Pho Bon Mua opened up on East Second Street in North Vancouver earlier in the year following the closure and exodus of Hanoi Bistro from the same spot.
Hanoi Bistro, a diminutive space that was run by invariably hospitable chef-owners Ken and Thuy Nguyen, was one of my favourite North Shore eateries. The Nguyens put a lot of heart into their food and it showed in every dish I ever had there, including an exceptional pho that was based on a generations-old family recipe.
When I got wind of a new Vietnamese joint in the old Hanoi Bistro spot, I was initially skeptical.
The same outdoor banner promoting a 10 per cent discount on take-out orders hung from the awning in Bon Mua’s earliest days and the menu seemed, at first glance, quite similar, with a number of variations on pho and Banh Mi. Closer investigation revealed, however, that Pho Bon Mua was up to something different, offering more than 50 dishes, including an ambitious assortment of grilled meats served with rice or vermicelli, a more robust appetizer list and the inclusion of some intriguing ingredients like quail eggs and sugar cane.
My recent lunch with my son, The Boy, at Bon Mua (which means four seasons, incidentally) confirmed that this new addition to Lower Lonsdale’s dining scene is standing on its own two feet and bears little resemblance to its predecessor.
Much of what we recognize of Vietnamese cuisine in the West is based on dishes originating from Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam, or Hanoi in the far north, where Pho, Banh Mi, Bun Cha (grilled pork), Banh Cuon (rice flour rolls), and dark, strong coffee served with condensed milk find favour.
Pho Bon Mua, however, has included on its menu Bun Bo, the signature beef soup of Hue, a riverside city in central Vietnam with its own food specialties. Bun Bo Hue is a very different beast than Pho and seems to be slowly finding favour with audiences here in Vancouver; I have spotted it now on a handful of local Vietnamese menus.
The Boy and I visited the restaurant for an early lunch and just managed to beat the rush, which comprised a sudden midday onslaught of a dozen or so guests seeking takeout and dine-in fare and stressing the very tiny kitchen, which is now partially hidden behind a wall in the miniscule dining room, in which no more than 10 seats are available. Upon taking our seats, we were immediately served hot tea and water and were presented with the lengthy menu.
We opted for a round of appetizers, which included minced, seasoned shrimp molded into dainty quenelles around stalks of juicy sugar cane. The skewers were then grilled and served atop a bed of cold rice vermicelli with a simple salad.
The shrimp quenelles were subtly spiced and tasty, but the real star of the dish was the succulent sugar cane, which had absorbed both the flavours of the minced shrimp and the grill. The Boy and I enjoyed chewing on the fibrous stalks and extracting the sweet, smoky and savoury juices they contained.
Next up was a shockingly good plate of Garlic Butter Chicken Wings, the first truly novel take on wings I have had in ages. The half dozen deep fried wings, which had evidently been tossed in melted butter, were covered in a mixture of caramelized, roasted garlic, chillies and scallions. The resulting flavours were lush and fragrant and prompted us to make short work of the dish.
For his main, The Boy chose Charbroiled Minced Pork with Spring Rolls and Vermicelli. The pork, a fine puree of meat fashioned into thin, ham-like slices and deep fried, revealed flavours of garlic and ginger. The spring rolls, golden brown and densely packed, contained pork, julienned cabbage and carrot, and were served with the traditional salty-sweet fish sauce-scented dip called Nuoc Cham.
For my main, not surprisingly, I tucked into a huge bowl of the aforementioned Bun Bo Hue, which proved to be a bold, intense flavour experience. The soup’s broth, vibrant orangey-pink in colour, was packed with the dominant, perfumed note of lemongrass, the key ingredient in Bun Bo.
Thick, round noodles (versus the flat, narrow noodles of Pho), a generous portion of sliced beef brisket, and Vietnamese style ham, cilantro, and purple cabbage studded the broth, while a side plate of basil, bean sprouts and lime provided fragrant garnish.
Although each table was set with bottles of hoisin sauce, Sriracha, fish sauce and homemade garlic-chilli oil, I did not feel compelled to alter the wonderful seasoning of the dish. While I remain a steadfast Pho lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the Hue specialty, though I would suggest to those averse to oily foods that this dish may not be their bag; a thin (but decidedly persistent) film of potent chilli oil floated atop the soup right until I polished it off.
Our meal was $32 before gratuity. Pho Bon Mua is located at 109 East Second St. phobonmuacafe.com 604-984-2664
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. [email protected]
