Beyond Pho at Le Petit Saigon

Whenever I go out for Vietnamese, I usually end up with either a bowl of pho or a sub. Both are great, but that's all Vietnamese food ends up being. When a friend suggested that an unsuspecting restaurant has some specialty dishes to try, I immediately agreed to going. That's how we ended up having dinner at Le Petit Saigon, located right on the corner of Renfrew and Hastings.

We ended up splitting an order of spring rolls, a main dish, and a jackfruit milkshake. The spring rolls were crispy and conveniently cut up into smaller pieces, making for fewer chopstick disasters. For the main, we ordered a noodle dish with shrimp paste on a sugar cane stick and grilled meat (Banh Hoi, Chao Tom Thit Nuong). My friend told me that the type of noodles used in the dish are quite unusual - they are super-thin and woven into tight blocks that are unlike the standard vermicelli used in Vietnamese cooking. They were great, especially when wrapped in lettuce and dipped into sauce. I really liked the grilled meat but wasn't a big fan of the shrimp paste and sugar cane, which probably has to do more with the fact that I don't generally like shrimp than anything else.

There's nothing special about the restaurant's decor or atmosphere, but the service is friendly and the prices are more than reasonable. Our meal arrived quickly and cost less than $20. Le Petit Saigon was a great change from the regular Pho routine, even though the menu definitely has that as an option. Next time you feel like having some quality Vietnamese in a casual setting, give this place a try.

Le Petit Saigon is located at 2783 E. Hastings St.
604-251-6340