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

Viet Time

Whenever we are in the Bay Area, I make it a point to visit my grandparents at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.  Since we were leaving for the airport, it was somewhat nearby.  Afterwards, we were pretty hungry and considered eating at the airport, but you know, it is a ripoff.  Hence, we started Googling some options in the area.  There was the Koi Palace in Daly City, but we hadn't been there in awhile and my aunt said it wasn't very good.  So we settled on something simple in Viet Time in San Bruno.

We weren't expecting too much from the place, but the mom n' pop place was welcoming.  We had both the Phở Bò Viên and Phở Dặc Biệt.  As you can see, the broth was pretty clean and clear.  It was decent with balance sweetness and meatiness.  I think that it could've been a bit more flavorful, but it was definitely acceptable.  As for the meats, the rare beef and brisket were not exactly thin.  However, they were still fairly tender.  I would've liked it thinner personally.

I really wanted the Phở Dặc Biệt but settled on the Bún Riêu instead.  We needed a little variety right?  Yah, my kids ordered the same thing and Viv kinda did the same.  Ugh...  Anyways, this was pretty serviceable with a sweet broth that had some brininess.  Although there were tomatoes present, it wasn't particularly noticeable.  Noodles had a nice bounciness to them and the meats were fair in portion size.  I enjoyed the pork meatballs with egg as they were fluffy and tasty.

So here are the 3 dishes that were almost the same (sigh...) with the first being Grilled Chicken, Pork Chop, Spring Roll and Egg on rice.  The second was the Grilled Chicken with rice.  I had to include the picture of the Grilled Chicken because it featured 2 large pieces and it was only $11.95!  Not only that, the chicken was juicy, well-marinated and beautifully grilled.  The pork chop was also tender and had a nice sear.  Spring roll was a bit average though.  Overall, these 2 plates were more than enough food for one person, if not more.

Lastly, I added a Bánh Mì Dặc Biệt with all the cold cuts.  As you can see, this was heavy on the pickles, especially the carrots.  There was also plenty of meats as well.  I would've liked to see some more pate as that is what make this sandwich in my opinion.  The bread was pretty airy with a soft crunch on the outside.  Overall, the food at Viet Time was respectable and a great value.  The people are super nice and there is lots of parking available.

The Good:

- Serviceable eats

- Well-priced

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Not the best, but for the price, I would go back if I was in the area

Rice & Spoon Vietnamese

Sometimes, even on vacay, I don't want to be too creative and travel far for food.  Yes, that is right, I get lazy and want to do something convenient, cheap and somewhat healthy.  That is why we ended up at Rice & Spoon Vietnamese in Newark.  Just a few minutes away from our hotel, it required very little effort and for once, very little money.  When we first arrived, we thought we had to order on the tablet at the counter, but in the end, the nice man came to take our order.

Initially, we were suppose to have all 5 of us (including my mom) go eat here but my son wasn't feeling well.  He seemed pretty well when we got come In-N-Out of him...  Suspicious...  Anyways, we started with the Double Decker Spring Rolls.  These were essentially a spring roll wrapped in a salad roll.  I've had something similar before and I feel this is the best way to go.  Normally, one would wrap a spring roll in lettuce anyways, so adding rice paper to hold it altogether made it easier to eat.  This was good where the wheat wrapper was crispy and the rice paper had a nice chew.  Only thing that could've been better was the filling as it ended up being dense.

Viv went for her ol' standby being the Pho Tái Bò Viên.  As its name suggests, there was beef meatballs and rare beef sitting in the hot broth.  The beef was fairly tender while the meatballs were at their bouncy best.  The broth was decently meaty with it bordering on being salty (without it going over).  Could pick out some sweetness as well as some charred onion vibes.  The amount of noodles was modest and cooked perfectly where it was al dente and not clumpy.

For my daughter, she also went for her usual in the Phở Gà.  Personally, this would never be my choice as the Phở Dặc Biệt ticks more boxes.  But I get it, she doesn't like the tendon and tripe...  So this version featured a clean and clear soup.  It was mild and sweet where the addition of fried garlic provided aromatics.  The noodles were just as good as the previous bowl being chewy.  There was a good amount of chicken breast which was not dry, but not juicy either.

For my mom, she had the  Bún Riêu which was loaded with noodles.  Unlike many other versions, the pork and crab meatballs were firm and not loose.  There was the usual tomato, prawns and tofu though.  In terms of the broth, this is where it got somewhat controversial.  She really didn't enjoy it since it was considerably more briny and fishy than usual.  But for me, I love it when it is more briny as that is the point of this dish.  However, I can also see how some people might feel otherwise.

Since my son wasn't with us, I represented him by ordering the Grilled Chicken with rice and fried egg.  Yes, it is his favorite Vietnamese dish but this one was lacking in char.  Despite that, the meat was still juicy and tender with enough marinade so we had some salty, briny sweetness.  Overall, the food at Rice & Spoon was serviceable and inexpensive.  The guy behind the counter was super nice and helpful.  Good option in the area.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Competent food

- Generous portions

The Bad:

- Competent, but there is better

Chopsticks on Pho

Oh wow, it has been a long 12 years since I last set foot into Chopsticks on Pho out in Surrey.  Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the food there and at the time, they were doing something that wasn't quite trending yet.  You see, they were one of the few Vietnamese restaurants operating in a modern dining space as well as doing fusion cuisine.  I had my doubts about it since it really wasn't a thing yet.  They are still around today, so they must've been doing something right!  Well, the owners remembered me and decided to invite me back.

In addition to the food from the kitchen, they now produce their own artisan sauces that are all hand-made and jarred.  Some of these were used in the Tasting Platter consisting of one skewer each BBQ Nem Pork and the Satay Chicken, Grilled Garlic Prawns, Salad Roll and Crispy Pork Spring Roll.  Now if you look at the picture, you'll notice that the spring roll is missing.  Not sure what happened there, but it will make an appearance later on in another dish.  I really enjoyed the skewers as the meat was tender and full-flavoured due to the marinade and sauce.  The pork was tender with a nice rebound while exhibiting its usual smoky and sweet notes as well as some fish sauce.  The satay sauce for the chicken was sweet and nicely spiced.

Here is one dish where the spring roll makes an appearance...  in the Chef's Special Rolls.  As you can clearly see, the spring roll was encased within a salad roll.  Now the picture doesn't do this roll justice in representing its size.  I ate half of one and that was a lot.  First things first, the spring roll itself was large and stuffed with moist and seasoned pork filling with veggies and noodles.  The roll remained crispy despite being surrounded by a salad roll.  What really elevated these rolls was the dips on the side.  In particular, the satay sauce was out-of-this-world.

After this, we moved onto the BBQ Pork Banh Mi with all pickled veggies, jalapeno, cilantro and house aioli on a French baguette.  This featured an airy and light baguette that still had some bread texture left.  The outside was a bit crusty but didn't shatter completely upon the first bite.  Inside, the pork was moist and tender while having a pleasant natural flavour.  Good crunch from the ample pickled daikon and carrots as well as some acidity.  Peppers provided heat while the cilantro did its usual herbaceous thing.  This came with a bowl of broth that could be eaten as soup or used as a dip for the sandwich.  I personally wouldn't dip it because I love the crunch of the bread, but hey, you do you!

If you have followed me for awhile, you will know that if something is going to be vegetarian, it'd better be delicious for me to like it.  Well, their Pho Xao Tofu or veggie Pad Thai was something that I really enjoyed.  The ample amount of noodles were chewy with lots of elasticity.  They were bathed in a sweet and tangy sauce that was also briny and a touch spicy.  The addition of pickled veggies and the sprouts added crunch while the peanuts provided the aromatics.

A similar-looking dish was the Curry Basil Fried Rice with chicken.  Being a fried rice, this ate remarkably different though.  The chewy rice was fairly sauced, hence it was a touch moist instead of being dry.  The initial spoonful was definitely sweet and full of caramelized flavours.  The basil did come through while the curry was more in the background with an earthy spice.  I felt that with the squeeze of the lime wedges it really helped balance out the sweetness with acidity.

Moving back to the vegetarian side of the ledger, we had the Buddha Bowl which was presented much more like a platter.  It consisted of rice noodles topped with pressed tofu in a satay curry peanut sauce.  This was like liquid crack as it had elements of sweetness, spice, pepperiness and nuttiness.  The texture of the pressed tofu added body to the dish and I kept eating it.  We also found some crispy veggie spring rolls and a wealth of veggies with a vegan vinaigrette dressing.

So here we have the Crispy Pork Spring Roll make another appearance.  Since it was cut diagonally lengthwise, you can see how there was so much filling.   This came with the Chicken Satay (which was also in the Tasting Platter).  Really love that satay sauce with the coconut rice as the aromatics were off the hook.  Normally, this comes with vermicelli noodles, but since we've had that in other dishes, the rice was definitely a great canvas for the impactful sauce.

In addition to the Curry Basil Fried Rice, the other new dish on the menu is the Curry Beef Pho (this can be had with other proteins as well).  Piled up high, the rare beef was sliced thin and as it cooked in the hot broth, it turned out to be buttery tender.  About that broth, it started off sweet and clean but had a considerable kick at the end.  There was nuttiness and briny spice from the red curry.  Really delicious and a good alternative to the regular Pho.

But we couldn't pay them a visit and not have a bowl of "The Works" Pho right???  With the same rare beef majestically on top of the other meats (brisket and beef meatballs), this was a hearty bowl of soup noodles.  The broth was very clean and did not have any muddled flavours.  In fact, it was sweet and meaty despite not looking as such.  There was some background daikon and star anise vibes.  Hidden underneath, there was a considerable amount of al dente rice noodles.

To compliment our savoury and spicy food, we got a couple of smoothies including the Aloe Avocado and Mango Tango.  Both were creamy and smooth while not too thick, so they were very drinkable.  Since I love mango, that was my favourite of the two.  They were on the sweeter side, but paired well with our food as it was almost like a palate-cleanser.  Onto dessert, we were served some Vietnamese Coffees that were so rich and flavourful.  The condensed milk really balanced it off with creamy sweetness.  The dessert was Deep Fried Dough Sticks with a sweet peanut dip.  These "yau tiao" were super light and airy with a crispy crunch.  Loved the dip as it was purposefully sweet with lots of peanut flavour.  In the end, it was so nice to be back at Chopsticks on Pho.  Glad to see that the owners are still doing well while continuing to innovate with their artisan sauces.  Sure, prices are a touch higher than most, but you are also getting both quality and quantity as well as a nice dining space.  I really should bring the fam out, even though it is a bit of a drive for me!

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

The Good:
- Great-tasting food
- Well-portioned
- Super nice people (I can say that because my first visit was on my own coin!)

The Bad:
- It does cost a bit more than most

Saigon Dish

Sometimes, even while on vacay, you just might want to go basic with something less expensive and also less heavy.  This was the case here when Viv and I decided to just grab some Vietnamese nearby our hotel.  We made our way to the highly-rated Saigon Dish in Lawndale.  I guess we weren't the only ones thinking that as there was an extensive wait list going on.  Instead of giving up, we merely put our name down on the iPad and waited in the car.  Almost 45 minutes later, we were seated.

A bit out-of-character, we decided to order the Shrimp Tempura.  Nope, no spring rolls, no salad rolls and no salad.  Nothing really unusual about this dish as it was what we expected.  It consisted of meaty shrimp that had some rebound texture while coated in a light tempura batter.  The outside was crispy while the batter was slightly greasy.  It came with a sweet chili dip and the whole thing just ate pleasantly.  Not sure if this would be the most interesting thing to order as a starter though.

Viv went for the Phở with lean steak and brisket.  This was a solid bowl of noodles as the broth was clean but had depth.  It wasn't too salty while the natural sweetness of the components did come through.  There was sufficient tender meats, but they could've put a bit more to balance out the amount of al dente noodles.  But really, it was a good value and was more than enough food for Viv.

For myself, I had the Bún Bò Huế.  Unlike many versions out there, this one was legit as there was a large pork knuckle sitting in the fragrant broth.  Unfortunately, there was no pig's blood, but I can understand it may not be a big seller.  Now back to the broth, we could taste the lemongrass for sure, but there could've been more shrimpiness.  The spice was medium where it did add impact.  The noodles were slippery and chewy while the meats were tender (including the pork hock).

Lastly, we added the Bo Luc Lac with rice.  Despite the considerable amount of onions, it really didn't define the dish.  The cubes of beef were super moist and tender.  It had been stir-fried enough to slightly caramelize the onions and hence provide some sweetness.  This complimented the black pepper and soy.  I would've liked to see some peppers added to the mix rather than just onions.  Overall, the food at Saigon Dish was quite good and very reasonably-priced.  That is probably why they are so busy all the time.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Solid eats
- Fairly fair portions

The Bad:
- Pretty busy, you might have to wait (unless you do the online waitlist)
- Seating arrangements are not the most comfortable

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 Super Bowl (Burnaby Kingsway)

As much as the point of going out to eat is to find delicious food, more than ever we are looking at things that are the best bang for the buck.  Not everyone has a huge budget to dine at restaurants and given how the economy is these days, the best combination is good food, reasonable prices and large portions.  That perfect trifecta is rarely achieved, but some places have got this down pat.  One particular example is Pho Super Bowl.  I've been to the location in Burquitlam many times and it has never failed me.  Now they have opened up a new spot on Kingsway in Burnaby.  Interestingly, this has been the former location of several Vietnamese restaurants over the past 3 decades.

To get a taste of the menu, we started with some appies including the Chicken Salad Rolls and the Salad Rolls with shrimp, pork, vermicelli noodles, lettuce and herbs.  I thought the chicken was slightly better since it was served warm and hence, the rice paper was more pliable and chewy.  Didn't hurt that the chicken was nicely charred and well-seasoned. too.  The cold shrimp and pork salad roll featured a firmer and harder rice paper wrap with meaty and sweet shrimp inside.

Continuing on with the standard stuff, we had the Pork Spring Rolls and the Chicken Wings.  I found the spring rolls to be quite good being tightly-wound but not dense inside.  The filling was not loose, but it had some fluffiness to go along with the meat texture.  Outside was crunchy and not overly greasy.  As for the wings, they were somewhat aggressively battered and hence they were crunchy.  The skin was fairly well-rendered while the nicely marinated meat was juicy.  There was a side of spiced salt to dip the wings into.

From the appies, we went onto the staples including the Phở Đặc Biệt and the Bún Bò Huế.  As expected, the phở was fully loaded with all the meats including tendon and tripe.  Textures were on point while the noodles remained al dente.  The broth was clean and sweet with some background meatiness and daikon.  As for the BBH, the broth was spicy with some fermented shrimpiness.  Loved that they put in the pork knuckle (2 pieces too!).  Only thing missing was the pork blood, but that is probably not a big seller, hence not available.

We ended up having two versions of the Bún Riêu including the original with rice noodles and an alternate version with red rice noodles.  Other than that, they were identical with a seafoody and sweet broth.  I enjoyed this and despite what people will tell you, the one at Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen is not the best.  I find that one too "porky" and the crab gets lost.  This one, the pork, crab and egg was fluffy and briny sweet.  Lots of shrimp, fish cake and chả lụa to compliment.  By virtue of being thicker, chewier and more robust, the red rice noodle makes the whole bowl much more filling and heavy.  Definitely a good option for those who want more texture.

Our last soup noodle was the Seafood Rice Noodle featuring shrimp, fish cake, crab cake and veggies.  Predictably, the broth was very clean, clear and sweet.  There was the ever-so-slight brininess to it.  Since this was all seafood, this ate more lightly and felt healthy.  We also had the Bo Kho with baguette on the side.  This was loaded with large pieces of brisket that were rather lean (the flat portion of the brisket).  Therefore, it was a touch dry, but still sufficiently tender.  It was bathed in a meaty and slightly fatty braising liquid.  There a little bit of spice to it and the star anise came through.  Definitely some sweetness too.  Great for dipping the bread into.

On the topic of baguettes, we had a trio of Bánh Mì including Đặc Biệt (Cold Cut), Grilled Chicken and Grilled Pork.  These were fully-stuffed with meat and other components (as if that was a given).  I particularly enjoyed the cold cut as that is usually my go-to.  But for this one, the meats were sliced thick (look at the chả lụa!).  The other 2 were solid too with nicely marinated and grilled meats.  They were tender and went well with the crusty bread.

Naturally, we tried one item each from the rice and vermicelli bowl sections.  This included Lemongrass Pork Chop with rice and double-fried eggs as well as the Chicken and Grilled Prawns Vermicelli Bowl.  As illustrated in the picture, the pork chops were well-charred, hence there was both caramelization and smokiness.  Meat was still tender though.  The same could be said about the pieces of chicken as they were tender with plenty of sweet saltiness.  Prawns were meaty and cooked just enough.

Complimenting our meal and also being our de facto dessert, we had the Combination Bean Pudding and the Durian Smoothie.  The Bean Pudding consisted of mung beans, red beans, and pandan jelly, topped with coconut cream and crushed ice.  Both were pretty sweet, with the bean pudding having plenty of textures.  I've had Che on many occasions and this one was fully loaded.  The durian smoothie was not too pungent, so it was rather mild.  As you can see, the food at Pho Super Bowl comes in large quantities.  But the quality is there too, so you get the best of both worlds.  In addition, the pricing is reasonable.  Great place to grab a bite to eat but keeping within a budget.

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

The Good:
- Large portions
- Food is good too
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- Would've liked to see fattier beef in the Bo Kho, but possibly it was just the luck of the draw