I talk about food, you read it.
Posts tagged vermicelli
Pho Phuong Hong
01 year ago
I must have been going through a Vietnamese phase 2 weeks ago because I went to 2 different Vietnamese restaurants one week. Surprisingly both places were in Maple Ridge. Who knew that we were so lucky? Anyway, I was craving a vermicelli noodle bowl so J and I went to Pho Phuong Hong for a quick and inexpensive yummy meal. It’s located at 6-20306 Dewdney Truck rd.
When we walked in there was another couple sitting at a table eating Pho and a second couple waiting for pick up. We didn’t see any staff so J and I just sat down at a table of our choice. We waited about 5 minutes and there was still no hide nor hair of any staff. J walked up to the counter to see if there was menus so we could at least decide on what to order while we waited for someone to show up. I guess they must have seen a super tall 6’4” white guy poking around because a man immediately came out and welcomed him. He brought over the menus and apologized for not being out sooner. After that he was very attentive and provided great friendly service.
We both ordered pork brochette with a spring roll. The menu posted on www.urbanspoon.com is different than the restaurant. Brochette should be skewered pork but it actually comes looking like its grilled or fried flat. Either way, it’s still pork and pretty good as well. They don’t serve this in a bowl but rather a large square plate which is slightly deceiving. At first I didn’t think it was much but it was very filling. The spring roll could have been a little crispier but that’s personal preference. I also could have had a but more carrot but overall I really enjoyed it, and will be back to try the pho!
Pho Hot
01 year ago
Last night J and I decided to go back to a new or should I say revamped Pho place in Surrey. We went about a month ago and there were a few hick ups so we thought we would give it another shot. Not to mention we both like Vietnamese and it’s really close to his place.
Pho Hot is located at 9544 120th st, Surrey. It’s used to be called Pho Dat Phu, but I guess they renamed it since they renovated. J thinks they’re trying really hard and he thinks it looks much better. I never went to it pre-Pho hot but to me it looked pretty decent.
Last time we went the noodles in our Pho were huge. I am not sure why, but this time they used the regular sized noodles and they were cooked perfectly. I should have stirred the Pho up first before taking the photo but as you can see the portions are also huge! I think the broth is pretty light and not overly salty which is nice but there is also something missing. Not sure what but it’s nothing that a little hot sauce won’t fix. J ordered a vermicelli noodle bowl with pork and spring rolls. I got to taste the meat and the spring rolls and I really enjoyed the flavour of broth. The portion was also very large as they used the same bowl as the Pho.
The only problem with going here is that you’re not really sure if you are going to get your beverages or food for that matter. Both times the lady completely forgot one of our drinks. The first time we went I got lemonade and J got a coke that she completely forgot about and then she brought the coke to the wrong table. This time J ordered bubble tea which she brought but completely forgot my 7-up. I am not sure how she forgets but its partly humorous and party annoying. The first we went we also ordered spring rolls to start with that she forgot and then brought with the cheque. This time we didn’t bother ordering an appy.
Even though there is a hit and miss beverage service and your appy may not come I think I will probably come back to this place. Its close by, and you really can’t beat a 20.00 meal for two people. I should also mention that they took Banh mi off their menu as well so I may just have to find another place to go to.
C & U Vietnamese and Cambodian Restaurant
01 year ago
So today I decided to make it my mission to find a place I have never eaten before. This wasn’t too hard since I don’t eat out too often but to make it more challenging I also wanted to find a Vietnamese place in Langley. I googled for a few minutes and found C & U Vietnamese and Cambodian Restaurant and gave them a quick call to put in an order for pick up. It’s located at 110-19665 Willowbrook dr, Langley BC, right behind the mall in the same plaza as Pasta Polo.
Since I didn’t have a menu on me, and couldn’t find one online I made the assumption that I could simply order a “vermicelli noodle bowl with spring rolls”. Well, apparently it’s not that easy and the phone call turned into a big confusing mess. By the end I had NO idea what I had actually ordered except that it had chicken and maybe noodles, I also said no to spring rolls simply because I just wanted to get off the phone.
I drove up to the restaurant and walked in to find a half full restaurant that was very clean and welcoming. I wouldn’t call it fancy by any means and perhaps a little dark but overall a good atmosphere. The girl was really friendly and let me know there was sauce included and I needed to add it to my food and mix well. I picked up a take-out menu, my food and brought it back to work.
The container of food was filled to the brim and so far looked very promising. It pretty much resembled a vermicelli noodle bowl so clearly she understood the naïve girl talk over the phone. The sauce was just a type of fish sauce which disappointed me a little because I really like to add hoison and hot sauce to my food but I added the fish sauce anyway and started mixing. Co-workers were commenting on how good it looked and how much food it was. One person challenged me to eat the entire thing and I gladly accepted!
The first bite I took was a bunch of noodles, chicken, and lettuce and it was actually really good. The chicken was well done, had a good flavour and there was a slight peanut taste. The lettuce unfortunately was already starting to wilt and get soggy. I mixed it up a little more and noticed that there was an awful lot of lettuce, no cucumber and as far as I could tell no mint or cilantro. I also don’t remember ever having green and red pepper either but that actually wasn’t bad at all.
On top of the take out container there was a 25 written so I took a look at the menu and saw that what I ordered was Vietnamese Salad with sliced grilled chicken. So I did get what I ordered but what I really meant was 25*, the star indicates a Vietnamese salad with cucumber, mint and spring rolls. Well, now I know for next time and that is also why I confused the poor girl on the phone. She kept mentioning a star and I had no idea what she was talking about.
Overall I am very happy with the food, but I would definitely pay the extra to get the added ingredients as it just wasn’t the same without the cucumber and mint. I also wished they had a Bahn Mi sandwich as well but unfortunately they don’t have any sandwiches at all. The restaurant is also supposed to be Cambodian. Now I am no expert on Cambodian food at all but as far as I can see, based on the menu it has one 3 Cambodian dishes and is mainly Vietnamese. Regardless, I will probably go back and try the star version! By the way, I did end up finishing the entire meal!
Vietnamese in Abbotsford
02 years ago
in Locations
There has always been something fascinating about Vietnamese food. Its colourful array of flavourful vegetables and fresh use of herbs that could awaken any taste bud. Its simple to make but tastes so much better when ordered in a true Vietnamese restaurant.
Recently Ive been working in the Abbotsford area and discovered a small establishment that is always busy, always delicious andserves some of the best Vietnamese food in town. Its so good that I’ve walked over to New Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine, located at Suite 108-31935 South Fraser Way every week that Ive been out there. Today I had the Chicken Vermicelli noodle bowl with spring rolls. The portions are huge, as with most of these types of establishments and sooooo yummy. You get a rather large heap of vermicelli noodles piled with chicken, peanuts, shredded carrots, mouth watering cucumbers, and sprigs of fresh mint. The spring rolls are probably the best I have ever had. I cant even explain their goodness well enough for you to understand. Theyre crispy on the outside, with a sweet and savory inside.
The tableshave an array of many types of sauces, from the typical hoisin to the fiery hot chili sauce and they even send you off with fish sauce when ordering take out. I prefer not to use the fish sauce but I am sure that to those of you who like it will appreciate that as well. I have yet to try anything else to be honest but I have seen other peoples orders, yes I stare at otherpeoples food,curious to know what steaming hot disharrived and it all looks so good. I hear that Henrys special is to die for so I will be sure to order that next and to include photos!
This brings me to tell you a story about my first experience with Vietnamese food. For some reason I never had Vietnamese food up until 2 years ago. I love trying new things so I don’t know what took so long.Anyway I oncehad a slightly overwhelming experience at Pho Tam in Surrey that unfortunately made me put Vietnamese on the back burner for a little while. Pho Tam is located at 10302 135 Street in Surrey, BC right across from the Central City Sky Train station. It has some of the best Pho around but be warned, the establishment is in a slummy area and the restaurant itself fits right in. Dont let the less then spectacular dcor put you off though, you will not regret it.
Now, you ask why I put Vietnamese on the back burner if this place is so great? Well, let me tell you. Being new to the area and new to this type of food, I made the mistake of venturing off by myself to find this so called hidden treasure. I knew the area was bad but I honestly I have to say when I pulled up I was less then impressed. I had to squash my snobby girl attitude though and march right in. I walked into a very very packed restaurant and took a menu to order some Pho to take out. The menu was a million items long so I stood in disbeliefhow could soup possibly be this complicated? I was expecting to find pho as one dish in the appetizer section of the menu. Boy was I wrong. After about 5 seconds I was greeted by a little Vietnamese lady who spoke very broken English, demanding my order. There were about 30 different types of soup combinations I could have chosen. How could I have been so unprepared? I dont like being out of my comfort zone, or having people know that I am out of my comfort zone so I immediately ordered the first thing on the menu that I recognized with some fake confidence. The meatball pho with vermicelli noodles. It only took about 10 min or less to make and was given a giant bag with many items. I thought, this cant be mine, I ordered soup?!?! She confirmed my order and away I went. I got home to find all sorts of things. A huge bowl of broth, a large container of noodles, meatballs, a bunch of cilantro, a bunch of mint, bean spouts, carrots, cucumber, hoisin sauce, hot sauce, and fish sauce. This was pho???? Apparently it was. I could see why it was all separated now; there couldnt possibly be a take out soup bowl that large. At first taste I was in love. How could I have possibly waited this long to enjoy something so delicious? There was sweet, spicy, and savory in every bite. As heavenly and enjoyable as this was, I didnt go back for a long time. I couldnt face the intimidating menu and ordering pressure again for a while so I sacrificed the pho goodness for selfishness. I am now over my fear of ordering and often go to enjoy the giant bowls of Pho. If you try this place out, be prepared, cash only and very limited parking.