Bánh Mì Très Bon: Modern Vietnamese Cafe

Bánh Mì Très Bon has been on my radar for quite some time… not just for their banh mi either. We visited in early December (Covid safety protocols were in effect) and the pretty interior is a stark contrast to hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese places.

Banh Mi Saigon: Banh Mi Dac Biet

If you asked what the perfect sandwich is, the banh mi would definitely rank high up there. There’s something about that freshly baked, crusty bread stuffed with flavours that explode in your mouth that just speaks so much more than a plain old bologna sandwich.

Hanoi Old Quarter: Chicken Wings and Banh Cuon

Hanoi Old Quarter is one of the many Vietnamese restaurants that dot Victoria Drive. The sister restaurant to Mr Red Cafe, Hanoi Old Quarter similarly focusses on northern Vietnamese cuisine.

Viet Mama Cafe: Bánh Cuốn and Spring Rolls

Something that seems to have picked up more steam in the Vancouver food scene lately is bánh cuốn. Similar to Chinese rice rolls, bánh cuốn rice sheets tend to be much thinner and more delicate. I decided to try the ones at Viet Mama Cafe on Victoria Drive as I’ve been hearing good things about this place.

Royal Pho Restaurant: Vietnamese Food in Champlain Square

Royal Pho Restaurant is a Vietnamese restaurant that’s located in Champlain Square. As we don’t have many Vietnamese places nearby, we stopped by to grab some take-out in May.

Bean Banh Mi: Modern Banh Mi Offerings

A couple of years ago, I noticed that a new Banh Mi placed opened up in the former haunts of Tung Hing on Kingsway but it hasn’t been until recently that we were able to try out Bean Banh Mi. I was a bit intrigued by their name because I don’t normally associate beans with banh mis. However, I did quite enjoy watching the episodes of Mr. Bean that they had playing on the overhead tv screen while we waited for our orders to come up.

White Lotus Cafe: Busy Hidden Gem

Okay, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you probably know that I’m not really inclined to wait in long lines for restaurants. I usually pre-plan and look up when places are busy to avoid those hours. Unfortunately, Google’s not always that accurate (I probably shouldn’t say that out loud… I can hear the black helicopters hovering nearby as I type this).

Co Chau Vietnamese Restaurant: Modern Vietnamese Dishes

It used to be that you couldn’t find a good Vietnamese place in New Westminster but this seems to have changed. Recently, I noticed a new Vietnamese restaurant take up in the former digs of Pho Chung Nam (not sure if it’s different owners but I know that a new Pho Nam opened up in a different part of New West earlier this year).

Kim Anh: Return of Kim Anh on Edmonds

In early September, I noticed that Kim Anh had recently reopened on Edmonds Street in Burnaby. I found this to be a bit odd because I distinctly remember eating at this same restaurant in this same location a number of years ago. As it turns out, the owners of Kim Anh had subleased the location for a couple of years (to Aria Kabab) and had recently decided to reopen.

Pho Nam: Comforting Vietnamese Food

Earlier this year, I noticed a new Vietnamese place open up on the corner of 8th Ave and 12th Street in New Westminster called Pho Nam. The interior is quite spacious and there’s plenty of light coming in the windows.

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen: Special Fish Cake and Vermicelli in Soup

It seems like I’ve been waiting pho-ever to try this place out… Okay, go ahead and groan… that was a bad pun. As their name implies, this Vietnamese restaurant is well known for their specialty pho… a fish cake noodle soup (bún chả cá).

Little Minh’s (Formerly Most Valuable Pho): Vietnamese Food in Burnaby

In early April, we noticed that a new Vietnamese restaurant called M.V.P had opened up recently in the Market Crossing complex on Marine Drive in Burnaby. I was a bit confused by the name at first until I learned that it stood for Most Valuable Pho. As things turned out, they had to change their name at the request of their landlord (because there are other competing tenants that also serve pho)… hence their new name… “Little Minh’s”.