Nén Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

Our early introduction into Vietnamese cuisine in the GVRD was mostly represented by the South.  However, as time passed by, we started to see Northern Vietnamese enter the market, starting with Mr. Red.  More recently, we have seen Chén Vietnamese open up shop on Hastings in Burnaby.  Now we have a Central Vietnamese restaurant in Nén Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine taking over the space in a strip mall on Canada Way at Edmonds. 

We started our meal with a Central Vietnamese dish originating from Huế in the Bánh Bèo (or steamed rice cake).  These were texturally delightful with an initial firmness and then a silky and bouncy finish.  They were topped with a full-flavoured minced pork sauce that had hits of umami.  Textural contrast was provided by the crunchy fried shallots and crushed peanuts.  This was an excellent version of the dish.

We got an order of their Cánh Gà Chiên with garlic butter.  This actually came quite late in the meal, possibly due to the restaurant being slammed during peak dinner time.  These featured whole wings there were fried pretty crispy with the skin being well-rendered.  The meat was not exactly juicy, but it wasn't dry either.  With copious amounts of butter, we could smell it while it sat on the table.  Flavourwise, it was definitely buttery and could've used more hits of garlic.

We had a few of the bigger plates from the menu including the Nén Special Platter.  This featured 3 types of meat.  The grilled pork with lemongrass was charred well, but pretty dry.  The grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves was a bit better, but still dry.  It did taste good though with hits of brininess, herbaceousness and sweetness.  The most tender and juicy of the bunch was the sweet ground pork skewers.  We found some rice noodle sheets, pickled daikon and carrot, herbs and lettuce to wrap the meat.  For $27.75, this was a lot of food and enough for 2 people.

We went for a bowl of the Nén Special Phở or their version of Phở Dặc Biệt.  The most prominent meat in this bowl was the whole back rib.  In addition we found tender slices of AAA brisket and AAA sliced beef along with beef meatballs.  The one thing that was quite evident with the first sip of broth was the amount of fat.  It really did add aromatics and meatiness, but at the same time, there was just a bit too much of it.  Otherwise, the broth was intensely meaty and full-bodied.

Full-sized and stuffed with bean sprouts and sliced pork, the Bánh Xèo was super crispy with a medium thickness.  Inside, the sprouts were still crunchy while the pork was tender.  Since they plated the shrimp on the outside of the pancake, they remained in their optimal doneness.  They were meaty with a rebound texture.  When combined with together with some fish sauce, we had plenty of textures and flavours.

With my son around for this dinner, we knew a plate of Lemongrass Chicken was incoming.  They didn't skimp on the chicken as we found 2 large deboned and marinated chicken legs on the plate.  They were charred nicely and completely caramelized.  There was so much sweetness and savouriness from the marinade that the chicken ate well with the rice without the need from the nước chấm.

With the same tender chicken, the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi featured a crunchy and fairly light baguette.  As you can see in the picture above, they stuffed the baguette full of chicken, so it ate hearty with plenty of flavour.  Overall, we were pretty happy with our meal here.  The portions are massive, so the higher prices are justified.  Furthermore, the food is tasty.  Would come back for sure.

The Good:
- Tasty eats
- Large portions
- Some unique items

The Bad:
- Service was polite, but not enough servers, so hard to flag someone down
- Is pricier than other spots, but the portion size justifies it

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

Pho & Chill

Here we are with our out-of-town food adventures, this time in Seattle.  First stop is Pho & Chill out in Lynnwood that boasts authentic Vietnamese cuisine.  Honestly, most Vietnamese restaurants I've been to in multiple locations have been authentic, rather than something fusion.  However, one look at the menu at Pho & Chill reveals many dishes that are not offered at the run-of-the-mill Vietnamese spots.  Furthermore, they boast a variety of drinks and desserts not seen at most places.

To start things off, we had the Bánh Khọt served with all the fixin's including nước chấm, lettuce, herbs and pickled veggies.  These little pancakes, cooked in their own special mould, were crispy on the bottom and edges, while being a bit custardy in the middle.  There was the unmistakable coconut milk flavour as well as a certain sweetness to go with the usual savouriness.  Shrimp in the middle was cooked just right having a buttery snap texture.  Wrapped these little things in lettuce and dipped into the fish sauce, so delicious!

Next, we tried their Fish Sauce Chicken Wings.  These gigantic wings were coated in a fairly thick batter that was universally crunchy with surprisingly rendered skin.  I guess this was achieved by an aggressive deep-fry where the meat was not dry per se, but wasn't juicy either.  On the outside, each wing was generously coated with a fish sauce caramel that was sweet, garlicky and slightly spicy.  Due it being quite sweet, I think if there was a wedge of lime for us to squeeze onto the wings, this would be perfect.

We had a cold appie in the Gỏi Bỏ or Beef Mixed Herb Salad featuring beef with lettuce, onions, carrots, fried shallots, banana blossoms, basil and peanuts.  This was a light and almost refreshing dish, especially with the warm weather.  The slices of slightly rare beef were sufficiently tender, but had a chew to them.  The rest of the ingredients were crunchy while the shallots and basil offered up aromatics.  The light fish sauce dressing added some tangy saltiness.

Onto another appie, we had the Shrimp Paste on Sugar Cane.  This is a classic dish, that for some reason or another, I never really order at any Vietnamese restaurant.  Glad we tried these here as they were rather large with a good amount of tender, but not too airy shrimp paste on each piece of sugar cane.  The shrimp paste still had a touch of fluffiness and rebound. The shrimp paste flavor was on the sweeter side, but was further amped by the natural taste of the sugar cane. 

With the bigger plates, I was so glad they had the Bánh Mì Chảo, specifically Bò Né in this case.  Served on a cast iron plate, we found a 6oz filet mignon with sunny side eggs, mini-sausages, tomato, fries and bread.  The steak was already sliced into strips and was cooked to about medium.  It was quite tender with a bit of a chew due to the doneness of the meat.  That sauce was pretty darn tasty with a rich meatiness accentuated by an appealing amount of fat (where all the flavour is baby!) and he silkiness of the eggs.  Yes, we dipped the bread into the sauce!

Continuing on with beef, we had the Bò Lúc Lắc served with rice and salad.  For this dish, the cubed beef was cooked to rare where the beef was juicy and moist but a touch on the chewier side.  I think it would've been more tender if it was cooked to medium.  As for the taste, it was flavourful with the usual meatiness accented by saltiness and some sweetness.  Naturally, the beef took on some of the flavours from the wok-fried peppers and onions.  To kick it up a notch, there was some lime salt & pepper served on the side.  Wished they had tomato rice with this though!

One of the more unique dishes we had was the half Cornish Game Hen with fried egg rice and some veggies.  Although looking pretty cooked on the outside, the hen actually featured moist and tender meat on the inside.  Naturally, the dark meat was more so than the white meat.  The fish sauce caramel was a bit similar to the one found on the wings being on the sweeter side with some fermented saltiness.  It was accented by some garlic butter which went well with the caramelized fried rice.

We some different in the noodle soup department with the Pho & Chill Special or Phở Tái Lăn featuring lightly wok-seared beef with fried garlic, rare eye-round steak and sunny side egg.  This Hanoi-specialty tasted quite different than a regular Southern Phở where it was much more fragrant, sweet and fatty.  Due to the wok-fry, the beef sitting in the broth shed some of the oil and hence made the soup more robust.  Lots more impactful flavours due to this and definitely not as clean as a regular broth.

 

We also decided to go with a selection of Bánh Mì including đặc biệt and grilled pork.   These were some pretty large sandwiches with plenty of meat.  In the cold cut, the meats were unusually thick.  In fact, there was plenty of meat in all of the subs.  Therefore, these ate well with lots of texture and flavor.  Grilled pork had a smoky char while being tender and well marinated.  The bread was fairly light with a crunchy exterior.

As mentioned earlier, they also feature a selection of drinks and desserts.  We tried Milk Tea with everything, Che Khuc Bach and Milk Tea with flan and pannacotta cubes.  These were really good!  That flan was silky and creamy.  Pannacotta cubes were stiffer with more gelatin, but I'm sure it is because it needed to not fall apart in the drink.  They were semi-sweet.  I would come here just for these!  But the food is good too, so I would consider this a hidden gem due to being located in Lynnwood.  If you are ever in the area, go check them out.  Very non-descript, yet really good!

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

The Good:

- The desserts/drink are excellent

- Large portions

- Impactful flavors

The Bad:

- The beef in general could've been more tender

 

Nha Toi Boutique Café & Truedan Bubble Tea Surrey

As much as South Surrey and White Rock sound far for most people, it really isn't as far as it seems.  First of all, if we were living in Los Angeles or the Bay Area, the commute to White Rock would be typical.  We are really spoiled here when things are so close in proximity.  So that is what we had in mind when we made our way out to Nha Toi Boutique Café & Truedan Bubble Tea.  Okay, if that sounded weird to you, it is because Truedan Bubble Tea is located inside Nha Toi Vietnamese.  So you can have the best of both worlds!

So what is different about Nha Toi?  In a sea of Vietnamese restaurants, Nha Toi seeks to bring the very best as some of their ingredients are brought in specifically from Vietnam.  This was true for the Fresh Papaya Salad featuring a large prawn cracker made specifically for Nha Toi and imported from Vietnam.   This cracker was so flavourful with natural prawn that I've never had before.  Really good.  As for the salad, it was definitely fresh and crunchy while the dressing was bright and full of umaminess from the fish sauce.  This was further amplified by the roasted shallots, Thai basil, chili and peanuts.

With a bit of everything, the Street Food Platter included crispy spring rolls, fresh salad rolls, taro chips, fried fish cakes, grilled lemongrass prawn mousse skewers and chicken nuggets.  Things were pretty much what was expected with spring rolls that were crispy.  Filling was moist and flavourful.  Salad rolls were fresh with crunchy lettuce and well-prepared shrimp.  The best part was the dip on the side as it had a notable spice at the tail end.  Not your typical hoisin peanut sauce mix.  This had way more depth-of-flavour and wasn't overly sweet.  Chicken nuggets were a touch dry, but the batter was crispy and light.

The most impactful dish was the Red Rice Noodle Bowl featuring an addictive crab sauce that was both sweet and briny.  However, it was the big piece of house-made crab cake that put this dish over-the-top.  It was fluffy, briny and naturally sweet.  That needed to be eaten with the noodles for full effect.  As much as I enjoyed the wide rice noodles, I would've liked thinner noodles (even though it wasn't supposed to be).

Just for default reasons, we had to get a bowl of Pho.  That we did with the Beef Noodle Soup featuring sliced brisket, beef meatballs and thinly-sliced AAA striploin.  With lots of beef, this bowl of Pho ate robust but was not heavy due to the clean broth.  It was meaty with some sweetness and the classic star anise hit.  Noodles were plentiful and al dente.  Sure, this was on the higher-end of the Pho pricing spectrum, but it was also filling with plenty of meat.

Okay, you might be looking at this Lemongrass Chicken on Rice and wondering why the meat was not charred.  Well, I was thinking the same thing and asked.  Turns out the local clientele prefer it less charred.  Well, as I've always said, you must cater to your customers.  If you want it charred, just ask.  Despite it being white meat, it was not dry and in fact, was juicy and well-brined.  Ate much better than it appeared.

Trying to hit all the favourites, we also had the Pork Patty Banh Mi.  This was a fully-loaded sub where eat bite guaranteed a mouthful of sweet and juicy pork patty.  To compliment, there was also pickled daikon & carrots, cilantro, cucumber, green peppers and signature house-made sauce.  This was not lacking flavour nor texture.  Even the baguette was crusty on the outside and airy on the inside.

We also wanted to try the Fish Sauce-Glazed Wings and of course we got those too.  This featured fairly large mid-wings that were deep-fried just right.  The skin was crispy and well-rendered.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender.  Naturally, the best thing about these was the glaze as it was sweet and caramelized with a salty brininess.  I would've loved even more of it on the side to dip the meat into.

Of course we can't forget about the bevvies from Truedan.  The main draw for these drinks is their freshness featuring real ingredients.  Loved the refreshing sweetness of the Mango & Strawberry Yogurt Slush, but the best one was the Brown Sugar Milk with Fresh Taro.  The smooth texture of the aromatic taro was so freakin' awesome.  Do get this if you are there!  Overall, I was impressed with the food here.  They put in the effort to make it right and put in some unique touches.  Having excellent Truedan drinks on site doesn't hurt things either.

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

The Good:

- They put in the effort, even with the smaller details (like sauces and the prawn cracker)

- Things don't seem commercialized, a bit like home-cooking

- Excellent Truedan drinks

The Bad:

- Street food platter had some times that were a bit dry

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

Bánh Mì Très Bon

Yes, I realize that it hasn't been long since I made my last visit to the White Rock location of Bánh Mì Très Bon.  However, they have begun to add more dishes to their menu as they get settled into the groove of operating a second store.  So that is the main reason for being there again so soon.  However,  we were able to sample some of the favourites as well as their surprisingly good cocktails.  So I met up with Roanna and Eileen for another tasting.

We started off with their Savoury Mini-Crêpes and I thought this time, they were even better than the last time I was here.  The edges and bottom of the crêpes were uniformly crispy and light.  Each one was filled with fried shallots, shrimp and green onion.  This combination ensured there would be aromatics, brininess and a bright sharpness.  But to complete this concoction, we were served a side of fish sauce to up the salty briny flavour quotient.

So we couldn't do food here without some of their excellent drinks either right?  We got the Taste of Vietnam Cocktail Flight featuring Smooth Landing (plum wine, rambutan juice, ginger, & jalapeños),  In the Air (rice wine, soho lychee, & crème de cassis), Taking Off (hpnotic & coconut liqueur).  My favourite of the bunch was In the Air due to the lychee and creaminess.  We also had the Bonsoir Saigon and Parisian Nights.  Loved the coffee in the Bonsoir Saigon and the fruitiness of the Parisian Nights.

So we had 2 versions of their next dish including the Sweet Tamarind Crispy Prawns as well as the Sweet Tamarind Crispy Tofu & Cauliflower.  Loved the tanginess of the tamarind that was tempered by the sweetness and slight spice of the sauce.  The prawns were indeed crispy with a meaty snap texture.  However, I enjoyed the vegetarian version even more with the firm cauliflower and the tender chunks of crispy tofu.

The next 2 dishes we had also featured the same main dish but with different starches.  We had the Vietnamese Free-Range Chicken Curry served with rice vermicelli or their house-made baguette.  Really enjoyed this dish as the curry featured coconut milk, but wasn't heavy at the same time.  We got the aromatics as well as some sweetness with some spice.  The chicken was certainly tender while the little nuggets of purple yam were texturally appealing.  We also found eggplant, green beans, carrots and daikon hidden within too.  I thought the vermicelli went really well with the sauce.  The bread was fantastic too being soft with a crunchy exterior, but it would go better with a beef stew in  my opinion.

So you can't dine at Bánh Mì Très Bon without having their Bánh Mì Trio right?  Well, this featured braised pork belly & Vietnamese ham, grilled lemongrass chicken and pork meatball.  Again, the bread on these were good with a crunchy crust giving way to a soft chewy interior.  This held all the wet ingredients at bay very well.  My favourite was the meatball as it was soft and meaty with lots of sweet onion flavour as well as a meatiness.

Going for all the greatest hits, we had the BMTB Signature Beef Tenderloin Bone Marrow Phở.  Okay, yes, this was money with a clean-tasting broth that had plenty of meatiness.  It wasn't too heavy on the seasoning though as it was not too salty.  I found the meat to be tender and sliced thin.  Of course the star of the show was the large bone marrow with plenty of fatty goodness in the middle.

We ended our savoury portion of the meal with the delicious Caramelized Fish Sauce Brussels Sprouts.  Yes, to most this would look very unassuming, but rest assured, the flavours in this pop.  With the briny saltiness of the fish sauce and the sweetness of caramel, the balance was all there.  Coupled with aromatic crispy shallots and firm, but cooked-through Brussels sprouts, we had textural and flavour contrast.

Onto dessert, we tried the Apple Cream Puff Tart.  Oh I really liked this as the contrast between the fluffy & crispy choux pastry with the firm tart shell worked.  Also, the sweetness was just right where it was impactful without being overly sugary.  So nice end to this delicious meal.  Things were carefully-prepared and tasted great.  Definitely an elevated Vietnamese dining experience.  Perfect for the neighbourhood.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post

The Good:
- Elevated food
- Good flavours
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- On the pricier side (but what isn't these days?)
- Parking is a bit difficult