely salted, but not to the point it was too much so.  The duck meat itself was tender and fatty while seasoned only enough that the natural meat flavour still came through.  Underneath, we found slippery rice noodles that had a slight elasticity.  We used the side of fish sauce to help seasoned the noodles.

Of course we got some drinks to go with our meal including Kumquat Red Tea, Marble Green Milk Tea and Butterfly Pea Suger Cane.  My favourite of the 3 had to be the latter as it was purposefully sweet and refreshing.  For dessert, we tried Madame's Pandan Tempration.  It consisted of fried donut sticks with a side of pandan sauce.    We found the donut sticks to be crispy on the outside and fairly fluffy on the inside.  The sweet condensed milk & pandan offered up sweetness and aromatics.   A nice way to finish off a delicious meal.  Consisting of high-quality ingredients prepared in a careful manner, the food at Madame Danh is definitely a cut above most other Vietnamese restaurants.  Sure, the menu pricing is on the higher side, but you are paying for quality and execution.  I found the dishes to be unique as well, so you are getting a different experience.

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

The Good:

- Refined dishes

- Well-prepared and delicious

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Although I think it the pricing is fair, there needs to be a few more inexpensive items to round out the menu

Drip Drip Coffeehouse

If you haven't noticed by now, I do not usually blog about coffee shops.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker and hence, I have never really focused on the never-ending coffee craze.  However, there are more and more places now that serve specialty coffees which are totally up my alley.  I tend to like fruitier cocktails and spirits, so it only makes sense that I'm more drawn to coffees that have unique flavors.  That brings me to Drip Drip Coffeehouse in Seattle.  They are a Vietnamese coffee spot that not only offers unique specialty coffees (and also the regular stuff too), but also Vietnamese treats to go with it.

Let's get right to the most visually stunning thing they have at Drip Drip - the Coffee Flight!  On the bottom, this was the Holiday Flight (which isn't available anymore) that consisted of Toffee, Cozy S'mores, Peppermint and Salted Caramel.  I hope they put some of these on the permanent menu as I enjoyed all of them!  The toffee was purposefully sweet with some smoky notes.  The s'mores had some nuttiness from the graham crackers and of course the sweetness of chocolate and marshmallow.  Peppermint was bright with the burst of cool mintiness.  Rich and salty sweet, the salted caramel went down smooth.  As for the regular Coffee Flight, it consisted of Coconut Ube, Matcha Pandan, Salted Egg Yolk and Roasted Sesame.  Loved the sweet aroma of the coconut and ube while the Matcha Pandan was aromatic and sweet with an appealing bitterness at the end.  Predictably, the Salted Egg Yolk was nutty and sweet.  Unmistakable essence there.  Lastly, the Roasted Sesame was nutty and classic sesame aroma.

We did go for the full versions as well with the Egg Coffee, Roasted Sesame and Coconut Avocado.  With a larger version, you have multiple sips or gulps which, if you can imagine, is a totally different experience.  So we were able to compare that with the duplicate in the Roasted Sesame.  With a larger amount of both the coffee and foam, we had more aroma and more nuttiness.  This in turn was plenty more impactful.  Get the flight, but be sure to get a full version of your favorite!  As for the Egg Coffee, it was subtle and creamy.  I found it lightly sweet too.  As for the Coconut Avocado, it was extra creamy due to the addition of buttery avocado and definitely aromatic.  The coconut milk helped in that respect.  Therefore, the coffee was less prominent in this one.

In addition to their drinks, there are some bites as well.  They have some fresh Steamed Bao sitting in a warming box ready to go.  We tried all three of them including The Combo, Char Siu and Vegetarian.  For me, it was all about The Combo (or called "Dai Bao" in some places).  It consisted of pork, woodear, cabbage and salted egg yolk.  The meat was super juicy and moist while being sweet and savory.  Nice crunch from the woodear while the egg yolk provided umaminess.  As for the bao, it was slightly on the denser side, but still plenty fluffy.  I also enjoyed the mushroom vegetarian bao with its immense umami flavor and butteriness of the mushrooms.  The Char Siu was decent, albeit a bit sweet.  The meat was not too fatty.

Also sitting in the display case at the counter, they had a selection of Pâté Chaud.  These flaky puff pastries were so buttery and texturally on point.  Even though they aren't diet food, the lightness of the pastry made them airy.  Inside, they were filled with tender ground pork.  I thought the filling was seasoned enough without being salty, so I could taste the natural meat flavor.  Highly recommend this to go with your drink!

If you wanted something a bit more like a lunch item, they have Banh Mi as well.  The 2 choices are the Vietnamese Ham and the Grilled Chicken.  Featuring airy and crunchy bread, these sandwiches were good!  They combined the pâté and mayo together which was pretty tasty!  Lots of umaminess and creaminess that added flavor and texture. There was the usual pickled veggies, peppers, cucumber and cilantro.  Unlike other versions, they added fried shallots which added both crunch and aroma.  All-in-all, this visit to Drip Drip afforded us delicious drinks and tasty bites.  No wonder they are so busy!  Best to come earlier or after the peak hours as space is limited.

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

The Good:
- Lots of different flavors of coffee
- They have coffee flights!
- Food is on point too

The Bad:
- Gets crowded during peak times

The Good Thief

Oh, the Good Thief again???  Hasn't it only been a little over a month?  Well, Mijune was invited to try the place out and seeing that she was wanting me to join her, I just couldn't say no.  Besides, my first visit was pretty good, so I was looking forward in trying the rest of the menu (despite me already ordering a lot of dishes already the first time!).  If I have to remind everyone, the Good Thief is the 2nd restaurant from the owners of Anh & Chi, which is next door.

One of the most impressive things about my initial visit was their vast and unique cocktail menu.  Therefore, we got a few including the Six Inch Yellow, Pom Pom Punch and Phở Dặc Biệt.  I've had the Pom Pom before (so read it in the previous post) while the Six Inch Yellow was something completely different.  Although it was fruity and refreshing like the Pom Pom, it was also more bold due to the Chartreuse and Rye.  To top it off, the spicy foam really provided a kick.  As for the Phở Dặc Biệt, it really did taste like the broth and the usual flavourings, including a star anise finish.  Strangely, they were able to emulate the subtle flavour of rice noodles.  This was a rather savoury and heavy cocktail, where the pickled bean sprouts was definitely needed to provide balance.

Onto the food, we had the Oysters first and despite not looking like much, they were fantastic!  These sunseekers were topped with a coconut chili foam which was super impactful, light and aromatic.  Of course there was a bite to them too, but just enough, so that the sweet brininess of the liquor came through.  We also had the Whelk atop crispy forbidden rice.  This was a study of textures with the tender, yet chewy whelk contrasting with the crunch of the rice.  Even though the rice looked heavy, it was actually soft and airy on the inside.  The combination of sauces as well as the Vietnamese coriander allowed for tangy, sweet and herbaceousness.

Believe it or not, I've not actually had Balut before.  Well, given that they have the quail's egg version on the menu, it was as good as any other time to take the dive.  Besides being firmer, these resembled boiled eggs but just with a bit more egginess and/or gaminess.  Sitting in a spicy tamarind sauce, it did add plenty of impact and lessened the egginess.  To top it all, literally and figuratively, we found rau răm that provided an unmistakable coriander essence as well as a level of mustiness.  Some peanuts added crunch and of course nuttiness. 

To lighten things up a bit, we got the Pomelo & Lotus Root.  It was truly refreshing with the pops of sweetness and bitterness from the pomelo and also the saltines from the crunchy cured lotus root.  With mint and coriander, there was no shortage of herbal notes either.  What brought it all together was the calamansi vinaigrette as it offered up the usual tart citrus flavours.  Perfect to go with our drinks, the Charcoal Skewers featuring lamb and pork were smoky and perfectly grilled.  Due to the char, there was some nuttiness and caramelization.  Some flakes of salt helped bring out the natural meat flavours.  Inside, the meat was tender and juicy.

I think my favourite small plate had to be the Frog Legs in Mẹ’s fish sauce glaze.  Everyone seems to want to do chicken wings in some form of fish sauce caramel these days, but by virtue of using frog legs, this became a very different, yet familiar dish.  Sure, frog legs do resemble chicken but they do taste different.  There is a certain fishiness to them without actually being fishy.  The ones here were mild-tasting while super tender.  Outside, they were crispy and complete glazed.  The intense sweet brininess was addictive and we really couldn't stop eating these!

One featured item that we tried was the Charcoal-Grilled Octopus with kaffir lime and paprika atop jicama, Asian pear and radicchio salad.  Since the octopus was sous-vide first, its texture was tender while still retaining a bit of chew.  The caramelized fish sauce glaze was sweet and briny while completely charred by the grilling.  Hence there was intense smokiness and caramel notes.  The salad underneath was the perfect accompaniment since it added freshness and crunch.

So far, the meal was going swimmingly and those cocktails, so good!  However, the Escargots was the most ordinary of the dishes we had.  It wasn't bad, but just didn't compare well with the rest.  It was prepared like a vol-au-vent with a puff pastry shell.  Well, the menu description was "Bánh Patê Sô" which is a pasty pie, but really, it was a vol-au-vent.  The escargots were prepared with brandy, garlic, chili oil and butter.  This was plenty aromatic, yet somehow, it was a bit underseasoned.  Again, nothing wrong with the dish, just the least impactful.

One dish I was eyeing the last time, but didn't end up ordering, was the Winter Squash.  Fortunately, we got to try it this time and man, it was delicious!  The delicata squash was perfectly roasted where it was sweet and caramelized while not being mushy.  It had the essence of five-spice and completely complimented by the Thai red curry.  The combination of aromatics, spice and creaminess really elevated the dish.  Add in the firm radicchio and we had some textural contrast.

One dish I absolutely loved and wanted to have again was the Oxtail.  They took all the trouble out of eating oxtail by shredding the meat and reforming it with caul fat.  The result was a tender fall apart meat with its usual gelatinous and fatty texture.  The pho demi-glace was so rich and silky with star anise notes.  This time around, the carrots were roasted, which made them more flavourful and texturally-appealing.  The confit daikon was tender while the carrot puree provided creamy earthy sweetness to go with the demi-glace.

Last time, I had ordered the steak, but was indifferent about it.  Well, they have changed it to a AAA Striploin (instead of sliced ribeye) with bone marrow butter, Sauce a la Royale and pho chimichurri.  Prepared perfectly medium-rare, the meat was juicy and well-rested.  The meat was tender with appealing meatiness.  It was well-seasoned while paired well with the chimichurri.  It had the pho herbs going on there with brightness and pungency.  The sauce a la royale was rich and possibly a little over-reduced being a bit salty.

As a treat of sorts, we were served another off-menu item in the Smoked Beef Rib with sweet & sour glaze and palm sugar.  The meat on the bone was like candy being sweet and sticky.  It was super tender while still maintaining a gelatinous meat quality.  Nice smokiness in smell and taste.  On the side, we had the Pomme Frites with Thai green chili aioli.  Unlike the last time, the large frites were uniformly crispy with soft potato inside.  Nice aroma from the fried curry leaves.

Our first dessert was something mysterious in the Forbidden Rice Pudding.  The rice was hidden underneath a coconut yogurt gelee disc.  About that disc, it was a bit too firm for our liking and although aromatic, was somewhat bland.  I loved the rice underneath as it had an al dente chew and some sweetness.  The best part was the toasted rice ice cream as it certainly lived up to its billing.  Aromatic and nutty, the ice cream was also just sweet enough.

The second dessert was something I've had before in the Mung Bean.  If I needed a word to describe this dessert, it would be interesting.  It sat on a base of almondine cake which was moist and quite good.  The mung bean on top was rather heavy and with condensed milk, this ate pretty sweet.  I think this needs have something else in terms of texture to give some contrast.  Overall, this was another great meal at the Good Thief.  I got to try all of the small plates and the majority were excellent.  The cocktails were great just like the previous meal.   I believe the Good Thief should be on anyone's list who want to grab some drinks with some delicious food to go with it.

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

The Good:
- Large cocktail menu that is truly unique
- Great little bites
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Of course the menu is a work in progress, but things that need tweaks are already changing 

Ngon Cafe Burnaby

For since I can remember, I've loved snacking on Banh Mi or having a few of them for a meal.  They were really cheap back-in-the-day, but like everything else, they have gone up in price.  Let's be honest about it, they were probably underpriced at one point, so the prices now are more in line with what they should be worth.  I really am enjoying some of more progressive spots that have the classic sandwiches as well as some reimagined ones.  One of these places I checked out recently is Ngon Cafe in Burnaby.  Their menu is pretty simple with a selection of Banh Mi, coffees and now noodle bowls (in lieu of their salad rolls).

So the thing to get here is their #1 or Ngon Special.  This fully loaded sub consists of siu mai (aka pork meatball), braised pork, fried egg and pate.  If you can imagine, this is packed with umaminess and various meat flavours.  The tender meatball is sweet with onion vibes while the braised pork adds body and rich stewed essences.  Of course the pate gives plenty of punch with mild gaminess due to the fat content.  They also add a fried egg to it so you have even more protein in the way of fluffiness.  

The next best thing to get in my opinion is the Meat Lovers (as if the Ngon Special is not a form of that already!).  This features all the goodness of a Banh Mi Dac Biet (or cold cut) including more interesting components such as banana leaf pork, ham, pork belly, beef ham, jambon and pate.  This is seriously a loaded sandwich as every bite is a mouthful of meat.  The great thing about those meats is that they all have their distinct flavour.  Hence it is a real party of sweet and savoury as well as aromatics.

One of the more surprising sandwiches on the menu is the BBQ Pork.  Sure, that does not sound very interesting and in fact, it maybe is one of the more basic options.  However, this was one is a solid option for those who didn't want the aforementioned sandwiches.  This features tender and slightly fatty pork that is juicy and well-seasoned.  The sweetness helps balance out the savouriness.  As for the bread itself, it is light, crunchy and airy.

One of the most neutral options is the Lemongrass Chicken banh mi.  What I mean is that chicken is easy to eat and probably fits most diets excluding vegetarians.  With that in mind, the chicken is the least meaty of the available non-vegetarian options.  It is moist and has plenty of flavour while it goes well with the other ingredients such as the pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber and cilantro.  As I said, a good neutral choice.

On the other hand, the Grilled Beef is the opposite of the chicken as it is denser, more meaty and richer in taste.  I find the beef sufficiently tender, yet due to its leanness, the texture is a touch dry.  It is slightly peppery and plenty beefy.  The rest of the ingredients are needed to keep things from being too heavy.  Thankfully, the bread, as mentioned, is light and airy.  So it keeps the balance within the sandwich. 

Lastly, they have a selection of Vietnamese coffee, in particular, cold drinks.  In the picture, we see the Salted Cream Coffee and the Coco Coffee.  I'm not usually a coffee drinker, but these are aromatic with balance from the coconut cream.  A real treat in itself apart from the delicious banh mi.  Overall, the stuff at Ngon Cafe is carefully made with great ingredients.  Their take on the meatball sandwich (#1 Ngon Special) is my choice here.

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

The Good:

- Quality ingredients

- Lots of filling

- Bread is airy and crunchy

The Bad:

- This particular location doesn't have much seating, mainly take out