Tre Viet

It is nice to see the increasing amount of Northern Vietnamese spots opening up in the GVRD.  Growing up, all I was exposed to was Southern Vietnamese, where the menu sported various versions of Pho, Rice dishes and Vermicelli Bowls.  Yes, there is more to Southern Vietnamese cuisine than that, but that is what we got.  The latest Northern Vietnamese spot is Tre Viet on Denman in Downtown Vancouver.   This is the sister restaurant the CHÉN Vietnamese in Burnaby, hence you will find many of the same delicious dishes on the menu.  We dropped by for a tasting of the menu.

To start, we had the Hanoi Crisp Crab Parcels and the Anchovy Chicken Wings.  Although crispy (from the rice paper wrapper) and generally pleasing, I would've liked to see more crab in the parcels.  I would gladly pay more money for it.  As for the wings, they were quite good.  Nicely caramelized fish sauce with its classic salty brininess.  The meat was juicy and tender.

Our next appie was something that would appear in another dish later.  These were the Deep Fried Young Rice Cakes.  Really enjoyed the "meatiness" of these with a pleasant chew that went well with the sticky rice.  We also got the Rainbow Salad with prawns.  This was a fresh and appetizing mix of purple cabbage, carrot, onion, mint, peanuts and fried onion.  Lots of crunch and aromatics to go with the chili sweet & sour dressing.

Onto the soup noodle portion of the meal, we had the veritable Bún Bò Huế.  I found the broth to be clean with sweetness and the impactful aromatics of lemongrass.  Then we had the hit from the spicy oil as well as some brininess.  Pretty good!  In place of a pork knuckle, we got sliced pork hock instead.  We also found cubes of pork blood in addition to the other meats.  

Rather than ordering the typical Phở, we went for Tre's Special Soup.  The moist interesting thing in the bowl was beef meatballs encasing a salted egg yolk.  Like a Vietnamese Scotch egg, this was bouncy and flavourful with the nutty and salty egg yolk.  There was also thinly sliced rare beef with rice noodles in a phở broth.  Again, the broth was clean with mild flavours (just like how Northern-style phở generally can be).

We tried a new item that isn't on the menu yet in the Peanut Satay Phở.  This was aromatic and of course, nutty.  It was rich, but not thick (if that makes sense).  Hence, it was completely drinkable with some briny spice at the end.  There was also a balancing amount of sweetness.  We got some aromatics in a herbaceous manner.  Really good and the thin-sliced beef was tender.

 

Our last noodle soup was the Lemongrass Chicken Phở.  The chicken was actually served on the side, but we put it in the broth for the picture.  However, that actually was great in function too.  The smokiness from the charred chicken helped add depth to the broth.  Normally, a Phở Ga is pretty mild-tasting and sweet (which this was), but with the chicken added, we got the lusciousness from the chicken fat.

All of the dishes we've had so far was delicious, but the Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm Đặc Biệt was striking and even more delicious.  This platter consisted of pieces of vermicelli noodle, fried tofu, sliced pork hock, fried young rice cake, fried intestines and blood sausage.  All of this could be dipped into a punchy fermented shrimp paste sauce.  On the side, we found calamansi, peppers and lime.  Great for brightening up the flavours and cutting through the richness of the fermented shrimp paste.  Really enjoyed this as the textures of each item were different and that shrimp sauce was full of umami, funk and brininess.

So we did get one rice dish and it was the Grilled Lemongrass Pork Slices and Prawn Skewer.  We added 2 fried eggs for good measure.  This was a generous portion of food where the pork was charred and caramelized.  Since it was fairly fatty, it was tender as well.  Good marinade on it where it was plenty sweet, briny and salty.  The prawns were charred as well but a little overdone.

We had the Tre House Special Banh Mi.  This was similar to a đặc biệt where it had a variety of hams and meats.  It was plenty saucy with butter mayo and pate.  It wasn't devoid of flavour where the meats provided umami while the ample pate added aromatic meatiness.  Pickled veg offered up crunch and tanginess while the cilantro did its herbaceous thing.  The baguette was crunchy and fairly soft on the inside.

To go with our food, we had a variety of beverages including Matcha Coconut, Avocado Coffee, Calamansi Ice Tea and Fresh Sugar Cane Juice.  Hands down, the calamansi was a hit for me.  The tartness and sweetness really was refreshing and help compliment the dishes we had.  Avocado coffee was rich and smooth.  This would be the drink I would have by itself.  Aromatic and tropical, the matcha coconut also had the requisite bitter aftertaste.  It was nicely balanced.  Of course the cane juice was sweet, but on the other hand, it was diluted enough that it was not too sweet.  Overall, the food at Tre Viet is delicious and served in generous portions.  Some real distinctive dishes you'd not find at the run-of-the-mill Southern Vietnamese spots in town.  Definitely worth checking out.

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

The Good:

- Distinctive Northern Vietnamese dishes

- Large portions

- That fermented shrimp sauce!

The Bad:

- Wished there was more crab in the parcels

- Pork slices could've been a bit less fatty

Phở Anh Vu

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Good:

- Large portions

- Unique dishes (Northern)

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

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher side

Cộng Cà Phê

Upon finishing up at Congee Queen for a quick meal before the Jan Arden concert, we didn't quite rush to Massey Hall.  You see, we stumbled upon Cộng Cà Phê on the way there and just had to stop for some bevvies.  Too bad we were rather full after ordering too much food because we were quite tempted by their selection of Bánh Mì.  We did end up visiting them again later on this trip, but that was once again after a meal, so we only did drinks.  One day we will come back for the Bánh Mì!

So the first time we dropped by, we had the Coconut Coffee.  Yes, this was on the sweeter side, but in a good way.  It was so fragrant and aromatic with the classic creamy coconut milk vibes.  Mixed in, there was the strong Vietnamese coffee that was well-balanced by the sweetness of the condensed milk.  Since this was a blended ice beverage, it had an appealing cold temperature (great for a hot day).  Also, it was smooth and totally drinkable.

For our other drink, we had the Coconut Green Rice, which was also served as a blended ice drink.  This and the previous drink is part of their Signature menu.  I found this one very sweet and not as balanced as the coconut coffee.  Now that is my very subjective opinion as I'm not into very sweet anything.  So for those who like a coconutty sweet drink with the nuttiness of rice, this would be great.  Once again, it was blended well and easy to drink.

As we were walking back to our hotel after eating another meal, we stopped by to grab a few dinks.  I decided on the Fresh Lime Freeze.  It was essentially a lime slushy with real lime zest.  It was refreshing and light with plenty of bright tanginess.  The lime zest added some bitterness and aromatics.  Once again, this was blended well and it was super easy going through the straw.  It was very sweet though, so despite the tanginess, it was a full on sugar rush.

Lastly, we had the Saigon Salted Kumquat.  Naturally, with it being a drink rather than a slush or some sort, this went down very easy.  it was fruity and citrusy without being too sweet.  It had just enough salt for it to be noticeable further enhancing the natural flavours.  Great drink to quench one's thirst.  Really wished we tried the sandwiches too because they looked good.  I'll make sure I do so next time I'm in town.  Otherwise, we were pretty happy with the drinks albeit on the sweeter side.

The Good:

- Love the cute space

- People are super nice

- Refreshing drinks

The Bad:

- On the sweeter side

CHÉN Vietnamese Restaurant

Always love new spots opening up and especially in my hood since, even though I drive for food, it makes it a whole lot easier if I drive less!  So when we spotted CHÉN Vietnamese Restaurant opening up where Sushi UOmo used to be, it was at the top of my list to try.  We didn't get to it right away since we were busy getting ready to go to Japan.  Well, that didn't go as planned where Viv broke her leg early on.  That meant we were back in town to try the place out, including Viv.  She was in a bit of discomfort, but made it through the meal!

For those who don't know, CHÉN features Northern Vietnamese cuisine, so many things on the menu may not look familiar or may be a little different.  Take the Crab Spring Rolls for instance.  They looked similar to the regular type, but there was crab and loved to see them use rice paper as the wrapper.  We found these to be good with a nice crunch and a fluffy filling.  There was not too much crab in there, so it wasn't that noticeable.  If I had to compare, I like the ones at Crab Hot Lau more due to their size and big pieces of crab leg meat.

So you might be wondering if there is any difference between North vs South Vietnamese Bánh Mì Thịt Nguội.  Well, there are subtle differences such as less sauces and no butter mayo.  Instead, it is usually just pâté and sometimes, there is Maggi added to it rather than soy sauce.  This one here was minimalist but had all the usual ingredients.  The baguette was crunchy and airy while there was enough pâté to add umaminess.

The same minimalist concept applies to the Phở Tái Bò Viên as well with a lighter broth and only a garlic vinegar condiment on the side.  However, just like at Crab Hot Lau, they also have sriracha and hoisin just to please everyone.  I found the broth clean and actually quite flavourful but not salty nor too sweet.  The amount of noodles was a bit meager but did the job.  The meats were tender, but once again, limited in portion.

We also had the Bún Bò Huế and there was much more meat involved in that bowl.  Furthermore, the broth was tasty with hits of lemongrass, brininess and some spice. Loved that they included pork blood in this as many places do not (understandable since many people do not eat it).  There was no pork knuckle though, but once again, that would only appeal to a small percentage of diners.  A really solid bowl of BBH and I would gladly have it again.

Trying to go for something different, I tried a Hanoi specialty in the Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm which included sliced pork hock, fried young rice cake, fried tofu, rice noodle bundles, herbs and a bowl of fermented shrimp sauce. If you can imagine, that shrimp sauce was the key to this dish.  It was super funky and briny.  This wouldn't be great for novices, but if you are into shrimp sauce, this was super delicious with different textures combined with also the lime, herbs and bird's eye chili.

Finally, onto a defaultish dish in the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with 2 sunny side eggs.  Unfortunately, this was the one dish that could've been better.  The chicken was flavourful and had some nice grill marks, but it was dry and a bit chewy.  Portion size for the dish was good, but a bit more chicken would've been great.  Overall, we thought the food at CHÉN to be solid and a bit different being Northern Vietnamese.  Loved the decor and also the people there!

The Good:

- Something different than the usual Southern Vietnamese

- Generally good quality food

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Pricing is on the higher end

- Seating is a bit tight

Crab Hot Lau

I finally made it out to Crab Hot Lau.  Yes, it took me this long.  Like, it has been in operation since 2021, so that makes it 4 long years that I've seen their signature Crab Spring Rolls grace social media.  Originally, the owner was making these spring rolls and other Northern Vietnamese specialties during the pandemic in 2020 where people would be putting in orders for them.  It got so popular, she figured that running an actual B&M restaurant would be the best course of action.  Despite some reservations and warnings from the previous owner of where Crab Hot Lau sits now, she went full steam ahead.  Great move, because they have done quite well and are in the process of opening more locations!

Seeing how Mijune was about to pop, I met up with her for some lunch before she became a mom!  We started with the Pâté Mini-Breadsticks which were stuffed a with delicious meat spread which was smooth, sweet and savoury.  There was also some pork floss for extra texture and sweet meatiness.  The bread itself was firm, but not heavy.  We also had the Green Papaya Beef Jerky Salad.  In addition to the beef jerky on top, we found some slices of liver too.  Nice add as it provided body and texture.  As for the salad itself, things were fresh and crunchy.  Nice tang and sweetness with the usual brininess of fish sauce.

Here we are, the famed Crab Spring Roll from Crab Hot Lau!  This thing was gigantic, stuffed full of tender pork, wood ear and of course whole leg portions of crab.  Beyond the obvious briny sweetness of the crab and umami from the pork, this spring roll was all about textures.  We had the super shattering crunch of the rice paper wrapper with the fluffiness of crab and meatiness of the pork.  Combined with the herbs on the side and some spiced nuoc cham, I could've had a few of these myself!

 

Another delicious appie we had was the Ha Long Squid Cake.  This also came with a side of sticky rice and sweet & sour dip.  They don't mess around with this one as the squid is shipped by air from Ha Long Bay!  It is hand-pounded to create a springy and bouncy texture.  I loved the light and crispy fried exterior and the natural, but subtle squid flavour.  Definitely needed the sweet & sour for some added impact.  With a bit of sticky rice, it added a different texture and rice nuttiness.

 

By default, we had to also try the Northern Style Phở Dặc Biệt.  In terms of the basics, this was similar to Southern Style, except the brisket was sliced differently and the soup was more clean.  However, I still found it rather flavourful and meaty. Hence, it was did taste more like the Southern style to me.  As for the noodles, Northern employs the wider flat version.  Also, the typical condiment was at the table in the form of garlic vinegar.

 

Now the Phở was good, but we had to get their signature bowl in the Hai Phong Crab Noodle Soup.  This featured wide red rice noodles which were firm and nicely chewy.  The broth was full of umami with the sweet brininess of crab while being properly seasoned. It was balanced without being too much of one particular taste.  In addition to the fish cake and golden crab roe, we found pork wrapped in lolot.  I'm familiar with the beef version, but this was the first time trying pork.  It pretty much ate the same with the meat being a bit more bouncy and tender.  Really solid bowl of noodles.

We also had a beverage in the form of the Cà Phê Trứng or Egg Coffee and it was fantastic.  Beyond the richness of the coffee itself, the creamy egginess of the foam and sweetness from the condensed milk helped tempered the strong coffee. I really enjoyed drinking this.  For dessert, we had the Thai Sweet Soup with house-made jellies with a side of whipped durian.  Again, this was delicious with a balanced sweetness and lots of chew textures.  The coconut milk was fragrant and adding the durian really amped up the flavours with the unmistakable sweet funkiness.  Gotta say this was a delicious meal where the quality of the food was apparent.  Prices are definitely on the higher side though as a result.  Worth it for me at least and I will be coming back.

The Good:

- Those crab spring rolls!

- The Hai Phong Crab Noodle

- Quality stuff

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher end

Phở Bắc Sup Shop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pho 68

So here we go with another Vietnamese restaurant with a number in it.  This time around, we have the brand-new Pho 68 located right below Superstore on #3 Road in Richmond.  I think the biggest question about the place is what sets it apart from the many run-of-the-mill spots in town?  For one thing, the menu seems to combine both Northern and Southern Vietnamese cuisines into one.   Secondly, the place is modern and purpose-built, rather than taking over an existing space and doing no renovations to it.

To start, we had the Beef Shank Salad consisting of sliced braised beef shank, pickled veggies, mint, nuts and fried shallots in a tamarind dressing.  This was a light and almost refreshing beef salad (not that I would often say that) where the meat was tender and the dressing was tangy and sweet.  Another starter was the Sticky Wings in a caramelized fish sauce that also came with rice and pickled veggies.  This could definitely be eaten as a meal!  The wings themselves were large and juicy.  I found the skin to be crispy and properly-rendered.  The ample amount of sauce ensured that we got every little bit of the stick sweetness combined with salty-briniess.

Typically a specialty of Hai Phong in the North, they serve pâté sticks here.  On the menu, it is referred to as Breadsticks filled with pâté, meat floss and hot sauce.  These were very good with crispy, almost crunchy bread that fairly light.  The ample amount of homemade pâté was flavouful and aromatic.  Now onto the more familiar Southern Bánh Mì, we had the cold cut,  lemongrass chicken and grilled minced pork.  These were also good with airy bread with a crunchy exterior.  All the usual ingredients were there  including mayo, cucumber, pickled carrot, cilantro, hot pepper, black pepper and soy sauce.  For me, I've always enjoyed the cold cut myself and this was loaded with all the usual meats.

Onto some soup noodles, we had the Beef Rib Phở.   With 3 big meaty beef bones, this was one hearty bowl of noodles.  I found the broth for the phở to be clean and fairly balanced.  It did have some meatiness to go with the sweetness from the daikon, charred onion and rock sugar.  The noodles were nicely al dente (even though it sat in the broth for awhile) and the rib meat was fall-off-the-bone tender.  I found the rare beef to be sliced thin and ultimately tender as well.

For the Bún Bò Huế, this was a hearty version with plenty of slippery lai fun noodles, beef brisket, chả lụa and chicken meatballs.  The broth was pretty fragrant with a definite lemongrass essence.  There was some spice due to the chili oil and a minor brininess.  In general, this was a solid version of BBH despite missing 2 key components of pig's blood and pork knuckle.  However, I do understand why they were missing as those components do not appeal to everyone.

Our last soup noodle was the Bún Riêu or Vietnamese crab noodle soup.  Now, there are many variations in town and for the going price (around $15-$20), you aren't going to get a lot of crab.  But in reality, it is little to with the amount of crab meat, rather it is the flavours and the soup base.  This one was aromatic, sweet, a bit tangy and of course briny.  I've always thought that the much-talked about version from Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen is far too "porky".  This one here was much more focused and clean.  The crab, pork & egg mixture was light and fluffy.   Completing the bowl was some shrimp, tofu and crab cakes.

From soup noodles, we moved onto rice dishes in the Grilled Prawns & Pork Slices as well as the Beef Luc Lac.  As you can clearly see, both rice dishes were well-portioned.  Beyond that, they were also very good.  The ample pork slices were charred and fully caramelized whereas the prawns were just cooked through with a meaty snap.  As for the luc lac, there was a bit too much veg for my liking, but ultimately, they were able to have enough wok heat to sear the meat with a sweet and salty caramelization.  The same could be said about the veggies too as they were still crunchy but cooked through.  This was super impactful and went well with the rice.

To get a sense of the entire menu, we also had the Lemongrass Chicken & Spring Roll Vermicelli.  Just like every other dish, this bowl was loaded and the vermicelli couldn't even be seen as a result.  The huge piece of chicken was well-charred while the meat was still juicy and properly brined.  The ample amount of spring rolls was crunchy with a medium-dense pork-filling.  Overall, the food at Pho 68 is solid across-the-board.  Considering the reasonable prices and large portions, it is no wonder why there are many locations and they are generally all busy.

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

The Good:

- Large portions

- Consistent across-the-board

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- The beef luc lac could do with a few less veggies