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

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

Thai Hang 2

Due to the diagonal path of Kingsway, it makes for some interesting buildings lining the street from start to finish.  One particular location is the building that houses the second location of Thai Hang Vietnamese.  Essentially 2 storefronts combined into one, the odd triangular shape makes for a strange dining space.  This was especially true for its past tenants such as Red Fort and Khyber Pass.  Trying to get the attention of the wait staff was nearly impossible as they were in a separate room.

Well, we weren't too concerned with service or the odd shape of the restaurant when we stopped in for a quick bite.  In fact, I don't recall ever being that picky with any Vietnamese restaurant since they often take over other restaurants.  We started off with the Butter Garlic Wings that sported a thin almost tempura-like batter.  Hence, the exterior was lightly crisp while the skin was not rendered at all.  The good news was the juicy and well-seasoned meat underneath, but the rest of the wings were not very flavourful.  For my main, I tried the Luc Lac Beef which was pretty bland.  There was very little impact and flavour while the chunks of beef were rather chewy.  The version at Phnom Penh kicks this one in every way.

The kiddies shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice (where we added 2 fried eggs).  This was a pretty good dish consisting of sweet charred chicken that was sufficiently moist.  On the other hand, the lemongrass was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of sugar used in the marinade.  Of course we also got an order of Pho which featured a very mild broth that was lightly sweet.  It could've used more meatiness and maybe more star anise.  Meats were okay though.  I guess that pretty much sums up the food here as the real draw is their Bo 7 Mon.  That will be another day and I'm sure will be more exciting than the meal we had this time.

The Good:
- "Okay" eats
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Not particularly memorable
- Flavours could've been more impactful 

Pho Hoa (Kingsway)

With all the new Pho joints strewn throughout the GVRD, it is easy to sometimes forget one of the originals.  Yes, I'm talking about Pho Hoa (aka the McD's of Pho).  Recently, Pho Hoa has fallen on hard times where location after location has closed (making way for Pho Boi).  As much as I tend to dismiss Pho Hoa publicly, it does hold a place in my heart.  No, it isn't food, rather, Viv and I would frequent the place when we first started going out.  So I guess we returned mostly for ol' times sake because the place didn't look like it had been updated since.

I got the standard Pho Dac Biet and although I specifically said I wanted cilantro, they omitted everything from the broth.  Actually, for our entire menu, it appeared no one really understood what we wanted (like water and a knife).  Back to the pho, the broth was somewhat clean and pretty mild.  It wasn't bursting out with any discernible flavours.  With that being said, it didn't offend.  Noodles were okay while the meats did the job.  For Viv, she went for the Grilled Pork & Spring Roll on Vermicelli.  Inconsistently charred, the pork was super fatty and not appealing.  It did exhibit a smoky sweet taste where there was sufficient caramelization.  As for the spring roll, it was pretty standard but a tad greasy.

For the kiddies, they shared their favourite being the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice.  We added a fried egg on the side.  This was actually not bad with a well-marinated and juicy piece of deboned chicken leg.  The char was a bit more uniform here where there was smokiness to go with the sweetness.  We also got the Banh Mi Dac Biet for good measure and it was more or less decent with crunchy bread.  There was a enough ingredients including a good splash of fish sauce. Oh well, I guess we knew what to expect from a visit to Pho Hoa...  But at the very least, it was serviceable and for us, a walk down memory lane (although this lane needed some upkeep).

The Good:
- Predictable
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- So so
- Staff were okay, but didn't really understand what we wanted

Pho Tai

When one has limited cash in their wallet and not a whole lot of time to spare, it may seem like one has to hit the usual spots.  Those usually involve some form of drive-thru and/or the phrase, "did you want fries with that?".  For me, that can be an option, but really, the standard fall-back is Vietnamese food.  Seemingly prepared just as fast and costing just as much, one could dine on food that may not necessarily come out of a deep-fryer (except for the spring rolls of course).  On our way out of Bellevue, we stopped at Pho Tai for some quick eats.

We began with the Salad Roll which arrived with a strangely colored exterior.  It was almost if the rice wrapper was beginning to go opaque.  One bite and it made more sense as it was a bit gummy and dense.  Was it sitting around too long?  Despite this, the roll itself was alright with meaty shrimp and crisp greens including some basil.  The dip was nicely balanced between the hoisin and peanut sauce.  Going for something other than Pho, we had the Bo Kho with bread.  This was rather mild-tasting and thin while not completely devoid of impact either.  It was somewhat fragrant and only purposefully salty and sweet.  There wasn't as much meat flavor as we would've hoped.  However, the generous portion of beef shank was succulent and moist.

Of course we still had the Pho Dac Biet because it would've been wrong otherwise.  It was a decent portion with plenty of meats atop al dente noodles.  The broth itself was clean but overly sugary.  Hence, there was no balance, which meant that any meat flavor or savoriness was masked. Lastly, we had the Lemongrass Chicken & Spring Roll with Rice.  Sliced into pieces and stir-fried, the chicken was rather saucy, yet dry at the same time.  It was really sweet and somewhat caramelized.  However, we weren't huge fans of it though. The spring roll was somewhat an afterthought as the filling was rather bland and somewhat dry.  Despite this and some other issues, we were still okay after it was all said and done.  It didn't cost us much and did the job.  But then again, there are better choices for Vietnamese food though.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Fairly extensive menu including non-Vietnamese food (not sure if that is a good?)

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Food came out rather slow

Yeh Yeh's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Fresh off returning from Seattle for some Black Friday shopping, it wasn't likely I'd be heading down anytime soon.  But with a garage filling up from my online purchases, Goose needed me back down there pronto.  What?  He doesn't need space in his garage right?  2 bikes, some speakers, softball bat, hockey sticks and other equipment is not that much stuff!  Okay fine, I guess it is his garage after all...  So we made an impromptu jaunt down to Bellevue so that Goose could make it from one end of his garage to the other.  On our way down, we stopped at Yeh Yeh's Vietnamese Sandwiches for a bite to eat.

Hidden behind an Asian supermarket North of Seattle, Yeh Yeh's is a fairly basic place with counter service. It is an efficient operation which keeps the food prices low.  We ended up with 2 Banh Mi sandwiches including the Vietnamese Ham and Grilled Chicken.  With less meat, the ham sandwich took on more of the pickled daikon and carrot acidity and sweetness.  Hence, the pate and meat were definitely in the background.  We loved the bread as it was crusty and not overly dense.  As for the chicken sandwich, it was packed full of well-charred pieces.  Hence it was smoky with a sweet caramelized taste.  The chicken was surprisingly moist despite the aggressive char.

We also got a bowl of their Pho where we were allowed to choose the meats.  Therefore, we got all the meats and essentially had a pho dac biet.  Slightly cloudy and a bit salty, the broth was not as clean tasting as we would've liked.  There was a certain meaty finish, but all of the other flavours were a bit muddled.  Meats were good though being sliced thin and tender.  For myself, I went for something different being the Hủ Tiếu Mi (Pork Noodle Soup).  Okay, I'm gonna be pretty blunt here...  It was far too salty and the MSG just added to the problem.  Furthermore, the portion size was pretty pathetic.  I finished it before anyone else even started on their food. After it was all said and done, Yeh Yeh's satisfied out requirement for quick cheap eats with little fanfare.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large and good Banh Mi
- Quick and efficient

The Bad:
- Crappy bubble tea
- Hu Tieu Mi far too salty