A Taste of Vietnam
by: Mike Salvatore
Today we’re going to talk about Viet-Thai food.
Let’s look at what Viet-Thai food is like before we look into the restaurants that serve it. This will help you make your way through the 100-200 menu items that most of these places serve.
Beef Noodle Soup (called “pho”, pronounced like “faun” without the “n”)
I am ashamed to admit that I have never tried pho. It’s the most popular, most authentic menu item. The soup is served in salad bowls – there’s a lot of it. You eat it with a spoon AND with chopsticks. Pho can come in many shapes and in many forms. Change the meat, change the noodles, add spices, add vegetables…there are endless combinations. Pho usually costs between $4.00 and $7.00.
Vermicelli Bowls
These are what Mary and I usually order. They’re big enough for us to split, but they don’t cost very much – between $6.00 and $8.00 is a great price for two people. I’ve seen some attempt to eat these without help, and they usually fail.
Vermicelli is a type of thin rice noodle. The bowls (salad sized, again) are filled with these noodles, one or two meats of your choice, some salad, and perhaps a spring roll.
Rice paper meals
Rice paper is thin, so thin that it’s see-thru. When you order a rice paper meal you’ll be served a pile of meat, some vermicelli, and some vegetables on a giant plate, as well as a stack of rice paper. To eat this, you put the food on the paper, wrap it up, and eat it like you would a burrito or fajita. These meals are among the most expensive, ranging from $10.00-$14.00.
There are several other things to order at Viet-Thai restaurants, but I consider the aforementioned three to be the “main” dishes.
I’ve eaten at 4 Viet-Thai restaurants in Kitchener-Waterloo and 3 of them are worth visiting.
Your contenders:
Pho 95 – 323 King St. W., Kitchener, ON
Pho Vinh Tin – 170 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON
Ben Thanh Viet-Thai Restaurant – 36 Northfield Dr. E, Waterloo, ON. Also, 10 Pinebush Rd., Cambridge, ON
Pho Dau Bo – 301 King St. E, Kitchener, ON. Also, 1051 Victoria St. N, Kitchener, ON
Pho 95: best portions
95 has been the favorite place for Mary and me so far. It’s family owned, cheap, and tasty. 95 has the best spring rolls and the best lemon grass chicken (spicy and flavorful – try it!) hands down. Aside from the great food, the portions at 95 are generous. More food for the dollar is always appealing.
Pho Vinh Tin: nothing special
Vinh Tin makes its money off of UW students who crave Viet-Thai. There’s nothing special about it, which makes it in my opinion not worth going to. Their portions are less than the other restaurants, but their prices are the same.
Ben Thanh Viet-Thai Restaurant: the fancy one
Ben Thanh is very tasty. Whenever I order something from them I enjoy it thoroughly. The atmosphere is a step above the other places, too…the design is nicer, the chairs are comfier, the fish water is cleaner. Ben Thanh has a few menu items that I haven’t seen at any other place, too. They have a creative chow mein selection, but everything they serve is high quality. Unfortunately, Ben Thanh has its downsides. The price is higher, not by much, but still higher. Also, they bring your food when it is ready. Not at the same time as the person ordering with you, not appetizers first and main dishes second…when it’s ready. One time when I ate there with Mary, she finished her food before mine came and our appetizers came when we were both finished!
Pho Dau Bo: most authentic
Dau Bo served me the best rice paper meal I’ve ever had last night. It’s always full of Vietnamese people, so you know that they’re doing something right. You can tell when an ethnic restaurant is good by how full of people from its ethnicity it is. I asked a Vietnamese guy in one of my classes about which Viet-Thai restaurant in KW is the best and he was sold on Dau Bo. He said the King St. location (not the Victoria one) is the most authentic Vietnamese food I’ll find anywhere in the tri-cities. So, go to Dau Bo because Vietnam likes it, and because I do too.
Today we’re going to talk about Viet-Thai food.
Let’s look at what Viet-Thai food is like before we look into the restaurants that serve it. This will help you make your way through the 100-200 menu items that most of these places serve.
Beef Noodle Soup (called “pho”, pronounced like “faun” without the “n”)
I am ashamed to admit that I have never tried pho. It’s the most popular, most authentic menu item. The soup is served in salad bowls – there’s a lot of it. You eat it with a spoon AND with chopsticks. Pho can come in many shapes and in many forms. Change the meat, change the noodles, add spices, add vegetables…there are endless combinations. Pho usually costs between $4.00 and $7.00.
Vermicelli Bowls
These are what Mary and I usually order. They’re big enough for us to split, but they don’t cost very much – between $6.00 and $8.00 is a great price for two people. I’ve seen some attempt to eat these without help, and they usually fail.
Vermicelli is a type of thin rice noodle. The bowls (salad sized, again) are filled with these noodles, one or two meats of your choice, some salad, and perhaps a spring roll.
Rice paper meals
Rice paper is thin, so thin that it’s see-thru. When you order a rice paper meal you’ll be served a pile of meat, some vermicelli, and some vegetables on a giant plate, as well as a stack of rice paper. To eat this, you put the food on the paper, wrap it up, and eat it like you would a burrito or fajita. These meals are among the most expensive, ranging from $10.00-$14.00.
There are several other things to order at Viet-Thai restaurants, but I consider the aforementioned three to be the “main” dishes.
I’ve eaten at 4 Viet-Thai restaurants in Kitchener-Waterloo and 3 of them are worth visiting.
Your contenders:
Pho 95 – 323 King St. W., Kitchener, ON
Pho Vinh Tin – 170 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON
Ben Thanh Viet-Thai Restaurant – 36 Northfield Dr. E, Waterloo, ON. Also, 10 Pinebush Rd., Cambridge, ON
Pho Dau Bo – 301 King St. E, Kitchener, ON. Also, 1051 Victoria St. N, Kitchener, ON
Pho 95: best portions
95 has been the favorite place for Mary and me so far. It’s family owned, cheap, and tasty. 95 has the best spring rolls and the best lemon grass chicken (spicy and flavorful – try it!) hands down. Aside from the great food, the portions at 95 are generous. More food for the dollar is always appealing.
Pho Vinh Tin: nothing special
Vinh Tin makes its money off of UW students who crave Viet-Thai. There’s nothing special about it, which makes it in my opinion not worth going to. Their portions are less than the other restaurants, but their prices are the same.
Ben Thanh Viet-Thai Restaurant: the fancy one
Ben Thanh is very tasty. Whenever I order something from them I enjoy it thoroughly. The atmosphere is a step above the other places, too…the design is nicer, the chairs are comfier, the fish water is cleaner. Ben Thanh has a few menu items that I haven’t seen at any other place, too. They have a creative chow mein selection, but everything they serve is high quality. Unfortunately, Ben Thanh has its downsides. The price is higher, not by much, but still higher. Also, they bring your food when it is ready. Not at the same time as the person ordering with you, not appetizers first and main dishes second…when it’s ready. One time when I ate there with Mary, she finished her food before mine came and our appetizers came when we were both finished!
Pho Dau Bo: most authentic
Dau Bo served me the best rice paper meal I’ve ever had last night. It’s always full of Vietnamese people, so you know that they’re doing something right. You can tell when an ethnic restaurant is good by how full of people from its ethnicity it is. I asked a Vietnamese guy in one of my classes about which Viet-Thai restaurant in KW is the best and he was sold on Dau Bo. He said the King St. location (not the Victoria one) is the most authentic Vietnamese food I’ll find anywhere in the tri-cities. So, go to Dau Bo because Vietnam likes it, and because I do too.
posted by Voice Editorial Staff @ 3:45 PM
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