Ever get bored of Big Mac or Chinese Dinner Combo A for supper? You can always have mouth-watering Vietnamese food for the same price range!
There are only three Vietnamese restaurants around Kamloops, which is obviously incomparable with bigger cities like Vancouver or Kelowna, but it is still pretty moderate for a small-sized community. The options and taste are also 7086 miles away from what the restaurants called themselves “authentic,” as all dishes are adjusted according to ingredients’ availability and suitable for the Western palette. All in all, the restaurants have made a reasonable effort to bring in Vietnam’s signature flavor.
Vietnamese dishes are based on the balance between different flavor notes: sweet, sour, savory, and spicy. I believe we are too famous for Pho and Deep-fried Spring Rolls, so I will get you to try some hidden gems.
Usually, I would only enjoy and focus on the food itself. Still, for today I will be a tiny bit judgier and evaluate the restaurants based on four criteria: Location, Food Quality, Service, and Price.
Lemongrass
is a small and warming restaurant located right in Lower Sahali. They offer decent choices of appetizers, soups, rice bowls, bubble tea (YES, they do have good bubble tea), and plenty of vegetarian or gluten-free options. My two friends and I came on a Wednesday afternoon, so they were not too busy, and the food came out pretty fast.
We got #14 Deep-fried sauteed tofu to start, and I wish I could describe the appetizing smell and the crunchiness of it. Then, if you are okay with spiciness, I must suggest you try their #28 Hue spicy soup. It is everything but a regular beef-based soup: spicy and savory broth, three types of protein, crunchy purple cabbage, and thick rice noodles – perfect for a snowy day. My friends who had #45 Beef stir-fried and #44 Chicken curry with steamed rice enjoyed their meal and were happy with the portion and the amount of meat they had.
We finished with their one and only dessert, Deep-fried banana with vanilla ice cream. Do not let its name fool you! Deep-fried banana is the best dessert invention ever! I have no idea why Lemongrass can make the banana and the breading so sweet, steamy, and soft. Still, those definitely go well with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (remember to ask for extra).
Tips:
- If you still have the tofu appies when the soup comes, dip the tofu in the soup, let the broth soak in, and enjoy.
- Try to ask (nicely) for a dash of Passion fruit syrup into your Mango slush. It is a whole new level. The bartenders might or might not do it for you, though, depending on their mood and how busy they are.
Other good options:
#9 Chicken Wings
#39 Special Combo on Vermicelli Noodles
Mai judge:
🥢Location: 4.5/5
🥢Food Quality: 4.5/5
🥢Service: 4/5
🥢Price: 4/5
Pho Viet – Donut King
is a small and cozy coffee shop right across the street from Lemongrass. Pho and donut seem to be a strange combination, yet one “you didn’t know you needed.” I personally enjoy this concept since every time after finishing a savory soup like Pho, I crave some sweetness (yes, that is a perfect combination to gain extra layers during winter). Also, their donuts are top-notch.
On this visit, my same two friends and I decided to try something new other than Pho: #1 Grilled lemongrass chicken on rice. There has to be a reason why the dish is numbered 1: portion was huge with a whole grilled chicken quarter; marinate was on-point that brought up the sweet and savory flavor with a bit smokiness from the grill; dipping fish sauce was perfectly mixed with house-pickled carrots that add on a bit of sourness and spiciness; and steamed rice and shredded lettuce salad balanced it out. It was a very filling and satisfying dish that I highly recommend. My only concern was the price of the dish (around $20), as it was not budget-friendly for students.
Look how juicy it is!
My friends tried #5 Salad rolls with fresh lettuce, cucumber, vermicelli noodles, and prawns wrapped in rice paper and served with peanut sauce. The rolls were pretty big but contained mainly veggies and noodles, so they were not very impressed.
I then finish off with shaken Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk (Cafe Sữa Đá) and a Banana cream-filled donut – my all-time favorites.
Other good options:
#7 (I believe) Rare beef and beef balls Pho. Ask for extra chili oil on a snowy day or if you are up to the challenge.
All their donuts
Mai judge:
🥢Location: 4.5/5
🥢Food quality: 4.5/5
🥢Service: 4/5
🥢Price: 3/5
Watercress
is a simple and elegant restaurant in Northshore. Since I do not drive and live in Upper Sahali, this location is less desirable than the others. Watercress also seemed less busy than its two other friends, but it does not mean that their food is any less delicious. They offered the rarest findings of the list: Special green papaya salad and #31 Fish hot pot. Now I guess you all can tell Vietnamese restaurants are not the master of appealingly naming their dishes.
The papaya salad was served cold with shredded green papaya, carrots, prawns, fried shallots, and crushed peanuts. I personally wished there would be more prawns on the salad. Still, I cannot deny that Watercress created a perfect appetizer salad. It was sweet, savory, sour, soft, and crunchy at the same time!
The true star of the show was actually the Fish hot pot that I kept asking myself why I had not had it earlier. It was served in a hot (ceramic – I guess) pot that was still sizzling when it got to the table. The caramelized sauce was thick and savory with lots of garlic and black pepper to eliminate the fishy smell. I was not sure what type of fish they used, but it was so heavenly tender with the caramelized sauce deeply soaked in and had a nice balance between the lean and fat part that kept it from getting too dry. They also gave out 6 or 7 decent fish pieces, so with an extra side of rice, this portion can even feed two! Also, this dish especially reminded me of home and my grandma’s home-cook caramelized fish.
Other good options:
#7 Pineapple Pork Wrap
#9 Saigon Wings
#23 Watercress Fried Rice
Mai judge:
🥢Location: 3/5
🥢Food quality: 4.5/5
🥢Service: 4.5/5
🥢Price: 3.5/5
Not hungry yet?! Watch this little mouth-watering video on my Viet food tour in Kamloops!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W8GlVoA0p0&ab_channel=GiangDao
Liked what you see? Stay tuned for the next episode of Japanese eat featuring Sushi “Bella” Bot! 🍣
