Hai Phong: How are they so highly rated?!

After our failed escape from Locked Canada's Asylum puzzle room, we were famished (and high on adrenaline)! BeautyQueen suggested a place nearby and here we were! There's lots of free parking up front, which is great!

Restaurant: Hai Phong Vietnamese Restaurant (visit their website here)

Location: 1246 Kingsway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Noodle Soup
Price range: $10-15



Date of visit: May 14, 2015
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 2/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 1.5/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

It was quite empty for a Friday night around 7pm, which kinda took me by surprise since they were so highly rated on Urbanspoon. Anyways, looked through the menu, there was a lot of variety for each person's liking. Their Garlic Butter Chicken Wings ($7.95 for 6 wings) sounded delicious! Utterly disappointed at how they looked when they arrived and disgusted when I tasted it. They were fresh and hot, but so salty it stung my mouth and throat. They were overcooked and dry, not crispy on the outside either. The lemon pepper sauce didn't have the pepper mixed in either =/.

RetroGirl and I got their small Rare Beef, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe Rice Noodle Soup ($7.50), I got it without the rare beef. This was average, it met the norm but I wouldn't say it was exceptional. Broth was hot, rich and meaty, and there was a good amount of beef in it.

GoddessV ordered a Small Shrimp and Crab Patty Noodle Soup ($8.50) without the pork feet and pork blood. It actually looked pretty good and she said the broth was really yummy. She got really thirsty as she continued eating it though, probably too much MSG =(

Overall I wasn't impressed and felt scammed that they were so highly rated (maybe I ordered the wrong things). BigGuns tried many attempts at flagging down a waitress to get our bill but they completely ignored him. Not even a busy night, there were around 5 small tables of people and two waitresses managing the storefront. Quite disappointing for a Vancouver restaurant to operate so poorly. At least Locked Canada was fun, and I was with great company ^-^

Broken Rice: Seriously broken rice!

Super keen today with GirlNextDoor, we rewarded ourselves to a fancy dinner after our hot yoga session post-long-work-day. Having passed by here many times, I finally get a chance to try! Super excited!!

Restaurant: Broken Rice (visit their website here)

Location: 4088 E. Hastings Street, Burnaby
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Price range: $20+ per person




Date of visit: March 3, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Walking in, we knew this was not your typical Vietnamese restaurant, it felt very modern and westernized. So we concluded we should order special items over your typical Phở. xD We chose Uncle Hing's Chicken Wings ($6.95) with Garlic Butter as our first appie. This was fresh: crispy outside and juicy inside. the butter went well and enhanced the flavors of the wings. Even GirlNextDoor had the chicken skin (she normally doesn't eat it!).

Next we enjoyed their Duck Confit Sliders ($6.95). They reminded me of peking duck, equally delicious. The duck was tender, moist, and flavorful, which went well with the texture of the crunchy cucumber and carrot. The bun was steamed, chewy, moist. Beautiful creation!

Then we had their Phnom Penh Roll ($6.50). This was a bit disappointing after the two superb appies. It contained Chinese sausage that made the flavors odd and I just didn't like the overall texture. Also contained egg, carrot, jicama, basil, lettuce and peanuts with a peanut dip. 

We actually started with a light Green Papaya Salad ($8.95) with Beef Jerky as jerky was the most popular option. This was packed full of crunch and flavor. I enjoyed the lightness and tartiness of the salad, but the basil was too big that it became overwhelming in flavor. I wish they julienned it so the flavors could mingle more.

For our actual main, we got their Coconut Braised Pork Belly ($13.95). The display was tidy. There was broken rice, salad, and the dish. They bundled the pork belly with green onion, very cute! This was where it got interesting. We studied their rice, none were full pieces, hence their name! We all had a good laugh with it. The flavors of the broth was soaked into the pork, which was tender and melted in my mouth. It wasn't too fatty but enough that it added flavor to the meat. Wonderful!

Overall our experience was quite positive. Can't believe we ordered so much! The service was great and I like the modern look. Mostly the food was enjoyable and delicious! I still wonder if they have to break the rice, or do they buy rice leftovers from rice farms....? xD

Pho Sen: Sen-sational!

Freezing cold Remembrance day... lest we forget the brave souls who sacrificed their existence in this world so we could have peace existing in it.

Restaurant: Pho Sen (visit their website here)

Location: 112-3030 Lincoln Avenue, Coquitlam
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Noodle Shop
Price range: <$10 per person





Date of visit: November 11, 2014
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Staff/service: 3.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

Been here when they first opened, but decided to revisit it with family. Since most prices have become inflated, their prices didn't seem so bad anymore (they stayed the same). First off, you enter feeling that this place was very clean. Unlike most chain pho places, it was clean air and open interior. First to arrive was our Salad Roll ($2.90). These were gigantic! Also fresh and inside vermicelli done perfectly chewy. Sauce was a bit too doughy for my liking (I prefer more creamy peanut).

Next, Elephant got their Large #41 Pho ($8.95).  This one has rare, flank, fatty flank, tendon, and tripe beef. It was equally large and came in a ceramic bowl (bonus points). Piping hot and aesthetically appealing, Elephant enjoyed it a lot.

OldBean can't eat beef, so we got him Grilled Chicken Vermicelli ($9.50) and Pork Spring Roll Vermicelli ($9.50) to share with everyone else.

These were basically the same base of chewy vermicelli topped with either chicken or pork and spring rolls. Chicken was too dry, as was the pork, but the spring rolls were comfortable bite-sized, crunchy, and fresh.

Also to share, we got a Large #43 Pho ($8.95), the House Special Pho. Basically it contained everything (rare, flank, fatty flank, tendon, tripe, balls, abrisket). The portion was truly large, we split it into smaller bowls (the kind you get at Chinese restaurants) and had plentiful pho for five people. Noodles were chewy, beef was typical, soup was delicious and hot. Scrumptious!!
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Finally, to be fancy, we got their Crispy Duck ($14.95). I had this the first time I visited and it was too pricey ($20 I think), but with this new price adjustment, the duck is justified. Crispy fluffy skin, this duck was pretty good! Meat itself was a bit dried and overcooked though. Portion was generous and full of meat! Sauce (Sweet-Sour) was mediocre, but you get to choose from 5 different sauces, will try another one next time! :) [oh it also came with rice and a salad, both of which I did not get a chance to try because I was too full]

Overall we enjoyed our visit. We all were stuffed and happy. I'm excited to see establishments prioritize sanitation because it seems many restaurants get old and dirty whereas Pho Sen has done a great job of keeping it squeaky clean. On a side note, be careful when you go, they have very slippery tiles =/

Munchie Adventure: Vietnam Garden Restaurant, Esqimalt (Victoria)

WORST. Experience. Ever. I wonder why it's even rated so highly on Urbanspoon. Or maybe it's just not suitable for my tastes. One could say they're very. . . different than the majority of Vietnamese restaurants-- not in a good way. They have a LOT of room for improvement =)

Restaurant: Vietnam Garden Restaurant
Location: 524 Admirals Road, Esquimalt
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Vegetarian
Price range: $10-15




Date of visit: June 3, 2013
Atmosphere: 2/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3.5/5
Food quality: 1/5
Buck worthy? 1/5

We came here because it was nearby the place we're staying at, and when we walked in, it wasn't very full. People started trickling in afterwards. Saw the lunch specials and decided to try their lunch special A: Red Curry Chicken with Rice, Spring Roll, and Vegetables ($8.95). I was excited about the spring roll... and I guess it's the least disappointing thing we had (I was still quite disappointed). It was not very crispy, made with rice flour wrap instead of the traditional spring roll wrap. Ingredients weren't flavored right either. It was bland and chewy in a bad way. Rice was cooked badly too. The curry wasn't even real red curry. Chicken was a few slices of bland chicken. Utterly horrid.

On the side we could order Wontons ($2.50), and I gotta say they're pretty expensive wontons. . . And not good either. Way too overcooked the wrapping was so soggy and mushy. The meat inside didn't taste fresh either-- actually quite bland once again. There were 3 wontons in the bowl.

Glad we only ordered three things. I didn't want to put anything else in me. This was the Rare Beef Noodles in Soup ($9.50) and let's say, I was sad they didn't have limes. NO LIMES. I was so very sad. As well, the soup wasn't very hot, the bean sprouts were mixed in with the noodles already, onions were undercooked. And noodles weren't very chewy. I'm pretty sure the times I've made it at home were better. No offense.

They even charged us for their tea. $0.65 per person! Not that it's a large amount, but not worth that money because that tea was bad quality. Sheesh. Will not be back for sure.

Munchie Adventure: Pho 99 Vietnamese Noodle House, Coquitlam

After many days of fear of tainted beef, my brother finally convinced my parents to eat beef again =P I'm still alive! So I think it's ok ^^ Or I was lucky . . . >.>

Restaurant: Pho 99 Vietnamese Noodle House (visit their website here)
Location: #62- 2991 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam (Beside Chapters)
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Noodles
Price range: <$10 per bowl




Date of visit: November 19, 2012
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

The store was pretty empty when we went in, but eventually it filled up a bit more. The waitress was very attentive and friendly =) As per usual, I ordered their large #8 ($7.90) which contains eye round steak, well-done flank, soft tendon, and beef tripe. Maybe I haven't had pho in too long, but the bowl looked extra big, and so much meat! =O Not that I'm gonna complain =P It was very hot and delicious. Used to only get one piece of tendon, but this time, there were 3 slices! =D

Brother ordered #13 large ($7.90) containing eye round steak, fatty brisket, soft tendon, and beef tripe. One can clearly see the fatty brisket, there was a 1 cm layer of fat on the piece of beef (that my brother quickly tried to hide haha)

Finally we ordered #77 ($8.50) which was a vermicelli bowl with veggies and three fried rolls. I love their rolls, so crispy and yummy! =D We always order this because my dad is deathly afraid of burnt stuff (carcinogens =O), so we don't order the meat, cuz there's usually some burnt bits and just makes a mess.





I thought this was a good meal, as long as you're not afraid of the whole tainted beef thing =) don't worry too much in life I guess? That's what our healthcare is there for ^^