Bánh Mì Très Bon White Rock (Mother's Day Brunch)

We all know Mother's Day is special and restaurants take notice by offering brunch, buffet brunch and other options.  Some of us might take mom out to Dim Sum, sushi, pasta, Indian or high-tea.  So many choices, you can't go wrong.  Well, there is something a bit different where Bánh Mì Très Bon in White Rock is offering a Mother's Day brunch that is what can be referred to as Vietnamese High Tea.  Yep, at a very reasonable price of $65.00pp, one can dine on a nice selection of savoury and sweet treats.

The first item was the savoury with a 2-tiered tower with a selection of Banh Mi on top and a combination of mini Salad Rolls and Spring Rolls on the bottom.  I particularly enjoyed the meatball banh mi since it was stuffed full of tender spiced-pork.  Combined that with the crunchy baguette, it was a nice textural contrast.  The mini salad rolls were great with the peanut-hoisin sauce.  I wished that the mini spring rolls were just a bit larger as they were super crunchy with not enough filling.  Yep, as the picture suggests, there was also a mini-bowl of Pho included per person.  Choices include beef, chicken or vegetarian.  The second tower was more traditional sporting a collection of pastries and sweets including Lemon Tart, Chocolate Mousse, Creme Brulee, Key Lime Cream, Macarons, Peach Danish, Blueberry Danish and mini-Croissants.  This was a solid spread of little desserts where the lemon tart was my favourite.  It was tangy with a firm shell.  The key lime cream was also tangy and refreshing.  Macarons were on point with a crispy shell giving way to a soft and slightly chewy interior.  They were on the sweeter side. The last tower was a bevy of Fresh Fruit that consisted of honeydew, pineapple, strawberries, green grapes and Mandarin oranges.  Sure, this was just fruit, but all of it was fresh and ripe.  In particular, the honeydew was so sweet and soft.  Pineapple was also sweet with its classic acidity.  Strawberries were flavourful and all very fresh.  Grapes were firm and juicy.

They also have a Mother's Day Dinner Platter for $89.00.  It serves 4 people and consists of cubes of rib-eye steak, rice & watercress salad (not pictured), grilled pork & beef skewers, mini savoury crepes & woven vermicelli noodles.  We tried the main platter and the meats were well-charred and nicely marinated.  Great for wrapping in the delicate vermicelli noodle sheets with the herbs and fish sauce.

Also available are the Xoi Chien or sticky rice cakes topped with a tangy sweet & sour sauce of $16.00.  Absolutely loved these as the sticky rice was both firm, but also soft and chewy inside.  There was a meat filling and also meat in the sauce.  This made it hearty and robust. The sauce was full of impact where the sweet and sour was balanced.  But really, it was all about the textures in this dish.

Lastly, there are Mimosas available to compliment either the Vietnamese high tea or the dinner platter.  Options included orange, pomegranate or passionfruit for $15.00.  So there are the Mother's Day options at Bánh Mì Très Bon.  I feel that the high tea is a fabulous deal, not only because you get so much food for the money, but is also delicious.  Definitely something a bit different than the usual brunch or dim sum choices we have in town.

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

The Good:
- Something a bit different for Mother's Day
- Good value
- Tastes good

The Bad:
- Not so sure of those mini spring rolls

Bonjour Vietnamese Bistro

While dining next door at Nammos Estiatorio, I was wondering when I could check out Bonjour Vietnamese.  I've seen it all over IG with its ornate decor with flowers everywhere as well as a modern approach with cocktails and a wine room.  So in my mind, I thought, "why wait?" and decided to bring the fam for dinner a few days later.  We didn't make any reservations but still scored a table at opening.  I took a peek at their rez list and there was indeed quite a few of them.  Best to make one if you intend on eating there.

We ended up getting a few appies to start including the Spicy Tamarind Wings.  These were firmly crunchy as there was a relatively thick batter on them.  However, it wasn't heavy nor unappealing.  The skin was well-rendered and the meat was still juicy and tender.  I found the tamarind glaze to be sweet and tangy with just a touch of spice.  There was just enough for impact without over-saturating the wings. 

Next appie was the standard Spring Rolls served in a bamboo weaved plate.  This reminded me somewhat of the presentation found at Anh & Chi.  Actually, the whole concept was very similar with the cocktails and elevated decor.  As for these spring rolls, I thought they were really good.  The wrapper was super crispy and light giving way to plenty of filling.  This, to me, has to be one of the best spring roll wrappers I've had in a long time.  As for the filing, it was moist and flavourful with meatiness, sweetness and umaminess from the fish sauce.  Served on the side was some lettuce and basil to wrap the spring rolls if you choose to.

Viv had the standard being the Phở Dặc Biệt with rare beef, beef brisket and beef shank.  This one was a more simplified version without tendon, tripe nor meatballs.  No matter as there was enough meat and it was plenty tender.  There was a modest amount of noodles which were al dente and not clumpy.  As for the soup, it was on the lighter side being clean and slightly sweet. Beyond that, we could still make out some of the other layers of flavours such as the licorice essence from the star anise.

For myself, I had the Bún Bò Huế with rare beef, beef brisket and beef meatballs.  Of course it is very rare to find a bowl of BBH in town with pig's blood and knuckle, so I'm going to give them a pass here.  Again, the meats involved were tender and decently portioned.  The broth was lemongrass forward being fragrant and flavourful.  There was some spice, but not heavily.  Not sure if they used shrimp paste in this version, but if they did, there was not much of it.  Overall, it was still enjoyable.

My daughter went for her favourite, the Phở Gà with grilled chicken rather than poached chicken. Broth was quite impactful and full of depth.  It was a good combination of savoury and natural sweetness.  The grilled chicken was nicely charred and flavourful.  This was a good bowl of noodles and broth.  So the food was pretty solid in general.  Of course we had to pay a premium given the decor, service, presentation and ambiance of the place.  We do appreciate the aforementioned factors when it comes to restaurants, so it was a good experience overall.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Attentive service
- Snazzy decor

The Bad:
- You pay more for the elevated experience

Stateside

To say I love to eat is not only an understatement, it is flatly stating the obvious.  Of course, breaking bread is best as a shared activity with either friends and/or family, but yah, it can be enjoyed alone too.  Generally, I tend to eat with the fam because I see them most often (like it should be???), however, eating out (or in) with various friends is a totally different experience.  Roughly once per month or two, I meet up with Areta, Maggi, Diana, David, Hanson, Joyce and Christina for interesting eats around town.  However, the last time we were at Verre, it was decided we do something different and head out-of-town for food.  We started off close with Seattle where we stopped by Stateside for brunch.

This Vietnamese fusion spot does their own take on familiar dishes including the Crispy Duck Fresh Rolls.  Rather than the usual salad roll, they took a fried duck spring roll and wrapped in herbs with an external layer of rice paper.  As a result, we got a surprise crunch to go with the chewy soft exterior.  There was plenty of duck and no filler in the spring roll itself, but the texture was rather mealy and lacking in natural meatiness.  Loved the fresh herbs as it added layers of aromatics.  Next, we tried the Pho Braised Beef Potstickers served with gingered black vinegar.  I'm not sure if these actually tasted like pho other than the star anise finish at the end.  I found the beef filling to be similar to the duck as it was mealy and almost a bit gummy.  The delicate wrapper was thin, al dente and crispy on the bottom.  Personally, I love black vinegar, so it was no problem for me.  However, some thought it was too strong for the dumpling.

One of my favourite dishes was the Crispy Sticky Rice Finger Sandwiches with chili-cumin pork or tofu and house fermented mustard greens.  Normally, when we find rice burgers and the sort, the concoction is usually dense and cumbersome to eat.  Not this one as it was almost "light" where the exterior was appealingly crispy while the rice was not packed too tightly.  Again, the pork shared the same texture as the other meats being mealy, but it was very flavorful with a nice kick and of course earthy cumin.  The mustard greens added a nice tang to balance the salty-spiciness.  Not sure if the accompanying dip actually went with the rice though.  Something more familiar, we had the Classic Banh Mi with housemade Vietnamese mortadella, chicken liver pâté, pork floss, pickled vegetables, cilantro, chili, cucumber, Maggi and mayo.  This was a fully loaded banh mi with most of the usual ingredients.  Ignoring that it cost $11.00, it was a solid sandwich.  The fact it had nearly double the amount of filling than ones found at banh mi shops increased both the flavor and robustness of the sandwich.


Now something that was definitely different was the Eggs Bao'nedict consisting of Canadian bacon filled golden steamed bun, poached eggs, hollandaise and pork floss.  I found the hollandaise to be creamy, yet not too rich while sporting noticeable saltiness from the Maggi.  Add in the bacon and pork floss, this was a bit overwhelming with the salt.  With that being said, I didn't dislike the dish as the eggs were perfect and the airy fried bao helped soak up all the sauce and yolk.  Stunningly beautiful, the Open-faced Golden Brown Omelette ate like a frittata. It sported gruyere and fines herbs with potato crunchies and crispy shallots.  We added country ham for $3.00 more.  I quite enjoyed this as the bottom and edges were crispy and nutty.  The flavors (cheesy and smoky) were predictably complimentary with each other (albeit salty) and the crunch from the potato on top kept textures consistent throughout.

For sorta dessert, we had the Hong Kong Style Charcoal Waffle with coconut-pandan syrup, mango jam and shaved almond.  I think the best part of the dish was the syrup as it was aromatic and purposefully sweet.  Combined with the mango jam and this was very tropical (like a Pina Colada).  We didn't get a whole lot of pandan though.  I thought the waffle was crispy enough on the outside and somewhat dense on the inside.  Now as you can ascertain, there was a certain Asian flair to the brunch service (in particular, Vietnamese).  Normally, fusion can fall flat and be con-fusion instead.  However, I thought there were some highlights for sure here.  At the same time, I think some of the other dishes could be further refined or re-imagined.  

The Good:
- Definitely different
- The more "Asian" items were good
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- A little on the salty side
- Meats had the same mealy texture for some reason

Bean Bánh Mì

*Restaurant is closed*

Gracing the corner of Kingsway and Inverness, Tung Hing Bakery was one of the most beloved Bánh Mì joints in the GVRD.  They pioneered the freshly-baked baguette that would encase their delicious ingredients for their sandwiches.  BaLe (which came first, but sourced their bread from somewhere else) followed suit with their own baked bread, but when it came to the complete package, Tung Hing had the edge.  With the proliferation of Bánh Mì joints, especially with the introduction of Bánh Mì Saigon, worthy competitors started to crowd the scene.  Suddenly, Tung Hing closed up shop and has been replaced by a modern Vietnamese sandwich shop called Bean Bánh Mì.  Naturally, I had to stop in to try everything!

To start, it was only natural to go with the standard - Special Tri-Meat Classic with house-made pâté, steamed pork loaf and Vietnamese ham.  If you look closely, you can see the sliced pork ear, it was jelly-like and super tender.  There was a good amount of ingredients stuffed into the baguette which meant the sandwich ate hearty.  I thought the pâté was impactful where it really came through with an appealing gaminess.  Veggies were fresh and provided a bright crunch.  The house-baked bread was crusty, but a bit too dense for my liking.  The Pork Meat Balls Bánh Mì was my least favourite as it was one-note in flavour.  I found it sweet from the onions, but no tomato sauce flavour as promised on the menu.  Despite this, the rest of the ingredients made up for it and the sandwich still ate well.

Normally, one would find lemongrass chicken at a Vietnamese sandwich shop, but they went in a different direction with the Five-Spice Chicken featuring pulled chicken marinated in a house-made five spice sauce.  Although the chicken was a touch on the dry side, it was delicious.  They didn't skimp on the seasoning where the 5-spice really came through with cloves, cinnamon and the unimistakable licorice aroma from fennel.  The most filling sandwich was the Grilled Pork Patties as it barely fit into the baguette.  Juicy and moist with a rebound, the patties were impactful with both sweetness and some brininess from the shrimp paste.  Again, the ample pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, hot pepper and cilantro ensured that the sweetness was balanced out.

Saving the best for last, the Beef Stew was #LIT.  Yes really.  Not really noticeable in the picture, but definitely when I bit into it, there was a plethora of tender beef.  It was moist and completely spiked with whatever they stewed it with.  Hence, I could get hits of cloves, star anise, fennel and considerable amount of sweetness.  Again, the hot pepper, pickled veggies and in this case, fresh basil, was necessary to vary up the flavours.  So I'm sure you can ascertain that Bean Bánh Mì has some pretty impactful ingredients.  I was really impressed with the sandwiches as a whole.  Their bread needs a bit of work though, yet they are a worthy replacement for Tung Hing.

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- They don't skimp on the ingredients
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Bread needs a little work

Bánh Mì Très Bon

Once again, there is another restaurant that people question me: "you haven't been there yet???"...  Yes, I haven't been to Bánh Mì Très Bon and really, it was on a long list of places that I should try.  But as I've said over and over again, there is only that much time and so many places to eat at!  Actually I almost kinda forgot about the place.  However, when Nora suggested we meet up there with Lesley and Joyce, I figured it was as good as any other time to make it out to Richmond...  in rush hour...  Sigh...

Since we had to order food at the counter, we didn't get our dishes organized properly.  Hence, we ended up double-ordering the Tapioca Dumpings filled with pork and shrimp.  It wasn't a bad thing though as they were on point.  The delicate yet chewy exterior of the dumpling was just the right thickness.  Inside, the filling was a nice balance between tender ground pork and whole shrimp that still exhibited a snap.  We also got an order of their Garlic Chicken Wings that were beautifully fried.  They were lightly crisp on the outside with rendered skin while the meat was succulent and juicy.  There was enough seasoning for impact including a balanced garlickiness.

Onto their Pho Tai Bo Vien, the broth was clean and flavourful.  I actually found the broth rather interesting because it wasn't rich per se, but it was aromatic with a deep sweetness accented by the background licorice-flavour of the star anise.  There was also a certain meatiness that was fairly evident.  If there was ever an example of proper texture, the rice noodles here were perfect.  They were chewy but not hard and not clumpy at all.  In addition to the meatballs, the sliced beef was light and tender.  We also had the Pho Ga which was surprisingly impactful.  There was this natural chicken flavour that was sweet with only a modest amount of salt.  Once again, the noodles were perfectly al dente.  In addition to tender slices of chicken, the chicken meatballs were fluffy and really tasty.

Of course we had to order the Banh Mi Trio consisting of meatball, cold cut and chicken.  I found their bread to be a bit different than many of the other ones in the GVRD.  Rather than being crusty with bits shattering all-over-the-place, the bread was firmer and slightly chewier.  However, it worked since it wasn't too dense.  I found the pate to be generously applied, but it was a touch bland.  The meats were on point, especially the meatball since it was moist and nicely spiced.  Our last savoury dish was the Vietnamese Beef Stew served with a baguette.  This was chock full of tender carrots and even more tender beef.  The stewing liquid had a reduced viscosity which meant it wasn't watery.  Flavours were full-bodied with the star anise coming through.  There was also a nice spice level. 

For dessert, we were presented with some complimentary Macarons consisting of raspberry, blueberry, mango and earl grey.  These were no charge since they had lost our original order which meant our food too a bit longer to arrive.  Nice touch on their part to make it up to us!  The macarons were quite good with a crispy exterior giving way to a tender chew.  They were just sweet enough and really did taste like their descriptions.  Overall, I thought the food at Bánh Mì Très Bon was solid and reasonably-priced given the care put into the food.  Nice people too.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- In general, the food tasted great
- Nice people

The Bad:
- When it is busy, tables are hard to come by
- Since it is counter service, this further compounds the problem when it is busy

Dundas Eat + Drink

Awhile back, I was invited to participate in the Six O Pho Challenge at Dundas Eat + Drink.  Prior to that, I had noticed they had re-branded from a fish & chip joint (still available) to a mainly Vietnamese eatery with a few twists.  Even though I was busy trying to scoff down all the pho I could handle, I did notice it was quite good with quality meats and a clean broth.  Well, we were invited back to try some of their other offerings (in particular, their new vegan dishes), where we didn't have to do any eating challenges.

For this tasting, they wanted to introduce some of their vegan offerings.  Naturally, I was skeptical at first, but after trying the first few dishes, I was impressed.  The usual issue is that vegan or even vegetarian food can sometimes be bland, but they really developed some good flavours here.  The garlic, ginger and fried shallot dressing for the Kale Salad was very impactful and in fact, with the copious amount of raw garlic, was very sharp and spicy.  The fried tofu was nicely crispy and added a "meatiness" to the salad.   They were also successful in creating a great tasting Vegan Curry where the spice level was medium while the aromatic coconut milk gave the sauce body the depth.  Yes, there was no meat, but the chunky, not overdone, veggies were robust and filling.

The next 2 offerings were the Vegan Pho and Vegan Bao.  Of course, it is always a challenge to develop umaminess when using just veggies for a broth.  I would say it was definitely clean and naturally sweet.  I detected some depth possibly from mushrooms.  However, it was definitely lighter due to the lack of meat, bones and marrow.  Regardless, I can see someone who is vegetarian or vegan being happy with this.  Stuffed with veggies, red onions and a seasoned tofu crumble, the bao were not devoid of ingredients.  Hence, it was a messy to eat, but that was a positive (you want things overflowing!).  The bao itself was warm and soft even though it sat a bit while we took photos.  The veggies were still vibrant while the tofu crumble was flavourful.

Our last vegan dish was the Vegan Pad Thai and we transitioned to meat with the Deep Fried Wontons.  The Pad Thai was appealing in colour and subjected to enough wok heat for caramelization.  The noodles were chewy while the veggies were still crisp including the raw sprouts.  With a squeeze of lime, there was a nice tangy and sweet balance while the savouriness was there too.  I wished there was some ground peanuts, since something seemed to be missing (and it wasn't the meat either), but most store-bought peanuts have been processed and may not be considered vegan.  I enjoyed the wontons as the skins were fried up beautifully being lightly crispy moist and tender filling, which mean it was rather soft.  The side of dipping sauce was tangy and spicy.

Onto a soupy item, we had the Pho Sate featuring a spicy broth that was nicely balanced in terms of saltiness and sweetness.  I thought the spice level was somewhere between mild and medium, but I can handle spice, so interpret this accordingly.  The noodles were still chewy despite sitting in the broth for quite some time as we took pictures.  There was a decent amount of sliced beef within the broth where it was more natural in texture indicating that it had not been subjected to tenderizers.  Served on a sizzling cast iron plate, the Shaken Beef (Luc Lac Beef) was meaty in texture, yet ultimately tender.  It was nicely seared and mildly seasoned.  The accompanying veggies were caramelized and sweet.

One of my favourite items was the veritable Lemongrass Chicken on Rice.  This was a good portion consisting of chewy rice that was on the drier side, however, that was perfect since we drizzled the nuoc cham on top.  Thick and well-portioned, the deboned chicken thigh was nicely charred and caramelized.  It was properly marinated where the aromatic lemongrass and savoury components had penetrated the meat.  Furthermore, that resulted in a succulent and tender texture.  One of the more unique items was the Asia Burger served with fries and sriracha aioli.  Well, the burger ate very much like most other versions, but it was a very good one though.  The patty was super moist and thick with the benefit of onions inside.  The brioche bun was soft, but held up to the wet ingredients including the sunny side egg.

Onto our last 2 items, we had the Dundas Platter consisting of spring roll, salad roll, chicken and beef satay, cassava fries and sauces.  Taking nothing away from the rest of the items, my favourite part of the platter was the crispy cassava fries.  These were crispy while soft and dense.  Loved it with the sriracha mayo.  The salad roll was solid too being tightly wrapped with on point textures.  The satays were well-seasoned and grilled where there was a smokiness in addition to caramelization.  The most creative dish was the Dungeness Dundas Nachos featuring fried wonton skins topped with crab, creamy Japanese mayo, chives and onions.  Light and crispy, the wonton skins were loaded with enough ingredients for impact including a decent amount of crab.  

Of course we have to talk about the Pho right?  Well, I went back and tried a normal-sized bowl rather than the enormous challenge portion.  This way, I could enjoy it for its clean broth that was mild-tasting with a touch of meatiness.  The conservative amount of sodium and lack of MSG made the healthy-tasting.  I found the noodles to be chewy and not clumpy while the meats were tender and well-portioned.  In addition to repeating the same dishes as above, I got a new one in the Dundas Spiced Wings (garlic butter flavour).  These were crispy with rendered skin with a seasoned batter.  The meat was succulent and juicy while the flavours were fairly mild.  So from sampling almost all of the menu from several visits, I can confidently say that Dundas Eat + Drink produces some pretty solid eats at reasonable prices.  This will probably be added to my regular rotation.

*Most food was complimentary*

The Good:
- All around good eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Nice people

The Bad:
- If busy, seating is at a premium
- Parking lot rather narrow (for those who are parking challenged... LOL)

Love for Pho

Sometimes a quick meal doesn't have to involve a drive-thru or a food fair in a mall.  For those who know, grabbing some Pho can be pretty time efficient and easy on the wallet (although the prices are creeping up there).  So with not much time to spare, we were driving up Kingsway in search of Vietnamese.  Well, that is as easy as stumbling on a Trump joke on social media.  However, we were nearing Boundary and the selection gets a bit thin until you reach Metrotown.  But there was a new spot in Love for Pho.

We ended up with our usual Pho Dac Biet and it was full of ingredients including an inordinate amount of tendon (which was soft with still a bite).  The rest of the meats were fairly good where the brisket was fatty and soft.  As for the broth, it was clean with mild flavours including the sweetness of daikon and a faint anise finish.  The noodles were plentiful and still chewy.  My son loves Lemongrass Chicken with rice, so yes that's what he had.  It featured chewy rice with shredded pork and a large piece of deboned leg.  It was succulent and juicy, but lacking in impact.  We thought there a more aggressive marinate was necessary as well as more charring to the fatty skin.

We also got my son's other favourite dish being the Beef Stew with bread.  Hidden underneath the onions were a plethora of super tender melt-in-our-mouths beef shank.  The tendon portion of the meat was partially melted which meant the meat was barely chewy.  In terms of taste, the broth was not overly fatty nor seasoned, but there was a noticeable meatiness combined with 5 spice, anise and the sweetness of carrots.  Sticking with bread, we ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet, which was quite good.  The crusty bread was not overly dense inside while there was enough ingredients to balance.  Add in the pate and the drops of Maggi and the sandwich was tasty.  Overall, we found the meal good, but the flavours could've been stronger.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay portions

The Bad:
- Flavours could be more impactful
- Service is fine, but sparse